A MAN was seriously ill in a Bolton hospital this afternoon after a violent fight with a thief who had stolen his friend's car.

Stephen Simms, aged 29, suffered stab wounds to his chest - which punctured his lung - as he fought with the thief in the garden of a home on a Little Hulton estate.

Mr Simms may have been stabbed or possibly cut by glass fragments from a glass door broken by the two men as they fell against it during the fight.

He was still detained in the Royal Bolton Hospital this afternoon where he was described as "stable".

Today a large police hunt was underway for three men involved in the theft of a car.

Police say the drama began shortly before midnight last night when Mr Simms and four friends were leaving the New Inn pub on Manchester Road East, Walkden. They spotted three men driving away in a Sierra car owned by one of Mr Simms' friends.

The pub regulars then jumped into their own cars and drove off towards Little Hulton searching for the thieves.

Mr Simms was in his Cavalier when he spotted the stolen car on Kenyon Way. The car thieves drove away from him at high speed crashing into several parked cars in their desperation to get away.

Police say the three thugs then dumped the Sierra before stealing a Mondeo car from a road nearby.

Mr Simms, who was still driving around the estate looking for the Sierra, was then rammed twice by the Mondeo in Chedworth Crescent. But, undaunted, he jumped out of his car and started fighting with one of the thieves.

The fight spread to the garden of a nearby house and the two men fell into the front door of the house smashing a glass panel.

The three thieves fled as residents, came out of their homes.

Today a reward under GMP's Crimestoppers scheme was on offer for information leading to the arrest of the three men who police believe will have been recognised by the neighbours.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Swinton CID on 0161 872 5050 or Crimestoppers on the free phone 0800 555 111.

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