A woman who was the first at the scene when a teenager was stabbed in West Drayton in the middle of the afternoon has described how she used t-shirts and cloth to stop the bleeding.
The resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, was walking to the train station when she discovered the injured boy lying in a pool of blood.
The young victim was reportedly stabbed in the back more than once close to the busy spot shortly after 2pm on Tuesday (July 31).
He was taken to hospital as "a priority" however it was later confirmed by police that his injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
The 31-year-old woman, who sends her love to the teenager and his family, has stated that the heartbreaking incident is sadly no longer a rarity as knife crime in London continues to rise.
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"My husband and I were walking around the back of Station Approach. We walked along the road and the boy was lying on his front in a pool of blood, she told getwestlondon .
"We rushed over to help him, someone had already called the ambulance and another guy there trying to locate the wounds and put pressure on to stop the blood.
"We put him in the recovery position and found two wounds on his back.
"We were using t-shirts and cloths to stop the bleeding and we were talking to him while we waited for the ambulance to arrive."
The ambulance was around 10 minutes or maybe longer, it felt like such a long time," she continued.
She described how she stayed with the young victim, who was believed to be walking to the train station to meet a friend.
"I tried to keep on talking to him to keep him conscious. I was asking how old he was, what his name was, his address and if he had any brothers or sisters - he was cohesive, he was answering questions.
"He was asking how long the ambulance was and he was having trouble breathing.
"Then a friend of his came to the station, I think they were meeting each other there - that's how he found his friend."
Until that moment, London's alarming rise of knife crime seemed to be a far-away problem, she said.
"No one was shocked, that's the sad thing. Stabbings used to be contained in central London but it seems to be spreading further out," she continued.
"I have never seen or heard something like this happen so close to home.
"It's the second day of the school holidays, children should be out having fun with their friends.
"I feel terribly sad for him and about the wider problem. The question is, how do we try to stop it and why is it happening?
"Why do kids not get scared about doing these things? Why do they feel so hopeless about their own prospects to resort to this? It makes me so angry.
"I know he has family and friends close by and I'm sending my love to them. I hope he recovers and he receives the right support throughout his recovery.
The woman who rushed to help the teenage boy is not the only local resident to raise concerns following the daylight stabbing.
Ali Shah, a nearby shopkeeper described to getwestlondon how he is constantly on edge with fear a similar incident may happen to him in his own workplace.
"It is very scary, I’m always scared that some day someone will come into the shop and stab me," he said.
"It makes me worried if someone comes into the shop and causes an argument, they could pull out a knife.
"London is becoming a scary and more dangerous place. I should be able to go to work and not fear for my life."
Emergency services, including an air ambulance, were called to Station Approach just outside of the train station shortly after 2pm.
The young victim was rushed to hospital "as a priority", however his injuries are not deemed to be life threatening, Metropolitan Police confirmed.
The force confirmed no arrests have been made and enquiries remain ongoing.
