IN the week that the area's police officially announced special measures to combat violent crime there were three serious beatings.

One youth is seriously ill in hospital and two others were seriously hurt in separate attacks - one was attacked with a baseball bat and one with a hammer.

Russell Arkwright, 17, was in a 'critical but stable condition' in Preston Royal Hospital after being hit outside McDonalds at about 11pm.

It's thought the youth from Ryda l Road, Bolton-le-Sands badly damaged his head falling from a punch. Lee Parrington, 18, of Greengate Lane, Crag Bank, appeared at Lancaster Magistrates charged with the alleged assault on Monday.

Two other men also suffered serious beatings in separate incidents at the weekend.

A gang attacked a lone man with a baseball bat on West End Road in Morecambe on Friday evening. The gang of four male teenagers broke his arm and he suffered head injuries. The main offender was aged between 17 and 19, was six feet tall and wore a grey fleece jacket.

In the other attack a neighbour allegedly hit a man about the head with a hammer for reportedly playing his music too loud. Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident which occurred at about 2am on Saturday morning at Euston Road.

Two weeks ago The Citizen exclusively revealed tough new police measures to clamp down on violent thugs in the area, including: police patrols with dogs, mobile police video units, mounted police and plans to implement a controversial new government policy which will exclude known trouble makers from the centre of town.

And this week they announced further measures to combat the thugs including issuing a crime prevention tip of the day, officers in high visibility jackets patrolling Lancaster and Morecambe and working together with shop workers, pub licensees and the city council to gather intelligence.

Inspector Andy Rhodes of Lancaster police commented: "We want everybody to enjoy themselves, particularly when they go our for a festive drink. However we are using several high profile high tactics to target those people who may insist on ruining what is traditionally a happy period by behaving badly and creating a nuisance."

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