Safety fears as violence escalates close to London Stadium

A 21-year-old man was shot after a group of men opened fire on a car Biggerstaff Road on the Carpenters housing estate in Stratford last night as West Ham played Shrewsbury in the London Stadium a short distance away.

The victim managed to crawl out of the car and was found a short distance away by paramedics called to the scene at around 10.15pm. Officers from the Met’s trident and area crime command are investigating the shooting and are appealing for information.

Supporters leaving the Stadium after the West Ham win last night found Carpenters road closed with armed police swarming around the area.

Although the incident is not thought to be football related it is the latest of a worrying trend of violence in Stratford close to West Ham’s new home.  Last month a Met football police patrol on duty for the West Ham v West Brom match stopped and arrested an individual acting suspiciously close to the London Stadium and recovered a large machete.

On Boxing day eleven people were arrested after a brawl broke out at Westfield in Stratford between knife-wielding “rival” gangs. Dramatic footage posted on social media showed cops confronting the hooded youths as they clashed at the shopping centre close to the Stadium. Police says two knives that were recovered after the brawl.

In September last year, a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm in connection to the attack which saw six people injured, including two West Ham fans, when they were sprayed with acid near the Stratford Shopping Centre on the evening of West Ham v Spurs match at the London Stadium.

While none of these incidents are said to be football related the safety concern must be that of the 57,000 fans visiting the area every fortnight who could unwittingly become caught up in local gang incidents.