A man has been arrested after a woman and two young girls were stabbed in a Lakenham home.

Police were called to an address in Mill Close, Norwich, at around 12.30pm today and found the injured woman and the two children who are believed to be her daughters.

Tonight police also appealing for anyone who discovers a knife on South Beach Parade in Great Yarmouth to contact them immediately.

The area, off Southwell Road, was cordoned off and the three victims were taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital where they are being treated for their injuries.

Police have said the 23-year-old woman remains in a critical but stable condition, the three-year-old girl also remains in a critical but stable condition and, the six-year-old girl is in a stable condition.

A 28-year-old Norfolk man was arrested on South Beach Parade this afternoon and is in police custody awaiting questioning.

Eamonn Fountain, 51, an insurance worker from Sprowston, was on Great Yarmouth seafront when he saw a man being pulled over. He said: 'I was driving along the front when I saw two police cars flashing their lights. I thought they were going to pull me over at first and then all of a sudden there were police everywhere, including armed response vehicles. I have never seen so many vehicles outside a police station car park.'

'I saw them drag someone out of the driver's side. There were police cars, two unmarked police cars, two armed response vehicles.'

Detective Chief Inspector Rickie Botwright, from Norfolk police's vulnerable people unit, said: 'This appears to be an isolated incident involving people known to one another.

'We are currently trying to establish the exact details surrounding this incident. At this time our investigations are ongoing.'

An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said the East Anglian Air Ambulance crew attended the scene by road along with two land ambulances and a car.

He said two ambulances were used to convey the woman and the two girls to hospital.

People living nearby were first alerted to the incident when they saw a large number of police and ambulance crews rushing to the scene, and they have spoken of their shock at what happened.

Charlene Nicholson, 23, said: 'It is absolutely horrific, it is horrible, and with two small children involved. I wanted to know what had happened but I did not want to hear that.

'How could anybody do that?

'Hopefully they will all be okay.'

Gillian Dean, 66, who lives next door to where the incident happened, said: 'It is such a shock. You do not expect this sort of thing.'

She said in the morning she had heard banging and screaming but she had thought it was just the children playing.

'When my friend told me what had happened it made me want to be sick.'

She described the woman as a nice girl who kept herself to herself.

'She always speaks if I see her. She is a good mum who always keeps the children nice and clean, and they are friendly little girls.

'We just hope they are all going to be okay. You would not think this sort of thing would happen here.'

Karen Allen, 36 who lives close by, also described the woman as a good mum.

'I was speaking to her the other day. I just hope they are going to be alright. The children are lovely little girls, pretty little things.'

They are asked to not touch the knife and to contact police straight away on 0845 4564567, the same number that anyone with information about the incident should call.

Do you know the people involved? Contact David Freezer on 01603 772418 or email david.freezer@archant.co.uk