DETECTIVES hunting a knifeman who stabbed a 28-year-old woman in the stomach on an isolated country road say they have received a positive response to appeals for information.

DETECTIVES hunting a knifeman who stabbed a 28-year-old woman in the stomach on an isolated country road say they have received a positive response to appeals for information.

Suffolk police have received more than 40 telephone calls from members of the public and are following up "some promising leads".

The married woman from Sudbury had a four-inch knife plunged into her stomach by the knifeman in a road rage attack after he accused her of "cutting him up". The horrific attack happened at Joe's Road, Cornard Tye, at around 8.15pm last Thursday.

The woman was travelling from Great Cornard to Newton Green when she noticed a vehicle following her flashing its lights.

She pulled into Joe's Road, but the other vehicle followed. A man got out of the car and stabbed her before driving off towards Little Cornard.

The woman called the emergency services on her mobile phone and was taken to Colchester General Hospital with the knife still embedded in her stomach. She was released on Sunday following a three-hour operation on her wounds.

The victim, who is being comforted at her home by her husband and a police liaison officer, has now given detectives a more detailed description of the car that followed her.

It is described as an old red hatchback, smaller than the victim's own silver Ford Focus. The car had three doors and bubbled paintwork, where rust was beginning to form near the rear passenger side wheel arch. The engine was also making a rattling noise.

Det Insp Mike Bacon, who is leading the investigation, said: "We hope that by issuing a more detailed description of the offender's car, people will recall either seeing or hearing the vehicle.

"Officers are carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the area and we have been encouraged by the response so far.

"We have received around 40 calls from our media appeals and have had some promising information that our officers are following up, however, there must be a friend or relative who recognises the description of the offender or his vehicle and we would urge them to contact us straight away."

The knifeman is described as white, aged in his early 40s, 5ft 9in tall, of medium build and with a tanned complexion. He was clean-shaven, with short dark hair and wore a dark short-sleeved T-shirt, blue jeans and a stud in his left ear.

Anyone with any information should telephone 01284 774344 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.