Residents have expressed 'shock' after a man was assaulted in his own home in Basildon.
The attack happened at a property on Britten Avenue and Essex Police were notified of the incident around 10am today.
Concerns were initially raised over the welfare of a man but the victim revealed to police he had been assaulted the day before on Bank Holiday Monday by allowing someone he knew into his home.
Basildon Council leader Andy Barnes said: "It's not good news at all. My thoughts are with the victim, and I hope they make a full recovery. These types of incidents are not common. It sounds like an unusual case.
"It is disappointing to hear and hopefully the police will deal with it and the offenders will be prosecuted if it's the appropriate course of action."
Residents in the area described seeing a large police presence throughout the morning.
One said: "I was walking back from town when I saw about three police cars around ten o'clock this morning. I saw the police going to this block of flats."
Another added: "The police were around here searching this flat from this morning around 11 or 12 o'clock. We were asked to check the cameras, and we were given a leaflet regarding the incident."
A neighbour said they were surprised by the reports of violence.
A third resident said: "We never get people like that since I've been living around here.
"It does shock me because we have lots of kids running out and doing whatever they want to do, whether that's going up the street or heading to the park.
"It a family-oriented place and it's not a crime ridden town. These block of flats are new. It's hard to get in which is why I can see how the assault happened."
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Another resident described the neighbourhood as generally peaceful.
They said: “I only saw the police cars driving this morning. It was around ten o’clock. Generally, this is a nice area. I have had no issues since I started living here.”
A police cordon remains in place around the flats.
A forensic officer was seen taking photographs at the scene, and officers have distributed leaflets asking residents for CCTV footage or information.
An Essex Police spokesman said: "We're investigating a reported assault at an address in Britten Avenue, Basildon.
"Our enquiries to identify and locate the suspect are ongoing.
"Anyone with information which could assist our investigation is asked to contact us."
Members of the public can provide information via the Essex Police website, the live chat service, or by calling 101 and quoting incident 330 of September 1.
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