Number of people killed in knife crimes in London rises above 50

London: The number of people killed in knife incidents in the United Kingdom in 2008 has risen to 51 after two fatal stabbings on Thursday night.

A 20-year-old died from stab wounds on Thursday afternoon in Leyton, east London, and a man in his 20s was killed in neighbouring Walthamstow later in the evening.

The Metropolitan police has said tackling knife crime is their number one priority, with a specialist operation called Blunt 2 being launched to help reduce stabbings.

A spokesman for the Met said: "I wouldn't describe it as an epidemic. There is an issue with knives and that is why we have launched Operation Blunt 2.''