A police sergeant was stabbed today as officers tried to detain a man in a seaside town centre.

The injured officer sustained puncture wounds to his arm and a slash across his chest but his stab vest was said to have prevented serious injury.

He was part of a covert team of officers sent to arrest a man after reports a man armed with a knife had made threats at a property in Longstone Road, Eastbourne, at 11.30am today.

When officers from Sussex Police attended the address the man had fled.

A man fitting the suspect's description was later spotted on CCTV cameras in Eastbourne town centre early this afternoon and officers were dispatched, a police spokeswoman said.

But as police tried to detain the man, he produced two kitchen knives and lashed out at one of the officers. A Taser device was eventually used to subdue the man, the police spokeswoman added.

She said: "The injured officer received puncture knife wounds to the arm and a slash across the chest. However, the injuries are not life threatening and the stab vest prevented any serious injury."

The officer, who has not been named, was treated at the scene by paramedics and taken to Eastbourne District General Hospital. No one else was injured.

A 49-year-old Bulgarian man, living in Eastbourne, was tonight in custody being questioned after being arrested on suspicion of wounding with intent.