LADYWELL residents have praised staff at a youth club for their quick action after a teenage boy was stabbed.

The 14-year-old victim was knifed outside Ladywell Centre in Dressington Avenue, which hosts Youth Village youth club, around 9.30pm on Monday night.

Youth workers from the Lewisham Council-run centre gave him first aid before emergency services took him to hospital where he remains in a critical but stable condition.

Two 14-year-old boys and one 15-year-old boy have been arrested in connection with the attack.

Laura Morton takes her four-month-old child to the next-door playgroup and says it was lucky the youth workers were there to help.

The 32-year-old, who lives in nearby France Mary Street, said: “It’s pretty shocking. “It is quite surprising around here because it is quite a family residential area.

“I would definitely support youth clubs and say it is a good support network for people."

The mother-of-one added: “It’s lucky it happened there and not anywhere else. Very good reactions of the staff.”

A Lewisham Council spokesman said the "terrible" stabbing was an isolated incident and extra street-based youth workers will be on site to provide reassurance.

 Dressington Avenue resident Eric Crawford says there has never been trouble around the youth club before.

The 73-year-old grandfather-of-three said: “So far there has never been any trouble at all.

“It isn’t nice – kids that age getting stabbed and that they are walking around with knifes – they should be growing up having fun not playing with knifes. It is disgraceful.”

A Lewisham Council spokesperson said:  “This attack was both terrible and shocking and we are providing our full support to the police in their investigation.

“This was an isolated incident that took place outside the local community centre.

"There will be an increase in the number of police and street-based youth workers on site to provide reassurance.”
 

Lewisham borough commander Chief Superintendent Russell Nyman said: "I am committed to tackling the issues of serious youth violence and knife crime in Lewisham.

“Currently knife crime and serious youth violence are down in Lewisham but we are not complacent and we continue to work with our partners to ensure Lewisham remains a safe borough.

"In response to the incident we have put extra resources in place in key locations across the borough, in order to prevent any further offences from occurring.

“Patrols are also taking place in order to reassure residents that Lewisham remains a safe place."

Anyone with information is asked to call Lewisham CID on 07788 916864 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.