A MAN suffered knife wounds to his hands during a "terrifying" attack by three would-be burglars in Clacton.

The victim, a man in his 20s, was left requiring hospital treatment following the aggravated burglary in Curtis Close, which happened at 12.30am this morning.

The man was left with wounds to his hands after three men dressed in dark clothing gained entry to the property.

It is not believed that anything was taken.

Det Insp Dan Jeffries, of Clacton CID, said: “I appreciate incidents such as this will naturally cause concern within the community, but I must stress at this stage our investigation suggests this was a targeted incident and there is no wider threat to the public.

“Thankfully the man’s injuries are neither life-threatening nor life-changing.

“Although the investigation is in its infancy, we are exploring a number of lines of enquiry and we would particularly like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time and saw any suspicious behaviour.

“We would also like to hear from anyone with CCTV, dash cam or doorbell footage of the area at the time.”

Bluehouse ward councillor Mary Newton said there has been an increase in trouble in the area in recent years.

"This must have been quite distressing and absolutely terrifying," she said.

"It seems to me that Bluehouse has taken a turn for the worse since the arson attack at Coppins Hall community centre two years ago.

"I know young women in Langham Drive and Boxted Avenue who are now terrified to let their children go out to play because of all the hoodlums that have popped up."

Anyone with information can contact Essex Police on 101 or essex.police.uk quoting crime reference number 42/46843/22.