The 23-year-old man, from the Greater Manchester area, had been leaving The World nightclub on Sunday morning when he was approached by another man.

He asked to borrow the clubber's mobile phone to ring a taxi but when his request was turned down, he became threatening and called over another two.

They grabbed the victim's arm before one offender produced a meat cleaver from his jacket pocket and threatened the man again.

He promptly handed over the phone and the gang released him before walking along Victoria Street.

The victim raised the alarm from a public phone box but the men had disappeared by the time police arrived.

Detective Constable Alex Kane said: "The incident happened between 2am and 3am on Sunday morning as the man was leaving the club.

"After refusing to hand over the mobile, one of the men who was holding his arm, revealed he had a meat cleaver in his coat. The victim then handed over the phone and the offenders simply walked off.

"It's unlikely they had been in the club beforehand because a metal detector was used on the door.

"It's likely that the men were waiting outside the venue and we want to hear from anyone who may have seen them," he said.

All three are described as white, aged between 19 and 20 and about 5ft 8ins in height. Two of the men had short dark hair while the third had fair hair.

Contact DC Kane on 01244 613 834 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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