POLICE have said they are homing in on a gang of armed street robbers after they struck again.

This time thugs held a blade to the stomach of a 32-year-old man, in Southview Drive, Westcliff.

Detectives believe this attack is again linked to a gang which has carried out at least seven street robberies in the past fortnight.

Detectives have been working hard to build up a picture of the group, who have mainly been stealing expensive mobile phones.

Officers have refused to reveal how many suspects they have in their sights or when they plan to make arrests, citing operational reasons.

Insp Matt Bennett, of Southend police, said: “I can tell you we have some strong leads on the people responsible.

“We are fully aware of the impact of such a crime on the victims and the community and we are doing everything we can to bring the suspects to justice, as soon as we can.”

The latest robbery happened just after midnight on bank holiday Monday when two thugs approached the victim. One of the robbers grabbed the man by the shoulder and placed a knife against his stomach.

The attacker then demanded his phone. The terrified victim promptly handed over his iPhone 4S.

The suspects in the latest robbery were both black men in their late teens to early twenties.

One wore a grey hoodie and dark-coloured trousers and was about 5ft 10ins tall. He had a BMX with white wheels.

The other had a black scarf covering the lower part of his face. He was wearing a dark blue hoody.

Mr Bennett said: “As always we keep an open mind, but there are strong reasons to believe it’s linked to some of the other robberies that have occurred.”

The Echo revealed on Tuesday a 12-year-old girl, in London Road, Leigh, was punched in the stomach, but a passer-by intervened and the thug fled empty-handed.

Anyone with information about these robberies should call police at Southend on 101.