Startling new figures reveal how knife attacks have more than doubled over five years in some parts of the UK, as Britain's streets are rife with bloody violence that has seen sixth teenagers stabbed to death in the space of a week.

Several counties, including Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire, recorded an increase of more than 100 per cent in crimes involving knives or sharp instruments from 2013 to 2018.

The figures come on the day a 19-year-old woman was stabbed to death in Leeds, while two men were attacked with knives in separate incidents in Grimsby and Manchester.

Startling new figures reveal how knife attacks have more than doubled over five years in some parts of the UK, as the country faces one of its worst stabbing epidemics in memory

Several counties, including Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire, recorded an increase of more than 100 per cent in crimes involving knives or sharp instruments from 2013 to 2018

The attack in Grimsby this morning happened just hours before Theresa May gave a speech on Brexit at the Orsted offshore wind plant a mile-and-a-half down the road.

West Midlands Police, which became the first force to issue emergency section 60 stop-and-search powers last week, has seen knife attacks rise 96 per cent, from 1,585 to 3,108.

In Birmingham today, Sajid Javid was today confronted by a furious mother during a walkabout with officers in the city.

Fiona Raychell, 50, challenged the Home Secretary about what he, personally, was doing about knife crime, after both her two children were mugged at knife-point, with her teenage son, 15, robbed just a fortnight ago.

Meanwhile, City of London saw an unprecedented rise of 638 per cent in such crimes, rising from 8 to 59 in that time.

The Metropolitan Police, which dealt with more than twice as many such incidents than any other force, recorded 14,788 such crimes in 2018, compared to 10,837 in 2013, an increase of 36 per cent.

The number of murders in the capital so far in 2019 has reached 26 - with four murder investigations launched in the space of 24 hours.

David Martinez, 26, was stabbed to death on Wednesday, then a man was killed in Soho hours later.

Met Police launched a third probe the same day after the body of film producer Laureline Garcia-Bertaux was found in a shallow grave in the garden of her Kew home, with a fourth investigation launched following the lethal street-stabbing of 17-year-old Ayub Hassan.

The epidemic of 26 knife murders in 2019 has sparked a frenzied political debate, with three such deaths in Birmingham (shown)

The force is preparing to carry out up to 1,000 stop-and-searches every day in the capital in a bid to stem violence that has seen more than 20 murders in London this year.

Composite picture of some of the people who have lost their lives to knife crime this year. Top row, from left: Tudor Simionov, Jaden Moodie, Nedim Bilgin, Lejean Richards, Dennis Anderson. Middle row, from left: Patrick Hill, Sidali Mohamed, Bright Akinleye, Abdullah Muhammad, Glendon Spence. Bottom row, from left: Kamali Gabbidon-Lynck, Hazrat Umar, Che Morrison, Jodie Chesney, Yousef Ghaleb Makki

The staggering figures come as:

Peter Chesney, father of 17-year-old Jodie Chesney who was knifed in the back in a seemingly motiveless attack in Harold Hill, east London, on Friday, made an emotional appeal for someone 'to do the right thing' and help catch her killer.

A male teenager was killed in a stabbing in Lanfrey Place, West Kensington, on Thursday afternoon.

Police announced the death of a 37-year-old man who had been injured in a stabbing in Soho on Sunday.

David Martinez was named as the 26-year-old Spanish man who died after a stabbing in Leyton, east London, on Wednesday.

A 22-year-old man who was attacked in Oxford on February 27 died on Wednesday.

West Midlands Police investigate whether knives were involved in an incident at Matthew Boulton College in Birmingham on Wednesday afternoon, which left two teenagers in hospital.

A 17-year-old accused of murdering teenager Yousef Makki in a knife attack in Hale Barns on Sunday was granted bail at Manchester Crown Court.

Greater Manchester Police's Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts said his force would be asking for more cash from the Home Office so he can pay officers overtime to tackle knife crime.

How knife crime has DOUBLED in some areas of the Britain Below is a list of the police-recorded offences involving knives or sharp instruments. The data is presented in the year to September 2013; the year to September 2018; and the percentage change. Avon and Somerset: 392; 554; 41% Bedfordshire: 273; 415; 52% British Transport Police: 80; 167; 109% Cambridgeshire: 201; 430; 114% Cheshire: 202; 403; 100% City of London: 8; 59; 638% Cleveland: 187; 428; 129% Cumbria: 110; 149; 35% Derbyshire: 325; 577; 78% Devon and Cornwall: 243; 440; 81% Dorset: 143; 249; 74% Durham: 145; 273; 88% Dyfed-Powys: 75; 156; 108% Essex: 267; 541; 103% Gloucestershire: 137; 308; 125% Gwent: 42; 141; 236% Hampshire: 338; 834; 147% Hertfordshire: 177; 513; 190% Humberside: 370; 570; 54% Kent: 483; 873; 81% Lancashire: 618; 923; 49% Leicestershire: 377; 801; 112% Lincolnshire: 164; 249; 52% Merseyside: 612; 1,181; 93% Met Police: 10,837; 14,788; 36% Norfolk: 94; 270; 187% North Wales: 89; 277; 211% North Yorkshire: 120; 249; 108% Northamptonshire: 260; 472; 82% Northumbria: 336; 298; down 11% Nottinghamshire: 587; 880; 50% South Wales: 378; 735; 94% South Yorkshire: 516; 960; 86% Staffordshire: 389; 689; 77% Suffolk: 159; 198; 25% Surrey: 33; 65; 97% Sussex: 276; 305; 11% Thames Valley: 776; 1,431; 84% Warwickshire: 111; 226; 104% West Mercia: 281; 448; 59% West Midlands: 1,585; 3,108; 96% West Yorkshire: 1,161; 2,717; 134% Wiltshire: 95; 243; 156% Below is the police recorded homicides relating to knives or sharp instruments in the same period. The data is also presented in the year to September 2013 and the year to September 2018. Avon and Somerset: 3; 8 Bedfordshire: 4; 4 Transport Police: 0; 1 Cambridgeshire: 5; 2 Cheshire: 3; 4 City of London: 0; 0 Cleveland: 1; 5 Cumbria: 4; 1 Derbyshire: 1; 0 Devon and Cornwall: 2; 3 Dorset: 1; 0 Durham: 3; 1 Dyfed-Powys: 2; 1 Essex: 2; 9 Gloucestershire: 1; 3 Gwent: 0; 1 Hampshire: 3; 7 Hertfordshire 2; 8 Humberside: 3; 3 Kent: 4; 7 Lancashire: 6; 5 Leicestershire: 5; 5 Lincolnshire: 2; 1 Merseyside: 6; 9 Met Police: 52; 83 Norfolk: 0; 3 North Wales: 1; 1 North Yorkshire: 3; 1 Northamptonshire: 2; 6 Northumbria: 10; 3 Nottinghamshire: 3; 6 South Wales: 4; 5 South Yorkshire: 6; 9 Staffordshire: 0; 1 Suffolk: 2; 3 Surrey: 1; 2 Sussex: 1; 5 Thames Valley: 3; 11 Warwickshire: 1; 3 West Mercia: 3; 5 West Midlands: 18; 21 West Yorkshire: 8; 5 Advertisement

Another victim of Bloodbath Britain: Mother's agony as son, 17, dies after being stabbed three times in chest in Kensington - in 'fourth attempt on his life'

A mother has today revealed her agony as her son, a 17-year-old who dreamed of being a barrister, was knifed to death after what was said to be the fourth attempt on his life.

Ayub Hassan - who had a brother, 9, and a sister, 11 - was described by his family as a 'victim' of gang violence since he was aged 12.

He was fatally stabbed near a Waitrose by West Kensington tube station in London at around 2pm yesterday. A local businessman said he was knifed three times in the chest. MailOnline asked police if the killing was 'gang related' but officers said they were 'keeping an open mind'.

Mr Hassan's mother, Siraad Aden, 38, collapsed when she heard that her son had been killed in London's fifth knife murder in just seven days.

Later she told The Standard through tears at the family home on the White City estate in nearby Shepherd's Bush: 'He wasn't only a son, he was my best friend. We want justice.'

After laying flowers at the scene, family friend Amina Osman revealed the fatal attack was 'the fourth attempt on his life', having previously been found unconscious in a park, run over and stabbed on another occasion.

Ayub Hassan (pictured left, in an undated image taken in hospital, and right) was fatally stabbed near a Waitrose by West Kensington tube station in London at around 2pm yesterday

Family friend Amina Osman arrives today to lay flowers near the police cordon on Lanfrey Place where Mr Hassan died yesterday

She added: 'He had ambitions, he was looking forward to being a barrister. He was looking forward to being a grown-up man. He was good with his words, he was very kind and handsome.'

Three men, aged 18, 17 and 15 were this morning arrested on suspicion of murder, police said today. Another teenager, aged 15, was arrested later today.

The part of west London where the murder happened has been plagued with gang activity in recent years.

Groups with names such as 12 World regularly taunt each other with drill music videos and have regularly been involved in fights with their rivals.

The number of fatal stabbings in London now stands at six in just seven days, while nationally 26 people have died this year.

The epidemic has sparked a frenzied political debate, with Chancellor Philip Hammond facing criticism yesterday for ignoring police demands to reverse cuts imposed under austerity measures and refocus their resources instead.

An aunt, who did not want to be named, said the teenager was studying at Hammersmith College.

A Little Waitrose store is located just behind the police cordon, where a forensic tent remained in place today

Forensic officers were searching drains near the crime scene last night and recovered what appeared to be a knife.

Mr Hassan was brutally knifed in the chest at around 2.15pm yesterday. An air ambulance took him to hospital from where he was stabbed in Lanfrey Place but he died a short time later.

Yousef Bahadooy, who runs a launderette in West Kensington, said he saw a group of five boys shouting and arguing outside his shop while he was ironing at the window on Thursday afternoon.

He recognised the group who he said he regularly saw 'hanging out together' on the high street, and claimed Ayub was murdered by his friend.

Mr Bahadooy said: 'They were his friends and cousins - there were about five of them, all boys, aged around 16 to 19. They were talking outside the shop at first, and then they started shouting.

'One of the boys pushed Ayub against the window while I was in the shop doing the ironing.

'They walked towards the Waitrose still shouting at around 2pm. Then, 10 minutes later, somebody called me and said 'somebody has been stabbed'.'