Business owners based on a High Wycombe shopping street were left in shock following a double stabbing on Friday afternoon which turned the area into a “ghost town”.

Police and forensics descended on to the Eden Shopping Centre and Desborough Road on June 23 following the attacks which are believed to be linked.

The shopping street has attracted criticism in the past following reports of prostitution, drug dealing and drinking in the area.  

Manager at The Rose and Crown in Desborough Road, Cedric Booles, said the attacks meant people stayed away from the area on Friday night. 

He said: “It just went quiet – High Wycombe turned into a ghost town. It affected trade the same way the road works have affected trade.

“I was shocked but it seems to the norm in Wycombe now. It was quiet all of Friday, so I think people were staying away from High Wycombe because of the police and they heard the road was closed.

“For a normal Friday we would usually have around 20 or 30 people coming through and we only had about 10.

“Desborough Road has had some bad press and it is not that bad in my opinion – I have been here 7 years.”

A 20-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and released under investigation in connection with the attacks.

Owner of B&N Food and Wine, Bapander Singh, said police have recently been working to reduce the amount of crime in the area.

He said: “My wife works in House of Fraser and she rang me and told me what was going on. I looked out of my window and could see about two or three police cars and a couple of vans and the road was closed off.

 “Police are working very hard in the area to try and keep people away at night, and now this has happened just around the corner.”

If you have any information about the incidents please tell a police officer, call 101 or visit your nearest police station and quote reference 1138 (23/6).