A 17-year-old boy was stabbed during a street fight in an area described as a “lawless”.

Police were called to Buckingham Road in Leyton to reports of a brawl and found a teenager with knife wounds, close to the junction with Oliver Road.

Another 17-year-old later attended a south London hospital for treatment to a head injury and was subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.

Both injured teenagers are expected to make a full recovery.

Onlookers said the stab victim was conscious and alert while being treated by  paramedics.

A man who did not wish to be named for his own safety said: “I saw the guy in the back of the ambulance; he was sitting up and talking.

“It looked like he had been stabbed in the hand or the arm, like a defensive injury.

The man is a frequent visitor to nearby Memorial Gardens, where the boy is believed to have been stabbed.

He said he is not surprised about the attack as the park has become a dangerous place after dark.
“I don’t go in the park at night time. This is a gang land area, it’s lawless,” he added.

“The police must know that it isn’t safe. It’s over run by gangs and nothing is done about it.
“You will only ever see police in here in the morning when it’s safe.”

Glen Smith, from Loughton, works in the Oliver Road Polyclinic as an administrator.

The 22-year-old said that Buckingham Road was still closed when he left work at 4.30pm as police investigated the scene.

He said: “It was still going on at about 5pm.
“The road was taped off and there were police everywhere.”