Four people have been remanded in custody after a town centre brawl which left one man with stab wounds and another fighting for his life.

Emergency services were called to The Brook, Chatham, at 2.20am on Thursday to a report of a disturbance involving a number of people outside Churchills pub.

One man, aged 28, was stabbed in the leg. A second man, aged 69 from Northfleet, was also hurt and remains in a critical condition in a London hospital.

The pub has remained closed since the incident and police have called for an urgent review of the premises licence.

Eight people were arrested following the brawl and officers said on Friday they were not looking for anyone else.

Jason Holmes, 44, from Sheerness; Barry Pozzoli, 28, from Chatham; and Aaron Smith, 21, from Chatham, have all been charged with causing grievous bodily harm in relation to the injured 69-year-old.

Ricky Blackwell, 23, from Swanscombe, has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm in relation to the injured 28-year-old, as well as to another man in a separate incident in Swanscombe.

Holmes, Pozzoli and Blackwell appeared before Medway magistrates on Friday. Smith appeared on Saturday. They have all been remanded in custody until a hearing at Maidstone Crown Court on October 21. None of the men have entered pleas.

Ben Coulson, 26, from Strood, has been charged with two counts of criminal damage relating to a smashed car windscreen and a cell door at Medway police station.

He has been bailed to appear before Medway magistrates on Tuesday, October 11.

A 69-year-old man arrested on suspicion of affray remains on bail until Friday, October 7.

A 17-year-old girl, who was also arrested, has been released without charge and a 22-year-old woman from Chatham was arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice but was later released without charge.

The stab victim was admitted to Medway hospital but he has since been discharged.

The incident happened outside Churchills pub which was closed over the weekend. Staff posted on the pub’s Facebook page on Friday that they would not be open because they were “still currently helping the police with their investigations”.

Part of The Brook was shut for several hours while police examined the crime scene.

One witness described seeing forensic officers and “loads of blood” on the pavement in the early hours.

Officers remained at the scene until the afternoon when the road was fully reopened.