Updated at 6.55am 

A MAN IS due in court this morning in connection with a stabbing at a pharmacy in Drogheda yesterday.

The attack happened at the chemist, on Scarlet Street in the town, at around 8.30am.

The victim – a staff member – received a stab wound and was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

A man in his 30s was later arrested by gardaí close to the scene.

He’s due to appear before Dundalk District Court later this morning.

‘Growing trend’

The Irish Pharmacy Union, which represents some 2,100 community pharmacists, said the incident is part of a growing trend of violence against its members.

“Increasingly, our members are becoming victims of crime and the extremely lenient penalties handed down by the courts are not proving to be a deterrent,” Daragh Connolly, the union’s vice-president, said.

According to an IPU survey published earlier this year, three-quarters (75%) of pharmacists in Ireland have been victims of crime, including shoplifting, robbery and raids.

Over a third (36%) who were victims of a robbery or raid said the perpetrators carried one or more weapons.

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Read: Terrifying ordeal for couple robbed at gun point in their home >