Bloody footprints sparked a major police response this morning as officers worked to establish what had happened.
A cordon was in place at Marine Point in New Brighton today (Thursday, July 22) and scientific support was seen taking pictures of the ground.
Police tape sealed off a portion of the pedestrianised area between Prezzo and Bella Italia where a trail of bloody footprints could be seen on the ground leading from the railings of Marine Lake.
READ MORE: Tragedy 'within minutes' as sudden tide trapped friends swimming
A local member of staff said: "I just came to work this morning and it was here and the police helicopter was up. I did see wet footprints, but feels like there is more to this."
A Merseyside Police spokesperson told the ECHO : "We were contacted at 6am by a member of the public following a report that blood had been seen on a pavement and railings.
"A cordon was set up while enquiries were carried out to establish what had taken place.
"CCTV, witness and other enquiries have since established that a man is believed to have injured his leg while swimming at around 1.30am this morning. He was taken to hospital by ambulance.
"Enquiries are ongoing to trace the man and check on his welfare."
Families and people who had headed down to New Brighton to enjoy the heatwave looked concerned and one passerby commended the police on their investigation and hoped the injured man is OK, he added: "I hope they find him and see that he is alright."
While the cordon was in place, all the businesses at Marine Point were still open and operating as usual.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
