A dad has accused police of "brushing knife crime under the carpet" after an investigation against a pair of men who reportedly tried to stab him was dropped.

Officers arrested a teenager and pensioner a on suspicion of assault following a "disturbance" at a block of flats in Nettlefield, Kennington on Thursday.

A man was treated at the scene by paramedics for cuts to his hands reported to have been caused by a knife.

He was left with bite marks to his hands, and had a swollen face and black eye.

But the two men, aged 18 and 71, who are both from Ashford, were later released without charge.

"Three people came to my property and I opened the door and they tried to stab me", said the 29-year-old, who did not want to be identified for security reasons.

"I managed to get the knife from them and got slash marks on my hands and one of them also kicked me in the head."

But despite the reported attack, police have dropped the investigation due to a lack of evidence.

The dad-of-two added: "Three people came to end my life.

"I think Kent Police is brushing knife crime under the carpet.

"I have six witnesses and they have DNA evidence.

"I'm now scared to walk down the street. I've got two children to think about."

Police say a 'full and thorough investigation' was carried out, including crime scene investigation, door-to-door inquiries, mobile phone analysis and a review of CCTV.

'I think Kent Police is brushing knife crime under the carpet...'

But the case has now been dropped as there was insufficient evidence to support a prosecution.

Detective inspector Matthew Smith, from Shepway's Vulnerability Investigation Team, said: "We're committed to tackling knife crime and we will always thoroughly investigate any incidents reported to us based on the evidence available.

"In this case, our officers carried out a full and thorough investigation, including crime scene investigation, door-to-door enquiries, mobile phone analysis and a review of any available CCTV.

"The knife itself was of limited forensic value as both the victim and one of the suspects had admitted having touched it.

"One of the men arrested had also sustained injuries and there were conflicting reports as to the circumstances surrounding the incident.

"With no independent witnesses and no further lines of enquiry, there was insufficient evidence to support a prosecution."

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