A 17-year-old boy is in hospital after a stabbing in Ipswich town centre last night.

The incident happened in Princes Street shortly after 9.50pm on Wednesday, Suffolk police said.

Police were called to the scene after receiving reports of a teenager being injured by a group of men on bicycles carrying knives.

The victim was on foot and was reportedly chased from Silent Street, through Cromwell Square and Franciscan Way before he was stabbed in the legs and arms in Princes Street.

His injuries are described as superficial, and he is currently receiving treatment in hospital.

Police are continuing to make enquiries and additional visible patrols will be carried out in the area to reassure the community.

Officers have been granted extra stop and search powers after a Section 60 order was issued by Suffolk police.

As part of the powers, officers will be allowed to stop and search without reasonable grounds, but where there is a risk of violence or a belief that weapons are being carried.

The order is in place until 10.55pm on Thursday and covers the majority of Ipswich.

Police are not treating this as a random attack and believe that the parties involved are known to each other.

While there is no perceived risk to the wider public, there is an increased risk of violence between parties either directly involved or associated with the incident.

The incident comes after a spate of stabbings in Ipswich in recent months.

On March 23, a 16-year-old boy suffered serious arm injuries after he was stabbed by a knife-wielding man in a ski mask in Newnham Court, on the Chantry estate.

A man in his 20s was also stabbed in the back and sides in the nearby Hawthorn Drive area on May 16.

And on June 2, a 28-year-old man suffered potentially life-threatening injuries in a stabbing after an altercation involving two small groups of males in Upper Brook Street in the town centre.

After this incident, Ipswich MP Tom Hunt said knife-related crime happens "too often" in the town.

Anyone with information related to the incident in Princes Street is urged to contact Suffolk police, quoting crime reference number 37/46180/22.