A 16-year-old boy stabbed to death in a London station during rush hour was supposed to be catching a taxi home, according to a charity worker.

Louis Johnson was standing on the footbridge at East Croydon station when he was fatally stabbed by a knifeman said to be wielding a machete.

Charity worker Chantal Goodridge, who laid flower tributes by the police cordon tuesday, said Louis was not in school and instead attended a pupil referral unit (PRU) in Wandsworth.

The counsellor, who supports young people affected by youth violence at Croydon based charity Off The Record, said she did not know Louis personally but knew he was supposed to be getting a taxi home.

She said: “It is really sad. He was meant to be getting a cab home from Battersea but he ended up catching the train instead.

“We don’t know if this was gang related at this time but one thing that is really clear is that youth related violence is a big issue at the moment.

“I did not know him personally but I know that he was not in school and he went to a PRU in Wandsworth.

“I don’t know the reason why but such units are for young people who might have been excluded from school or not have had access to a school for other reasons.

“I am really struck by the fact that there are not more flowers here already. My thoughts are with the family at this time.”

Station staff were told not to comment at East Croydon Station today after reports of staff rushing to the victim’s aid yesterday (Mon).

An eyewitness said he appeared to have been stabbed in the face and was left sitting in a pool of blood at the south London station before emergency services arrived.

Shop workers on the platforms heard shouting from passengers in the station but said the incident appeared to be contained within the footbridge which was closed shortly after the attack at 4.45pm yesterday.