A music awards show at the O2 arena in London had to be cancelled after a brawl broke out leaving two men injured, one critically, from stab wounds.

Hundreds of people were questioned by police after violence erupted at the annual Urban Music Awards on Saturday, which were cancelled after 90 minutes.

Witnesses said that there had been “blood all over the floor” after the fight broke out at about 10pm at the arena in East London. Comedian Richard Blackwood and the singers Bashy, Tinchy Stryder and Sway were all in the audience.

About 300 guests were detained inside the venue until the early hours of Sunday after police blocked the exits and questioned all those attending. One man was arrested and is being questioned by police.

Mike Muller, 38, from London, said there had been a lot of confusion and hysteria. “The company I work for, Intensify Youth, were presenting an award. Our man was just about to go on stage and present the award when this happened. Intensify Youth is a project that aims to combat knife crime, so this is really disappointing.”

Guests complained about the security arrangements at the event. Natalie Williams, 32, said: “There was no security, nothing. Before anything even happened I commented to my boyfriend, because we live near by and come here a lot, and we usually get screened coming into the building. Tonight there was nothing.”

Mark Hudson, 28, said: “There’s a reputation for these events that people carry knives, but there were no searches, no nothing. I was worried about this before I came here.” He said: “It was a big brawl, I would guess about 25 or 30 people, with chairs being thrown.”

Another guest, Andre Nevling, 24, said a woman sitting at the same table as himself was covered in blood. “Obviously the guy who got stabbed must have run straight past her and she’s pretty shaken up. I came out of the auditorium and looked at her and she was just standing there. I saw blood all over the floor and then I was like, ‘Jesus, you’re covered in it’,” he said.

The awards were held at a 2,350 capacity venue inside the O2 Arena. Dozens of police arrived after 10pm and cordoned off an area covering approximately six tables inside the auditorium.

The critically injured man is said to be black and aged in his twenties. The other injured man has been released from hospital after receiving treatment. Estelle, Adele, Leona Lewis, Dizzee Rascal and Duffy were among the performers nominated for awards at the ceremony.

In 2004 a woman was shot outside the Urban Music Awards when it was being held at London’s Barbican Centre.

— Police in Wigan were called to an address in Ashton-in-Makerfield shortly after 1.45am and found three men had been stabbed and a woman had suffered cuts to her hand. The three men were taken to hospital, where one later died.

A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and remained in custody for questioning.

Meanwhile, detectives in Bedford began investigating the murder of a 19-year-old man who was stabbed to death. The victim raised the alarm after making his way to a club.

The man, who was thought to be aged 19, was found outside a pub in Alexandra Road on Saturday night. He was taken to Bedford Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. The incident is believed to have happened between the Studio Club bar and the nearby West Indian Club.

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