A TEENAGE boy has been left in a serious condition after being attacked in broad daylight this morning.

Police were called to North Avenue in Southend at around 7.45am following reports of a boy sustaining serious injuries to his arm and head after an attack.

The 16-year-old victim has been taken to hospital where he remains in a serious condition.

No arrests have been made but detectives within Essex Police's criminal investigation department are carrying out extensive enquiries.

District Commander for Southend, Jo Collins said: “I'm aware that this assault will be causing concern amongst the community but I can assure you that we are working quickly to establish what has happened.

“We have seen two serious assaults in the district this week, however we don’t believe these to be connected and we are treating them as isolated incidents.

“Residents will see an increased police presence in the area whilst enquiries for both investigations continue. I’d encourage anyone with any concerns to speak with our officers.”

Police are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed anything this morning in the area or have any CCTV footage to contact the force, quoting incident 203 of 1 May.

Submit a report on the Essex Police website at essex.police.uk or by calling 101.

To make an anonymous report, contact independent charity Crimestoppers by visiting the website or by calling 0800 555 111.