Police have been granted more time to question two people arrested in connection with an assault in Norwich's clubland which has left a man fighting for his life.
The man, in his 20s, was initially taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital but was later transferred to Addenbrooke’s where he remains with life-threatening injuries following a serious assault in St Vedast Street in the early hours of Saturday (March 19).
Police have now been given more time to question two men - an 18-year-old man and a 23-year-old man, both from Norwich - who were arrested over the weekend on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm (GBH).
They remain in custody at Wymondham Police Investigation Centre (PIC) where detectives continued to question them on Sunday (March 20).
It follows an attack which happened shortly before 2.30am on Saturday.
The attack has raised concerns about safety in the area of Prince of Wales Road - a street once dubbed "the most dangerous street in Norfolk" by a senior police officer - where bars and clubs are only just getting back after closures during the Covid pandemic.
Security guard Alan Gray, who works as a doorman at a convenience store in Prince of Wales Road, and who was stabbed by teenager Thomas James in October last year, said he thought things were "getting out of hand" in the area.
The 61-year-old, who had been working this weekend, but did not find out about the serious assault until Saturday evening, said: "It's just getting really bad.
"It's getting out of hand I think.
"I've spoken to a few people lately and they're worried about their children going out down Prince of Wales Road
"I've told my son to stop going out.
"These young people, they don't realise - it's the family that gets the bad news."
Mr Gray, whose thoughts were with the victim and his family, said: "My feelings are always with the families.
"They get a phone call to say 'your son is in hospital' or something, it must be terrible."
He said the police were doing "their best" and a "good job down here" but insisted courts and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) needed to do more to stop this by ensuring there were tougher sentences for violent offenders.
Superintendent Terry Lordan, Norwich's policing commander, acknowledged the incident currently being investigated was "serious" but also "rare within the night-time economy".
He said: "We're dealing with an ongoing investigation into a serious assault.
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim."
Supt Lordan said he could not go into any further detail about the investigation as two people had been arrested but insisted Norwich was a "vibrant" place to come for a night out with the need for very few arrests.
He said that in Norwich, which has previously won a Purple Flag from the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM), due to it offering an entertaining, safe and enjoyable night out, only ended up arresting "between five and eight people" most weekends.
"Most of these tend to be for being drunk and disorderly and offences where police officers will look to take preventative measures before people are too intoxicated," he added.
He said those people might be "dispersed" from areas, or assisted by the city's lifesaving SOS Bus scheme to try and reduce the potential risk they might pose, either to themselves or others.
Supt Lordan insisted incidents like the serious assault this weekend were "very rare" with around 20 dedicated officers working in the city's night-time economy every weekend to try and make it "a safe environment" for people to come and enjoy.
Lesley Grahame, a city councillor for Thorpe Hamlet ward, which covers St Vedast Street, said her thoughts were with the injured man at Addenbrooke's and his family and friends.
She said: "It's very sad that this has happened."
The Green Party councillor, who thanked the NHS and police for doing all they could for the injured man, said: "There's no excuse for such violence.
"We wish him the best possible recovery."
Police are looking for witnesses to the incident with officers particularly keen to speak to anyone who was in the St Vedast Street area between 2.10am and 2.30am.
Witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage or CCTV should contact police via 101 quoting crime reference number 36/20359/22.
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