Police have moved quickly to allay public fears after two stabbings in Hitchin town centre in two weeks.

The move comes after two men were arrested in connection with a stabbing that took place in Market Place late on Saturday evening – the town's second such incident in seven days following on from the violent altercation on Windmill Hill last weekend.

A 22-year-old and a 20-year-old have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm in the latest act. Both have been released on conditional bail while enquiries continue.

Detective Inspector Angela Griffiths, who leads the North Herts Local Crime Unit, said: "We understand that news of this may alarm the community.

"However, we would like to reassure the public that we are treating it as an isolated incident, and those involved are known to one another.

"We are carrying out a number of enquiries and as part of our investigation we are appealing to the public for their help."

You can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, launch online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact or call the non-emergency telephone number 101.

If you have any information you believe could assist the police with their investigation, please contact them as soon as possible quoting reference 41/65251/20.