SHOPKEEPERS were visibly shaken after seeing a young man bleeding from stab wounds in a busy high street today.

Staff working close to where the victim was knifed in Station Road, Chingford, near the corner of Stanley Road, reported seeing a young black man staggering along the road and falling to the ground.

Hairdressers from nearby salon Lisa'n'Girls called the emergency services just before 2pm today and took a first aid kit and a pillow to make the victim more comfortable.

They said his wounds were being treated by two qualified first-aiders, who had rushed to his aid until paramedics arrived from London Ambulance.

Witnesses said the young black man, believed to be in his mid-twenties, was still conscious but was bleeding heavily from a wound in his back.

One witness, who did not want to be named, said: “I took out some towels. It was a shock to see that in broad daylight. But the real shock was the noise he was making. He was wailing.”

Alvin Lizarondo, 21, a shop assistant at a newsagent opposite the incident, said: “I was serving a customer at the time and saw a man fall to the ground. Things like this don't happen in Station Road. I couldn't believe it.”

Police arrived just after 2pm and shortly after paramedics from the London Ambulance Service arrived with an air ambulance, which landed on The Green.

Witnesses saw a man being arrested by police officers at the scene shortly after the attack.

Police have taped off the the pavement, where a pile of bloodied clothes remain, and the area around the JJ Electrical Shop and flat above at 87 Station Road.

The road remains open in both directions.

Dozens of school children and passers-by have been gathering around the scene of the crime as police continue their enquiries.

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