FAMILY and friends have paid tribute to a dad found stabbed to death in an alleyway.

Father-of-one Donald Donlan, 23, was found with multiple stab wounds in the alley at the end of Cheshire Road, Partington, Trafford.

He was rushed to hospital but later died. Detectives are conducting a murder inquiry and have put extra patrols on the beat around the area to reassure the public.

The stabbing is believed to be linked to tensions between different factions on the Wood Lane estate.

Mr Donlan was father to a four-year-old boy called Dylan, according to a tribute website set up by relatives which had been viewed more than 500 times in the day after his death.

A female cousin wrote a message on the site, saying: "He used to be so nice with the kids and he was loved so much."

Friends and family left flowers at the scene of the fatal stabbing yesterday, on Cherry Walk at the end of Cheshire Road.

Police have also set up a confidential telephone line and community contact points in Partington and are appealing for help from the public as they investigate the murder.

Officers had been called to Cheshire Road in the early hours of Saturday following reports of a disturbance. No one has been arrested.

Chief Superintendent Janette McCormick, head of Trafford division, said: "This tragic incident has left Donald's family and the wider community devastated.

"We are grateful to this close-knit community for its support in our inquiry so far.

"But we are appealing for anyone with any information around the circumstances surrounding Donald's murder to get in touch with us.

"We have been working through the day with community leaders to ensure that people in the area still feel safe, and this will continue.

"Incidents of this nature are very rare in Partington."

Forensic teams were combing the scene on Sunday.

A woman living near the scene, who did not wished to be named, said she had heard shouting in the early hours. "I looked out of the window. There seemed to be a fight going on but I couldn't see much. "Groups of teenagers always congregate round there. There's always noise or something going on."

Call police on 0161 8562480 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.