A MAN was stabbed with a broken bottle after getting into a row with a gang over their places in a taxi queue.

The mass brawl saw the man, in his twenties and from Benfleet, stabbed near the taxi rank in High Street, Rayleigh.

Two other men from Castle Point were also attacked when the three of them were challenged over their places in the queue in the early hours of Sunday.

The fight spilled over to the public toilets on Crown Hill, where forensic teams were seen the next day.

A man was walking towards a taxi rank after a night out at Linx when he saw the brawl.

He said: “It looked like mayhem. There were ten people pushing and shoving and throwing punches.

“Others tried to break it up. We jumped in a cab at another rank to get away. It was over quite quickly. Some walked off and others got in a taxi. It looked like the whole thing was over a cab.

“I don’t think they were local as I didn’t recognise any of them.”

The stabbing victim also suffered cuts to his face, as did a second victim, from Hadleigh. Police are still trying to establish what happened to the third victim, from Benfleet.

Police cordoned off the public toilets on Sunday morning and forensic investigators were seen near a bloodstain.

Officers are appealing for witnesses.

A spokesman said: “Police were called at about 3.40am on Sunday, March 8, after reports three men aged in their twenties had been assaulted in High Street, Rayleigh.

“They had been standing in a queue at a taxi rank near Boots chemist after a night out when a group of four to six males pushed in behind.

“An altercation broke out when one of the victims challenged them.

“All three were taken to Southend Hospital.

“There were a number of people in the area at the time as well as a taxi, and police would like to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident or has information.”

Anyone with information can call police on 101.