London: Seven People Stabbed in Six Attacks Overnight, Machete Attacks Across UK

Reports from around the UK have revealed a surge of knife crimes, including attacks involving machetes, highlighting the true nationwide nature of the epidemic.

News reports from as far afield as Birmingham, Manchester, Rotherham, and Stoke show that in the last few weeks alone there has been a constant stream of machete attacks.

In Rotherham, a 28-year-old man was slashed with a machete on April 19th. Meanwhile, in Stoke, two men were arrested after a man was seen running around the town with a machete. The two men were arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary but no weapons were found at the scene.

In Liverpool, a 42-year-old man was arrested after allegedly threatening another man with a machete.  And in Manchester, a taxi driver was attacked with a machete and a hammer after answering a call to an address.

Other recent incidents were reported in Birmingham and Norwich, highlighting that the issue is truly national.

The capital is seeing the worst rate of offending, however, after seeing a particularly bloody Tuesday night in which seven people suffered stab wounds in six separate attacks in the capital.  One man was killed and another was left fighting for his life after the attacks, reports the Evening Standard.

Earlier this month, a freedom of information request revealed over the past year there has been an average of 40 knife crimes every day in London alone, accounting for 38% of all knife crime across England and Wales.

In response to the ongoing knife-crime crisis, Home Secretary Sajid Javid has announced new stop and search powers for police in 7 target areas across the country, including London and South Yorkshire. These seven areas are said to make up 60% of all knife crime across the UK.