Arrests made over machete fight that injured man

Southend's district commander said someone could have died in the incident

Further arrests have been made over a fight involving knives and machetes that led to a man being injured.

Essex Police said four people had been arrested in connection with the incident in Southend-on-Sea at 00:15 BST on Sunday.

A man was taken to hospital after the violent affray broke out in Southchurch Road in front of passers-by.

Two men, aged 32 and 24, and a 17-year-old boy were all questioned and released on bail, while a 19-year-old man would face no further action, police said.

The force added live facial recognition technology would be deployed in the city "across the coming days" to assist the investigation.

Essex Police said it had ramped up its patrols in Southend-on-Sea city centre following the incident

Southend's district commander, Ch Insp David Browning, said someone could have died in the incident.

"I would continue to reassure you we are taking this matter extremely seriously and are dedicating our resources both to progressing our investigation and preventing a repeat of the scenes we saw," he said.

The officer urged any witnesses to come forward and support the investigation.

"We know there is a likelihood someone in Southend knows the identities of those involved, and I would appeal directly to them," he added.

"Assisting someone you know to have been involved could constitute a serious criminal offence in itself."