POLICE have launched a probe into what officers have described as a serious assault in Eldene.

A home on Kennedy Drive was sealed off and a forensics officer was seen photographing what appeared to be brick dust outside the property.

An officer at the scene said a man had been the victim of a serious assault.

He is not believed to have been stabbed.

Residents said police were called to the scene between 4pm and 5pm.

One man, 46, said he believed they were called after a fight between four youths.

He added: "Usually when something like this happens, we think it's drugs or something violent. It's one of those things.

"I heard a lot of sirens but it wasn't till my wife came home that I realised how many there were."

Another man said youth violence in the area had grown in recent years.

He added: "I've had knives thrown into my garden.

"I'm glad my daughter's grown up and gone."

On one occasion, he said a teenager had threatened to stab him after he complained about the boy kicking a fence.

"The police don't do anything," he said.

"They don't have time for anything." Asked what she made of the large police presence on her doorstep, one mum, 34, said: "Around here it's nothing new."