A 15-year-old schoolboy has been stabbed to death after a large scale fight broke out at a birthday party in east London.

Police were called to a community centre in Romford just after 9pm on Saturday evening after trouble flared when around 200 gatecrashers were turned away from the event and began causing trouble.

Officers arriving at the scene were greeted by group of youths battling one another and causing damage to surrounding property.

As police intervened they discovered a teenager collapsed on the ground suffering from knife wounds.

Paramedics and police battled to save his life at the scene, but their efforts were in vain and he was pronounced dead a short time later.

It is believed his death takes to 79, the the number of murder investigations launched in London since the start of the year.