A youth was stabbed close to the heart and three others were wounded in a fight during a freshers' ball at a college.

The wound was so serious a specialist medical team had to travel from Southampton to Chichester to perform a life-saving operation.

Six men were arrested after trouble broke out at the party for more than 300 people celebrating the arrival of new students at Chichester College of Technology.

Police were called after fights broke out between students and other guests shortly after 11pm on Friday at the invitation-only Student Union event.

Detective Sergeant Dave Rowley said: "There was quite a considerable outbreak of violence. When officers arrived there were a number of separate fights taking place.

"It was brought quickly under control with the help of security staff at the college."

The most seriously injured victim was taken to St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, where medics considered his injuries so serious they wanted to transfer him immediately to a specialist unit at a hospital in Southampton. But doctors decided he could not be moved so a team of specialist surgeons made an emergency trip from Southampton to Chichester to carry out an operation.

The man has since been moved to the specialist injuries unit at Southampton where yesterday his condition was said to be serious but stable.

Another youth was stabbed in the buttock during the fight and two others suffered less serious puncture wounds.

No one has been charged but the arrested men have been released on police bail and are due to return to the police station at a later date.

Party-goers paid £3 each to attend the student night and were given coloured wrist bands as entry passes. Trouble flared after a group of non-students arrived.

Police said that while the group was not gatecrashers, security at the event was lax and it was quite easy for non- members of the college to get hold of a wrist band to get in.

Officers said the number of witnesses coming forward was encouraging but they were still calling for more of the hundreds of potential witnesses to contact them.