A young man was stabbed to death as gang warfare erupted in South London yesterday.

A Sri Lankan in his twenties died from stab wounds and another man was seriously ill in hospital with head injuries after two Asian gangs clashed at a fast-food restaurant in Tooting Bec shortly before 2am. Locals said that a Tamil group known as the Tooting Boys were set upon by a rival group from Croydon.

The attack happened just yards from where two brothers were stabbed to death by a gang last year. According to one witness, some of the youths involved in yesterday’s attack had visited a late-night off-licence before charging across the street to join the battle, which started in Chicken Cottage on Upper Tooting Road, and spread outside.

A knife and a cricket bat were found at the scene. Police said that there had been a street fight involving about ten men before the murder. Detective Superintendent Guy Ferguson, acting borough commander of Wandsworth police, said: “We were called to reports of a disturbance and found that serious violence had been carried out. It is possible that would have continued away from the scene had officers not acted swiftly to follow up information and make five arrests.”

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