The detective leading the investigation into a violent street brawl put out a special plea for information last night.

Det Insp Trevor Gasson spoke out as three men were released on police bail pending further inquiries.

He said: "I would appeal to people who know something about this incident to come forward and help us. They can speak to the minorities liaison officers first if they wish.

"It's critical we get evidence from independent sources," he stressed.

A 31-year-old man has been released from Airedale General Hospital, Steeton, after treatment for a stab wound following the brawl. The man, from Swallow Street, Keighley, was wounded in the buttock as six Asian men, armed with baseball bats and a knife, clashed in Chatsworth Street, Keighley, on Tuesday night.

Two other men were injured in the fracas and have been treated and discharged from Airedale Hospital. A 30-year-old man from Swallow Street suffered a wound to his left arm and bruising to his body. A third man, aged 25, from Dalton Lane, sustained a dislocated shoulder.

The three men were later arrested at Airedale Hospital and have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Det Insp Gasson, of Keighley police, said the knife had not been recovered but it was believed to be a brown handled kitchen knife

About 20 officers were drafted in -- some from Bradford -- to deal with the incident at 9.17pm. And later, at about 10.30pm, officers were called to support security staff at Airedale Hospital, where men had gathered following the arrest of the three men.

Yesterday inquiries were continuing in the area and forensic officers were examining a Vauxhall Vectra, believed to have been involved in the incident and thought to have contained a baseball bat.

Det Insp Gasson added: "We believe the disturbance in Chatsworth Street was between six Asian men -- two on one side and four on the other -- and a crowd of people gathered who were not physically involved.

"One man was stabbed in the buttock, another suffered a wound to his left arm and another man suffered a dislocated shoulder. They were taken to hospital and later arrested. They have now been released on police bail. There are further inquiries to close the file we made. We don't know at this time what the reason was behind the disturbance.

"We understand there had been an incident earlier in the day which was not reported to us, which could have triggered this off. We are also looking into that." Inquiries were being made to trace witnesses and detectives were being supported by the minorities liaison officers from the Problem Oriented Policing team.

He said officers were keen to trace two other vehicles believed to be involved -- a W-registered Mitsubishi and an M-registered Vauxhall Cavalier.

l Officers are also investigating a report that youths armed with hammers caused a disturbance in the Lawkholme Lane area of Keighley, at 1.30am on Wednesday. When officers attended there was no sign of violence or a disturbance. It is not being linked to the Chatsworth Street incident.