POLICE are appealing for witnesses after the latest knife attack in Southend.

The incident happened in the early hours of yesterday morning when a man was stabbed in the leg.

Witnesses reported seeing large pools of blood on the floor where the cordon was in place, outside Barringtons flats, in Sutton Road, Southend.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We were called to reports of a man found injured in Sutton Road, Southend at around 4.25am on Thursday, September 13.

“It is believed he had been stabbed in the leg during an assault.

“He was taken to hospital for treatment and his injuries are not life-threatening or life-changing.”

This attack is the latest in a string of knife-related crimes after two knife-point robberies earlier this week.

The incident has sparked fears not enough is being done to tackle violent crime in the borough.

Southend’s councillor for public protection, Mark Flewitt, has said the council is working “really hard” with police but that work is “ongoing” and there is not a “magic solution”.

“We are working really hard with police, really hard.”

Matt Dent, Southend Labour’s councillor for public protection, said: “This is the second violent incident in this location inside a week. It’s outside a block of housing largely for older, more vulnerable social tenants.

“A few weeks ago, a Conservative councillor told me fears of rising crime were ‘project fear’.

“It isn’t project fear for the victims. It isn’t project fear for their families.

"It isn’t project fear for the people who live in these parts of the town, who are afraid to go out after dark, who are afraid for their safety and their children’s safety. This is actual fear.

“The response from the Conservative councillor for public protection was ‘there is no magic solution’.

“Really the problem seems to be that the council administration and the government have no solution at all.

“Eight years of cuts have hollowed out our police. What we need is significant, immediate investment in law enforcement in Southend. And while I don’t want to make this party political, it is clear we won’t get that from the Conservatives.”

Essex Police have reassured the public that there is no threat to public safety.

The spokesman added: “We believe this was a targeted attack and there’s no risk to the wider public.

“If you have any information about the incident please call us on 101 quoting incident 134 of September 13 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111