A TEENAGE girl needed hospital treatment after she was punched in the face near a secondary school.
The 15-year-old suffered a serious facial injury in a fight between two groups of youths from Smithills Community School.
A boy was arrested by police yesterday and released on bail pending further inquiries.
Police said the assault happened after neighbours spotted two groups of youths in Halliwell Road at 3.35pm on Tuesday.
It is alleged the girl was struck by a youth during a confrontation between the two groups.
Police officers were sent to Smithills School yesterday to ensure sure there were no further outbreaks of trouble.
Detectives probing the incident said they are unsure what the motive was for the attack, but a disagreement appeared to have started earlier in the day.
John Lawson, headteacher at the Smithills Dean Road secondary, said: "This was an isolated incident. We always refer matters like this to the police and gave them our full co-operation and support."
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