An eyewitness described her shock after witnessing a man laying bloodied on the floor near Asda in South Ruislip .

The young man was stabbed outside Saint Gregory the Great Catholic Church in Victoria Road at around 9pm on Tuesday (May 15). The man was rushed to hospital where he remains in a critical condition.

An elderly lady who lives near the scene described witnessing the young man lying on the floor surrounded by paramedics moments after the incident.

"He was just lying there so still, with a knife next to his body. I thought he must be dead," she told getwestlondon.

Blood was splattered on the pavement in Victoria Road, South Ruislip

A shopkeeper at Sopiya Food and Wine, near the scene of the stabbing, said that moments after, people rushed into his shop asking for tissues to help stop the man's bleeding.

"I have been here for 10 years," he added, "I have never seen anything dodgy happening here, it's a nice, clean place".

Police are yet to make any arrests and at around 1pm on Wednesday (May 16), roughly 16 hours after the stabbing, there were large amounts of blood still visible at the scene.

A police officer at the scene confirmed that forensics officers had not yet arrived at the scene and that the crime scene was "being preserved until they arrived".

A bloody crime scene was preserved awaiting the arrival of forensics officers

Metropolitan Police detectives were present and investigating the crime scene on Wednesday morning.

The stabbing occurred on the busiest stretch of Victoria Road, opposite the Old Dairy development which includes an Asda and Cineworld as well as restaurants, and near a B&M home stores and Aldi.

The road was closed for several hours on Tuesday night, later reopening with a section of the pavement cordoned off with police tape.

Some residents told getwestlondon of their shock at the stabbing, saying the area has been pleasant and free from any serious criminal activity.

However staff at the BP petrol pump, metres from the scene of the stabbing, said that the area has been deteriorating "over the last year or two", and that "reports of this kind of thing in Ruislip are becoming more and more frequent".

The man was stabbed opposite a shopping arcade in Victoria Road, South Ruislip

Appealing for witnesses to come forward on Wednesday (May 16), a spokesman for Hillingdon Police said they have been dealing with a "major incident".

He said: "Response team 5 have been dealing with a major incident in South Ruislip last night.

"Can everyone who witnessed this please come forward and call 101. Thank you for your help."