A man is being treated in hospital with a punctured lung after being stabbed in the back in a Basildon street.

The 34-year-old victim was grabbed by three men who leapt out of a car as he left a house in Witchards, Kingswood.

It is the second stabbing to have happened in the town in 48 hours.

Another man needed treatment at Basildon Hospital after being stabbed in the groin with either a machete or an army knife in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Yesterday's (Thursday's) incident happened in broad daylight at 3.30pm. The men jumped out of a red VW Santana, stabbed their victim in the back and then escaped in the car, leaving him injured and bleeding in the street.

He was taken by ambulance to Basildon Hospital where he needed emergency treatment.

His condition was today (Friday) described as stable and his injuries are not life-threatening.

The car used by his attackers was later found abandoned a quarter of a mile from the scene of the stabbing. It had been damaged by fire.

Detectives are still looking for a weapon and a motive for the attack.

They want to hear from anyone who witnessed the latest incident or can help with their inquiries. A Basildon police spokesman said: "This happened in a busy residential street in the middle of the afternoon. Someone must have seen something."

Police confirmed that five people were arrested in connection with the incident early this morning (Friday). They are in custody at Basildon police station.

If you can help, call Basildon CID on 01268 532212 Crimestoppers on 0800 555111

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