Teenager stabbed to death in fight

A teenager was stabbed to death today in a fight outside a nightclub, police said.

The youth, believed to be 17 or 18, collapsed after being knifed outside the E Bar in Croydon, south London, in the early hours.

Three people are thought to have been involved in a confrontation outside the bar before the stabbing.

Another youth, who police said was in his late teens, was arrested in connection with the attack. Police said he was being treated for injuries to his hands.

The E Bar is on South End Road, a major Croydon thoroughfare.

The majority of the road was sealed off today with police tape. A solitary bunch of flowers had been placed at the foot of the police cordon.

Further along the road a side street had also been taped off.

Linking the two areas was a splattered trail of dried blood.

A source said the blood belonged to the youth arrested by police as he left the scene of the stabbing earlier today.

A post-mortem examination was currently taking place on the victim, with the police hoping to formally identify him later today.

One woman, who would not be named, said the victim was a "good boy".

She said: "I knew him when he was younger. He used to be friends with my son. He was a good boy."

The road closure had caused chaos in the area as shops were closed as scenes of crime officers carried out their investigations.

Some retailers were angry about the closure. One shopkeeper, who refused to be named, said: "All these businesses are closed because one idiot doesn't know how to enjoy himself."

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen three people involved in a row outside the E Bar last night to contact them.