POLICE have pledged to keep sending high visibility police patrols into the “war zone” streets of a Lanarkshire suburb for as long as it takes to reassure the public after a gang attack by knife-wielding men in a stolen van.

Three men in a parked van in Frankfield Road, Cardowan were assaulted by a trio of males carrying knives in what officers described as a “targeted attack” in Cardowan.

READ MORE: Stepps 'war zone' gang related as vans are set on fire and several people are rushed to hospital

Police fear that children could have been caught up in the “horrendous” attack which occurred as many families were out enjoying the warm weather at 1.30pm on Sunday.

Dramatic video footage captured explosions that send flames as high as houses and a blood-covered man.

The attackers who were in a Ford Transit van that was stolen from Ruchazie, north east Glasgow the previous day, deliberately drove at the parked van, police say.

The three men in the parked van, aged 47, 45 and 28 years, managed to get out of the vehicle but were chased and then attacked with bladed weapons by the attacking trio. Both vans were also deliberately set alight.

The victims were rushed to Glasgow Royal Infirmary where the 47-year-old and a 28-year-old were treated and have been released. A 45-year-old man remains in hospital where staff describe his condition as stable.

READ MORE: Stepps 'war zone' gang related as vans are set on fire and several people are rushed to hospital

Police believe that the attackers made off from the area in two waiting get away cars, a black 4x4 and a white saloon car.

A motive has not yet been established, but police said that the believe the attackers knew their victims who were specifically targeted.

Detective Inspector David Reilly who is leading the investigation, was on his first day based at the Coatbridge police office yesterday and he admitted it was a tough baptism.

Uniform patrols were seen both in Cardowan and nearby Stepps and DI Reilly said plain clothes officers had also been brought in saying it is “understandable” that local people found the incident alarming.

READ MORE: Stepps 'war zone' gang related as vans are set on fire and several people are rushed to hospital

He said: “I would reassure people that we will do our utmost to bring the persons responsible to justice as soon as possible,” he said.

“This is a horrendous attack. At 1.30pm it was a sunny day there were a lot of people out on the street, there were kids out on the street and it would have been quite easy for an innocent member of the public to have been involved in this incident and Police Scotland will not tolerate any such behaviour.

“The men that carried out this attack had no respect for members of the public or children that may have been in the street at the time.”

He said the response for information from the local community had been “very good” but added: “We can never have enough information and we would encourage them to come forward, it doesn’t matter how small they think the piece of information is.”

READ MORE: Stepps 'war zone' gang related as vans are set on fire and several people are rushed to hospital

By yesterday the only evidence of the burning vans was the extensive black charring of the road.

One local whose family have lived in the are for five generations said they were the sort of scenes she only normally sees on TV.

“The flames were up at roof height and there was black billowing smoke. I just heard the bang and I just dialled 999 as soon as I saw the smoke.

“It’s a nice wee local area here. This sort of thing doesn’t happen here. You get more action from the wildlife down there (pointing at a nearby field) than you do here.

“I’ve never seen anything like it up here, never. Maybe if I was watching The Bill or something like that.”

Another local described the scenes as “like a war zone” and one resident said he saw a boy sitting in an ambulance “covered in blood”

Police say they are continuing to pore over CCTV footage from the scene. Video footage of a man, appearing to be bleeding, walking in front of two vans set alight in the streets has also been brought to detectives’ attention. The identity of the man in the video is not known.

The first suspect is described as white, 6ft tall and wearing black hooded top with the hood up. The second man is described as white, blond hair, and wearing dark coloured trousers and a dark hooded top. The third suspect was white, 5ft 4in, slim, wearing all dark clothing, a hooded top and dark baseball cap.

READ MORE: Stepps 'war zone' gang related as vans are set on fire and several people are rushed to hospital

Meanwhile, a gun was discharged in a separate incident in Hamilton, damaging a vehicle in the town’s William Drive, at about 12.20am the same day. A white Volkswagen Passat and a silver Hyundai, were later found burnt out in the town’s Sherry Drive, were both understood to have been in the area at the time of the incident.

Inspector Scott McCarren said: “The inquiry team would like to speak to anyone who may have seen either of these cars in the area around the time of the incident as they may be able to assist with the investigation.”