Families forced to leave playground after 21-year-old man stabbed in front of children in west London park

Horrified families were forced to leave a playground after a man was stabbed nearby in a west London park on Saturday evening.

The 21-year-old was attacked just before 6pm on September 7, just metres from where children were playing in Heston Park in Hounslow.

Eyewitness footage posted on social media shows young children slipping under police tape as they were escorted out of the area.

A London Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to the scene, but the victim was later taken to hospital by ambulance.

On Sunday morning, Scotland Yard announced that a knife had been seized at the scene, but no arrests had been made.

While the man's injuries were not life-threatening, they were described as potentially life-changing.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Police were called at around 5.40pm on Saturday 7 September to reports of a man being stabbed in Heston Park, Hounslow.”

Emergency services were on the scene. The 21-year-old man was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. His injuries were assessed as non-life-threatening but potentially life-changing.

“The crime scene has been secured. A knife was confiscated. There were no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.”

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We were called at 5.41pm yesterday (September 7) to reports of a stabbing in Heston Park, Hounslow.

We have dispatched a number of emergency personnel to the scene, including an ambulance crew and an incident commander, and have dispatched the London rescue helicopter.

“The first paramedic arrived in less than six minutes. We treated a patient on site and then transported him across the street as a priority to a major trauma center.”

Authorities are appealing for anyone with information about the incident to come forward. Witnesses or anyone with relevant information are asked to call police on 101 and quote reference number CAD 5734/07Sep.