On Monday night a fight, which broke out in Cambridge’s popular ‘Fez’ nightclub, resulted in three Downing College students being hospitalized.

The attackers have yet to be identified, and a police investigation is ongoing. The students had gone to the club in formal following their ‘Halfway Hall’ celebrations and the student population at large has been warned to be careful and vigilant on nights out.

It is alleged that the fight broke out after an accidental collision on the dancefloor between a student and ‘townie’ escalated. The students sustained significantly more injuries; two received severe cuts, a third has his cheek and the bones around his eye socket fractured.

One of the victims said that he didn’t see the fight break out amongst the group of friends he was standing with but was later hit in the face and had to receive medical assistance. When asked about the alleged prevalence of this kind of violence in Cambridge’s clubs he said it was the “first time he’d experienced or heard of it”.

Whilst violence like this is reflective of the general trends in British crime figures, the Cambridge City police West panel have identified “Alcohol related anti-social behavior including both street life issues and the night time economy” as a policing priority.

There are concerns that the student’s conspicuous appearance may have made them targets as part of the legendary animosity between ‘town and gown’. This conflict was responsible for a number of dramatic late night attacks on students last term.

Lee Nicolson, operations director of Eclectic Clubs & Bars, owners of Fez, said "we would like to express our sincerest apologies and to wish everyone concerned a full and speedy recovery". He added that fez "rarely experience incidents due to the kind of customer we attract. That said, with the late-night entertainment environment becoming so highly competitive, some venue operators are becoming less selective regarding people they admit to their premises. That is not, and will never be, our way - isolated incidents such as this only serve to endorse our strict policy of zero tolerance towards those who would seek to cause distress and discomfort to our customers or staff."

The Cambridgeshire Police Department have told students to avoid loitering near the doors of nightclubs since this is where most violence is recorded. They also urge students to cooperate fully with the security staff in clubs and to report threatening activity to door managers as soon as possible.