Commuters see boy, 14, stabbed in gang fight at rail station

A schoolboy was stabbed in front of dozens of horrified commuters during a daylight street battle between warring children.

The 14-year-old was seen staggering and bleeding in a road outside East Croydon railway station - one of the busiest transport hubs in south London.

He was attacked during an altercation between two groups of youths in an area that locals say is plagued by violence. His friends used their jackets to stem the flow of blood until paramedics arrived.

He was taken to the Mayday Hospital with what police described as "a small puncture wound" to his right shoulder and later sent home after treatment.

Eyewitnesses said two groups squared up to each other near a taxi rank outside the station at about 4pm yesterday. A driver, who did not want to be named, said: "There were loads of kids having a right go at each other. It happens all the time down here - the police can't control them."

An office worker said: "There was a lot of blood and it looked really serious. The boy's friends used their jackets to stem the flow while he was lying there."

In July a man was left with head injuries after a fight erupted outside East Croydon station in the early hours of a Saturday morning.

In the same month, officers from the British Transport Police used a walkthrough metal detector at the station as part of an operation to curb youth violence.

The latest stabbing in Croydon came shortly after a senior police officer admitted knife crime in the borough was on the rise.

Detective Superintendent David Palmer said Croydon had seen 69 more knife-related offences this year compared to the same period last year.

The figures were revealed at a council meeting on knife crime last week.

This came 24 hours after an 18-yearold was knifed during a similar street battle in east London. The teenager was left fighting for his life after the incident in Bow Common Lane, Mile End, but police last night said his condition was improving.