A 60-YEAR-OLD man is seriously ill in hospital after he had his throat slashed in a row with a neighbour.

The alleged victim, who has been named locally as 60-year-old Steven Waring, is now in a stable condition in hospital but has a three-inch gash in his neck after the attack in Breightmet Drive, Breightmet, at about 9.40pm last night.

An 89-year-old man, who also suffered a head injury in the incident, has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and is now in police custody.

The attack happened in the front garden of a semi-detached house, where it is thought the 89-year old lives with his wife and middle-aged son.

Neighbours in Breightmet Drive claimed it was the latest incident in a long and bitter feud between the two families, and police confirmed there had been a number of incidents involving the neighbours.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "There is a well-known bitterness between the two families that has been going on for many years and the police seem to be called at least once a month.

"There have been drunken shouting incidents and assaults before now but this time it has clearly escalated.

"This is very serious — we don’t know what has led to all this bitterness but there is a back story somewhere."


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Another neighbour, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said that although they were aware of the feud, they were “completely shocked” by what had happened.

He added: “It is remarkable to hear. He has lived in the house since about 1970 and I have always thought he was a mild-mannered, polite man and also very small and frail which makes it even more surprising.”

Mr Waring and his partner are thought to have lived in Breightmet Drive for more than 10 years.

Neighbours said the couple tend to “keep themselves to themselves”.

A resident added: “They don’t mix with the neighbours but I have always thought they seemed quite nice and when my father, who is unwell, was locked out, they took him in and looked after him.”

A police spokesman said: “There has been an historical neighbour dispute between the two parties for a number of years, which resulted in occasional visits by the police for anti-social behaviour.

"The police dealt with a minor assault on January 4, which was resolved by way of restorative justice with both families agreeing to enter into mediation.”

Anyone with information can call police on 101.