Three people are in hospital with serious injuries after a spate of stabbings across London spanning little more than an hour.

The first of the violent incidents on Sunday evening came at around 4.20pm in Barking, east London, where a man was found with stab wounds and taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Police arrested two men on suspicion of attempted murder after officers set up a crime scene in Sandringham Road.

Some 40 minutes later, Scotland Yard received reports of a stabbing in Hackney, northeast London.

Officers were called to Brooke Road at about 5pm and the victim is in hospital in a life-threatening condition, but no arrests have yet been made.


And at just before 5.45pm, police responded to a street fight between two men in Hainault, east London, which saw one man left suffering "stab and slash wounds".

The incident happened in New North Road.

The victim was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition and a man has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.

Last month it was revealed that police forces and courts in England and Wales are combating the highest levels of knife crime in a decade.