Young man fighting for life after machete attack in Walthamstow pub

Residents have spoken of their fears of rising gang crime after four men were injured in a machete attack at a pub in east London.

A 22-year-old man is fighting for his life in hospital following the attack at The Dukes Head in Wood Street, Walthamstow, shortly after 8.15pm on Monday.

Police were called to reports of an attack involving a machete and found three men with stab wounds inside the pub and a fourth in nearby Shernhall Street.

Three of the men, aged 27, 31 and 42, are stable in hospital, while a 22-year-old man is in a life-threatening condition.

One businessman, who gave his name as Oz, 39, and runs a blinds business opposite the “family-orientated” pub, said: “By the time I got here all the wounded had been taken to hospital already.

“The attackers are definitely people that are not part of our local community.”

He added that despite becoming more gentrified in the last decade, drug use, crime and gangs remain an issue in the area.

“Gangs are always going to be an issue here because there is so much money to be earned,” he said.

“It is very intimidating to be walking down the road with your nine-year-old child and then you’ve got a young gang of men smoking pungent cannabis with big, aggressive, vicious dogs.”

Officers lifted one of three crime scenes in place on Tuesday as they conducted door-to-door inquiries and searched the front gardens of nearby homes.

Forensic specialists were going in and out of the pub, where blood could be seen in the doorway and on the pavement.

Another shop worker, who asked not to be named but has been living in the area for 10 years, said schools struggle to stop young boys being groomed by gangs.

“My son was mugged a few weeks ago,” she said. “Luckily they didn’t get his phone but that does seem to be something that is quite common.

“Ask anyone in any of the schools and they do have trouble with young kids being groomed.

“There are a lot of kids from difficult backgrounds that have grown up here but maybe don’t think that there’s enough happening here for them to feel like it is their home any more.

“It is quite frightening that it happened in such a public place at that time of night. Quite often there are a lot of families in that pub and it’s not a rough pub at all.”

Stella Creasy, MP for Walthamstow, said: “This is an incredibly difficult time, and local residents are understandably worried about seeing this violence in our area.

“I am in contact with the local police regarding the incident, and would encourage anyone who was in the Wood Street area last night to come forward as soon as possible to ensure the police have all the information they need.”

Police have appealed for witnesses and no arrests have been made.

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