Detectives investigating the knife attack in Chantry on Monday evening say they believe it was an "isolated incident".

The incident happened between 8.50 and 8.55pm in the Hawthorn Drive area and resulted in a man in his 20s suffering stab wounds to his back and sides.

Eight people wearing masks and dark clothes are thought to have been involved in the attack.

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Two people were arrested yesterday but have since been released on bail until Tuesday, June 14, pending further enquiries.

Inspector Matt Breeze, the locality inspector for Ipswich West, said: “I fully understand that incidents such as this cause concern for the local community and we are working hard to identify all those people responsible for the attack on Monday night.

“As with most violent assaults of this nature, we believe this to be an isolated incident and as such do not believe there is any wider threat to members of the public. Having said that, it is not something anyone wants happening near where they live and we will not tolerate it.

“Police officers and staff across a number of departments are engaged in all kinds of work – whether it be intelligence gathering, taking enforcement action, or patrolling their communities – all of which contributes to the effort we are making to disrupt and deter criminals and to arrest those who would bring crime and disorder to our streets and ensure they face justice.”

Detectives are still keen to trace two vehicles which were linked with the incident.

They are asking that anyone who saw a red Fiat 500 or a white Ford Fiesta – likely both carrying numerous passengers – in the vicinity of the incident between 4pm and 10pm on May 16 contact them.

In addition, they would like to hear from anyone who was in the vicinity of Hawthorn Drive and the Chantry estate and saw anything suspicious.

Anyone with information should contact the South Ipswich CID, quoting reference: 29847/22.