A 23-year-old man is in hospital after being stabbed in the neck in a busy high street in south London this evening.

Police said one person was arrested after the attack next to Peckham Rye station just after 7pm. A spokesman said the victim's injuries are not thought to be life-threatening, and the London Ambulance Service said he was taken to a major trauma centre.

Witnesses said roads were closed and there was a heavy police presence after the incident, which happened when the area was “packed with people and traffic”.

One tweeted to say that there was a “crazy amount of police cars screaming around Peckham” at around 7.30pm, while another said the area was “total chaos”.

A witness added: “There were loads of police, ambulances and cordons. People are saying it was a fight and stabbing, right in the middle of Rye Lane.”

Journalist Kate O’Sullivan tweeted: “Road near Peckham Rye station closed due to 'serious' incident according to Police. Lots of parked buses and looks like arrests.”

Road near Peckham Rye station closed due to 'serious' incident according to Police. Lots of parked buses and looks like arrests. — Kate O'Sullivan (@KateEOSullivan) October 20, 2015

Another witness, Marissa Pearson, tweeted: "So me and @tracyac_ are in Peckham getting our nails done and someone gets stabbed outside."

A spokesman for the Met said: “Police were called at approximately 7.10pm on Tuesday, 20 October to reports of a man injured in Rye Lane, SE15.

“Officers attended and the victim - believed aged 23 - was taken to a south London hospital for treatment to a stab injury to the neck.”

He added: “At this early stage it is believed the victim was assaulted in nearby Blenheim Grove before making his way to Rye Lane.

“One man - no further details - has been arrested in connection with the investigation.

“Officers from Southwark are on scene and enquiries into the circumstances continue."

A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “We were called at 7.05pm to reports of a stabbing at Peckham Rye station, SE15.

“We sent an ambulance crew, a single responder in a car, an incident response officer and London’s air ambulance trauma team by car.

“We treated a man, reported to be in his 20s for stab injuries, and took him to a major trauma centre as a priority – escorted by the doctor from the Air Ambulance.”