Blade Britain's knife epidemic spirals out of control

The Daily Mail (Friday 11th July 2008), says: The scourge of knife crime gripping Britain has reached new depths with six murders across the country in less than 24 hours.

Four of the killings were in London in an appalling day of bloodshed.

Meanwhile, another teenager is in hospital in serious condition tonight after being stabbed outside a branch of Blockbuster Video in Bolton.

The outburst of violence has prompted Gordon Brown to pledge he would introduce new measures to tackle the epidemic. Describing the 'terrible stabbings' in the past week as 'shocking and tragic', the Prime Minister promised new enforcement tactics and 'tough' parenting programmes.

Scotland Yard chief Sir Ian Blair was also forced to issue a reassurance to the public that his force was doing 'everything possible' to stop the blight of knifings.

Boris Johnson, the London Mayor, voiced his 'deep regret' at the deaths and said the 'long-term complex root causes of violence' needed to be tackled