TEENAGERS caught up in a bloody rivalry between two estates are calling for an end to violence.

Young people fearing for their lives wear stab vests just to visit the local shops because of a bitter and long running dispute between gangs on the Beaumont Estate in Leyton and Priory Court in Walthamstow.

Now non-gang members living on the Beaumont Estate are trying to persuade other young people to stop the deadly cycle of brutality.

Huseyin, 17, and Mario, 15, both live on the estate and were friends with CJ Hendricks and Michael Wright, who were both victims of gang rivalry.

They have both joined a Home initiative called ‘It Doesn’t Have to Happen’, which helps young people to persuade their peers to stop carrying knives.

Huseyin, a Waltham Forest College student, says fearing of falling victim to territorial tensions is a daily reality.

He said: “We have lost two people in our area and I am just thinking that it could be me next.

“I have friends who carry knives to protect themselves. It is okay when they are on the Beaumont estate, but when they are elsewhere they take a knife because something could happen.

Mario, a Lammas School pupil said he was motivated to get involved in the initiative after losing friends “so close to home”.

He said: “I never thought it would happen to those kinds of people. It made me realise it could happen to anyone and made me think not to get involved with any of the gang culture. I don't think people take knife crime seriously, but they should.”

The two will join an east London taskforce, which will help publicise the campaign and come up with ways to get the message across.

Volunteer Ebony Vincent, 28, from Leyton, will lead the group.

She said: “It will be up to them what they do with this campaign and how best to get the message across. It will be creative and give them ownership and something to be proud of.

“If there is only a handful of young people we get to realise that you can lose a life by carrying a knife, it will be worth it.

"It is not just about hurting the person but also about the consequences it will have on your own life.”

To find out more about the campaign, contact Ebony Vincent on 07951 096789.