The former site of Cornwall's flagship mining heritage attraction is said to now be plagued by increasing trouble. Staff at a nearby homeless facility said rough sleepers are causing a "growing number of incidents" at Heartlands.

The statement came after workers from Chi Winder in Dudnance Lane in Pool ran to the rescue after a brawl - allegedly involving a stabbing - left two people injured. The incident was so serious that several police were said to attend and the Cornwall Air Ambulance landed.

Two men were hospitalised and two were arrested after police were called to the location on Tuesday afternoon (July 17). One suffered injuries to his head and hand and a second man sustained an injury to his his neck. The men are believed to be known to each other, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

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According to Coastline Housing, which runs the Chi Winder day centre offering services for local homeless people and others in need, this was just the latest incident as disused parts of the vast Heartlands site are being plagued by trouble. A Coastline spokesman said: "Following an incident on the Heartlands site, our staff from Chi Winder went over to offer first aid before the emergency services arrived.

"None of the men are residents at Chi Winder. As we are a homelessness charity we were able to provide replacement clothing to one of the men involved.

"This appears to be one of a number of growing incidents recently where street homeless are gathering at disused parts of the Heartlands site. We have notified the Outreach Homeless Team and always welcome the opportunity to work on community safety with local groups and partner organisations."

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The full police statement after the latest incident said: "Police were called at 3.25pm on Tuesday 16 July following reports of an assault in Dudnance Lane, Pool. It was reported that there had been an altercation between two men. One man sustained injuries to one hand and his head. A second man sustained an injury to his neck.

"Both men, who are believed to be known to each other, were taken to hospital for treatment and were later discharged. A 33-year-old man from the Camborne area and a 42-year-old man of no fixed abode were arrested on suspicion of assault. Following enquiries, both have been released with no further action being taken."

The Heartlands Trust, which ran the £35m visitor attraction that it leased from Cornwall Council, which owns the site at the Robinson's Shaft of the former South Crofty mine, said in January it was no longer able to cover the operational costs of such a large site, despite it attracting around 360,000 people each year eager to learn about Cornwall's culture and mining heritage.

Heartlands originally received £22m from the Big Lottery Fund, the biggest grant it had given to a single project in England at the time, with the site's landlord Cornwall Council and the European Union also providing funding. The National Lottery Community Fund, which had been the attraction's biggest benefactor, revealed that it had pulled its funding, saying Heartlands had become unsustainable and "we have a responsibility to ensure public money is well spent, which is why we have had to make this difficult decision”.

The popular Red River Café, Wheal Play soft play centre, conference centre and meeting rooms all closed on January 31 but the adventure playground, gardens, independent shops and offices remained open. Traders there told CornwallLive of their shock, anger and heartbreak.

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