A man in his 40s has undergone emergency surgery in Tralee, Co Kerry, to remove a knife from his throat.

The man arrived at his neighbour's house in Listowel at lunchtime distressed and looking for help.

The injured man is living at Neelish Close, a small housing estate off the John B Keane Road in Listowel.

At around 12.30pm, he walked to his neighbours house, four doors away.

He was distressed and had a knife with a seven-inch blade stuck in his throat.

The emergency services were called and the man was rushed by ambulance to Kerry General Hospital in Tralee. He underwent emergency surgery and the knife was removed from his throat.

Although he remains in a serious condition, his injuries are no longer considered to be life-threatening.

Gardaí are waiting to talk to the man to establish what happened, but witnesses have told them the man said he had been stabbed at around 6am.

The man's home has been sealed off and a scenes of crime team has conducted a technical examination there.