Elderly Scunthorpe pair 'critical' after attack by suspected burglar
An elderly couple are in a critical condition after a "vicious attack" in their home by a suspected burglar.
A 90-year-old man suffered injuries to his throat while his wife, in her 80s, sustained head injuries when they were assaulted at their home in Elm Grove, Scunthorpe, on Tuesday evening, police said.
A 36-year-old man was arrested in Brigg, North Lincolnshire.
He is being questioned at Scunthorpe police station.
The elderly man is being treated at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby while his wife is at Scunthorpe General Hospital. Both are in a critical but stable condition.
Police were alerted after members of the public reported seeing a man running from the pensioners' home.
A man was seen driving away in a white van following the attack, which happened at about 17:20 GMT.
A Humberside Police spokesman said: "It is believed they were assaulted by the man who was attempting to burgle them.
"At this time it is not known whether anything was stolen."
Det Insp Jon Cross said on Tuesday evening: "This was a vicious attack on two elderly and vulnerable members of the community in their own home."
The address in Elm Grove has been cordoned off and crime scene investigators are examining the property.