DETECTIVES are appealing for witnesses after a man was stabbed during a late-night assault by a group of thugs.

The victim was walking down Fairfax Drive, in Westcliff, just before midnight on June 22, when he was approached by a large group of men.

After a brief conversation he was then stabbed before the group left the scene on pedal bikes.

The man, who is in his 20s, suffered a number of stab wounds.

None were life threatening and he is now recovering at home.

Detective Inspector Paul Ahmed said: “This is an isolated incident and we have had no further reports which we believe to be similar or linked.

“The motive is unclear, as nothing was stolen, and enquiries are ongoing to establish what exactly made these individuals attack the victim.

At this stage, we remain open minded.

“It is possible that someone saw or heard something, and if this is the case, we really want to speak to you.”

Emergency services have been under pressure after a recent spate of stabbings across the borough.

The latest one prior to this incident was a stabbing in Kenway where a man suffered lifethreatening stab wounds to the chest and was taken to hospital on June 12.

In that case, the suspects also rode away on push bikes.

The council has recently approved a £250,000 investment into a community safety team designed to combat crime and disorder in the town centre.

The team will focus on the troubled centre but will also be available to help tackle emerging antisocial behaviour in othKnife fears spark big emergency response A huge emergency service response descended in Westcliff after a teenager was threatened with a knife.

A 19-year-old man reportedly fainted after being threatened with a weapon in North Road, close to the Blackdown Flats at around 6.20pm on Sunday.

A police cordon was also put in place around Lothian Meats, a butcher located at the corner of North Road and Tudor Road.

Armed police officers attended the scene, joined by East Anglia Air Ambulance who landed in the nearby Milton Hall School’s playing fields.

The swarm of emergency vehicles to the scene prompted fears that yet another stabbing had taken place in the borough. The teenager’s present condition has not been confirmed, however his injuries were not described as serious.

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: “We are investigating following an incident in Westcliff.

“The victim was taken to hospital for treatment on injuries which are not believed to be serious.

N Emergency response - services rushed to the scene in North Road, Westcliff er parts of the borough.

Speaking about the latest spate of knife crime, Southend Council’s shadow portfolio for public protection, Councillor Matt Dent, said residents needs to be reassured by the emergency response.

He added: “It is still important that residents see evidence that the police and authorities are taking violent crime extremely seriously.

“It can be alarming to see emergency services on your doorstep and there’s no denying that there has been an increase in violent crime in the borough in the past few months, but I hope people will see that we are working hard to make Southend a safer place to live and work.”

If anyone has information, you should contact Southend CID on 101.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers UK anonymously on 0800 555 111 if you have information.