Police cordon
The area has been cordoned off as an investigation continues Christopher Furlong/Getty

A teenager is in a serious condition in hospital tonight after being attacked near a supermarket in Manchester.

The 17-year-old boy was stabbed repeatedly in the back at the traffic lights on Ashton Old Road near to the Morrisons supermarket, police said.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a group of men getting out of a van brandishing sticks before fleeing the scene according to The Manchester Evening News. It's not known when the victim was stabbed.

Officers arrived at the scene at around 8.30pm. Detective Inspector Rob Howarth of GMP's City of Manchester Team, said: "As with any incident like this, it's imperative that we move quickly to ensure we collect as much evidence as possible but we also need people who witnessed the events this evening to get in touch.

"The young victim is in the best place possible to receive the treatment that he needs and our focus is doing whatever we can to find out why this happened and catch those responsible."

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting reference number 2136 of 30/10/17 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.