TWO men who were seriously injured in a brawl in Epping High Street at the weekend are expected to recover, police said today.
Rumours have been sweeping the area about the condition of the pair, who were hurt during the "large-scale disorder" at around 2.25am on Saturday (September 26) outside nightspots One9Five and The Edge.
But officers said today that the duo would almost certainly both make a full recovery, despite the severity of their wounds, and that they were not in a life-threatening condition.
A number of people were stabbed with knives during the violence, with some witnesses claiming bottles and screwdrivers were also used.
According to witnesses, a group of men got involved in an argument, then telephoned some friends, who turned up at the scene in a van and began randomly attacking people.
A total of 13 men were rushed to hospital in the aftermath of the chaos, and one 46-year-old man from Harlow was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.
He has been bailed to return to police in December.
Meanwhile police are also investigating an apparent break-in at the nearby Elite Taxi offices that same night, which they believed could be related to the violence.
Owner Alison Davies said her company had lost at least £2,000 from the damage and lost business.
The offices were closed for most of Saturday at the request of police after officers found two blood stained shoes in the premises, which may have belonged to someone involved fleeing the scene.
Ms Davies said: “It was all very odd because nothing was stolen.
“The office was smashed to smithereens. We had the back door, windows and a chair broken. Twelve drivers have lost out a day's work and it's been a huge inconvenience for us and our customers. The phones were ringing but we couldn't get in to answer them.
“I just want to apologise to our customers if they called us and we weren't able to help them that day.”
Police are still appealing for witnesses to the violence to come forward to help with their enquiries.
They are also examining CCTV footage as part of their investigation.
Anyone with any information about the incident is urged to contact Harlow CID on 0300 333 4444.
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