A man was taken to hospital with suspected stab wounds after an incident close to an off-licence in Gillingham.

The 23-year-old, who has not been named, needed treatment for three wounds to his stomach.

Three people were arrested following the incident, including a boy of 15, but they were released after the victim declined to press charges.

The drama unfolded in Balmoral Road, near the Twin Stars off-licence from about 7pm on Thursday, as our exclusive picture above taken by reader Martin Philbrick shows.

Police cordoned off the road for about four hours while a forensic team carried out investigations.

The man was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital but police said his injuries were not believed to be life threatening.

A spokesman said: "A 20-year-old woman from Gillingham, a 15-year-old boy from Gillingham and a 50-year-old man from Gillingham, arrested in connection with an incident at an address in Balmoral Road, have been released without charge.

"A 23-year-old man from Gillingham was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital, with wounds to his stomach.

"His injuries are not believed to be life threatening and he does not want to support any form of police investigation.†Police said a weapon had not been found."

John Maty, who has lived in the road for more than 20 years, said: "They had blocked off the road and we saw them taking away a woman in cuffs. She was quite small and had blonde hair and was giving the coppers a lot of abuse."

Another woman living on the road added: "The first we knew about it was when we saw the ambulance. Unfortunately it is not a rare occurrence round here, there is always a lot of fighting, shouting and drunks."

Anyone with information about the incident can contact Kent Police in Medway on 01634 792474 or CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.