Garda concern after dangerous weapons seized from groups of street-fighting suburban youths

GARDAÍ seized a cache of dangerous weapons from a group of youths following a pitched early morning battle on the streets of a Dublin suburb.

Gardaí moved in to separate up to 20 youths, split into two groups, involved in the street fight at around 2am on Saturday in Blanchardstown, west Dublin.

Officers seized golf clubs, sticks and machetes from the youths. One youth, in the late teens, was treated for a minor stab wound in James Connolly Memorial Hospital.

The weapons were placed on display by gardaí who are keen to highlight the increasing use of dangerous weapons among youths.

Meanwhile, two men were last night recovering in hospital after being shot by a lone gunman in Dublin.

One man was shot in the leg and the other in the groin when the gunman opened fire in broad daylight on a busy road in the west of the city.

The shooting happened shortly after 3pm on the Cloverhill Road in the Ronanstown area.

The two were transferred to Tallaght Hospital. Their injuries are not life-threatening.

A Garda spokeswoman said gardaí were looking for a man with short hair, wearing jeans and a blue top.

The man was seen running from the scene of the shooting, the spokeswoman said.