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More than 200 police officers from around the country will be deployed to Middlesbrough following a series of violent incidents in the town which have left nine people dead.
Detectives and armed response officers are among those drafted in to help Cleveland Police keep “innocent residents” safe, Alec Brown, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council said.
It comes after a man was stabbed in Middlesbrough on Thursday, in the latest outbreak of violence in the town this week.
Cleveland Police said a 39-year-old man is receiving treatment following an assault involving a bladed weapon in Eston at around midday. Police said the incident took place in an address on Sedgemoor Road.
In a statement, police said: “No arrests have been made at this time, however, enquiries are ongoing into the incident.”
A manhunt is underway after a man was stabbed in Middlesbrough on Thursday (Getty)
Earlier on Thursday, another house in Middlesbrough suffered damage after being hit by a car.
Police are investigating reports of a vehicle crashing into the wall of a property on Steele Crescent, South Bank, at around 12.30am on Thursday.
Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough & Thornaby East, told Times Radio: “People are going to their shops and not feeling safe and feeling trapped in their own homes.
“That is just unacceptable. This is terrorism and we’ve got to have an appropriate response to deal with the people who are causing such mayhem in our communities and to allow people to lead their peaceful lives.”
The latest incident is close to the scenes of a crash on the A66, in which seven people died on Saturday, and a house fire in Grangetown where a seven-year-old girl and her aunt were killed.
Cleveland Police said it has not been confirmed whether there is any link to the latest incident, or a previous car ramming last Saturday.
Superintendent Emily Harrison said: “The property was empty at the time and we have not currently received any reports of any injuries.
“Officers are conducting enquiries to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident. Our investigation is in its early stages and it has not yet been confirmed whether this incident is linked to wider organised crime.”
It comes after Valentina Foster, aged seven, and Natalie McDonald, 34, died following a fire at an end-of-terrace property in Birchington Avenue, Grangetown, during the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Flowers near the scene on Birchington Avenue, Grangetown (PA)
Cleveland Police said two men, aged 23 and 31, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and they remain in police custody following the fire.
Lisa Kirton, Ms McDonald’s mother, told The Times that her daughter “was a beautiful, bubbly person who everyone knew” and that Ms McDonald’s niece was “a very cute girl”.
The brother of a woman killed in a house fire near Middlesbrough said she was not involved in gangs.
Josh Kirton, the devastated brother of Ms McDonald, told reporters: “My sister was not involved with anything to do with gangs, or the (crash on the) A66.
“That’s what makes this so senseless.
“People think they can do whatever they like.
“There’s some terrible people in the world and now my sister and Valentina have gone.”
The force said that a 48-year-old woman remains in a critical condition in the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle. Three other people suffered injuries which are believed to be non-life-threatening.
Prime minister Andy Burnham said “all of the support will be provided to get to the heart of what has happened” after the “utterly devastating” fire.
The force would not rule out a link between the blaze and the A66 crash which killed two police officers and five young men.