DETECTIVES investigating the stabbing of a man and reported gun fire in a Newport street are ruling out a gangland feud at this stage of their inquiry.

Armed police swooped on the Dolphin Court flats at the rear of Francis Drive in Pill during the early hours of yesterday after a man suffered multiple stab wounds.

He is being treated at Newport's Royal Gwent Hospital where his condition is described as stable.

Gwent Police detectives are appealing for people from the locality to come forward and help them.

Yesterday detectives could be seen examining what appeared to be two bullet holes fired through the rear window of a Land Rover.

The area was sealed off as part of a major police inquiry which saw forensic officers gather evidence for much of the day.

Last night, six men had been arrested and were helping police with their inquiries today.

Police said more suspects are expected to be arrested as the inquiry progresses.

Many local people said they feared the incident was the result of a feud between rival gangs or drug-related.

But Chief Inspector Dave Johnson ruled out concerns over a gangland turf war.

He said: "There are no organised criminal gangs operating in Newport at the moment.

"There have been criminal gangs seeking to infiltrate the city but these have always been dealt with effectively with a number of people serving long terms of imprisonment.

"The use of weapons is rare in the city and the police have to confront and deal with it robustly."

The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Superintendent Bryan Wilson, said the exact picture of what happened was "fragmented." He said: "There were a number of weapons involved and certainly gunfire was heard. We are awaiting reports from forensic experts.

"We need people to come forward and tell us what they saw, heard or, in fact, know.

"I can assure you, we will get to the bottom of this."