A 16-year-old boy is in critical condition after he was shot in south-east London, police said.

Officers were called to the incident in West Norwood, Lambeth, shortly before 10.15pm on Tuesday.

The teenager walked away from the scene but was later found and taken to hospital with gunshot injuries.

The Metropolitan Police said the victim "walked off after the shooting, but officers located him and gave first aid prior to ambulance taking him to hospital".

No one has yet been arrested in connection with the shooting, which police branded a "reckless act".

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Witnesses told the BBC that they heard three gunshots before police arrived.

The shooting is being investigated by the Metropolitan's Trident unit, which is responsible for gun and gang crime.

Police have called on witnesses to come forward, urging anyone with information to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting crime reference CAD 7799/jan22.

Police have previously warned of "Wild West" violence sweeping the country amid record levels of knife crime.

General view of Unity Close, in Lambeth, southeast London, where a 15-year-old boy was shot on 22 January, 2019. (Google)

The number of people killed in London hit a 10-year high in 2018 – even briefly overtaking New York’s murder rate for a time in April.

Scotland Yard and City Hall set up a Violent Crime Taskforce amid growing anger over a spate of murders in the capital in the spring of 2018, which went on to seize more than 500 guns, 2,000 knives and 900 other weapons by the New Year.

Out of a total of 134 homicides in London last year, more than a fifth of victims were children and teenagers, Metropolitan Police figures show.

Of those, 18 were stabbed, five were shot and one woman was killed by a head injury.

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It was London’s highest homicide total since 2008, which saw 154 people killed, and a 15 per cent rise year-on-year.