Three women and a man are stabbed to death in a house in London

Neighbours today revealed how they heard chilling screams before armed police swooped on a home in South East London and found four people – three women and a man – stabbed to death. 

Scotland Yard detectives were called at about 1.40am to reports of a disturbance at a property in Bermondsey, before forcing entry inside and discovering four people – believed to be a family – with apparent stab injuries.

A man in his late 20s has been arrested on suspicion of murder and taken to a police station where he remains in custody. Police from the specialist crime unit are investigating, and said they believe all five people were known to each other.

The victims are thought to be a woman and a man in their mid-60s, along with one woman in her 40s and another in her 30s, the Met’s Chief Superintendent Colin Wingrove said today. 

He added: ‘I want to offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of all those concerned. This is a deeply shocking incident and we will do everything we can to provide support to everyone affected at this difficult time.’

One resident heard a woman ‘screaming for about five minutes’, adding: ‘It was awful. I thought it was someone was holding someone hostage or something but when I heard the police, the helicopter, the ambulances, I knew it was really serious. I saw about eight or nine police cars – all were armed – come out and surround the area.’

Police put up a large cordon including metal grates around Delaford Road while their investigation continued on the street. Four forensic tents were put up outside the £600,000 house in the London Borough of Southwark.

Another neighbour said: ‘I saw a load of police jump out of their cars with guns. There were about eight police cars, several ambulances, and some of them were going door to door.  

‘They came to the back garden to make sure our door was secure. It was about 2am. We didn’t hear anything else – we were just told to stay inside. My husband said he swore he heard screaming, shouts, some commotion.’

It comes as London Mayor Sadiq Khan continues to face questions over crime rates in the capital, with boxer Amir Khan saying last week that he should ‘pull his finger out’ after he was mugged of his £72,000 watch in Leyton.  

Scotland Yard opened 79 murder investigations last year involving stabbings, with 27 of these being teenagers. 

Anne Birkett, 60, a nearby resident said: ‘I was woken up about 1.45am where I saw loads of flashing lights, loads of police cars, and a helicopter. My husband wanted to go out there and see what’s happening but I said allow the police to do their jobs. 

‘I didn’t know the family, you say hello and afternoon but I didn’t know them. It’s devastating. There are two primary schools in the area. Many people around here have young children and everyone is scared.’

Ms Birkett, whose back bedroom looks on to the property where the victims were found, also told the PA news agency: ‘It’s devastating – you hear all of this but you never assume it’s going to be right on your own doorstep.

‘I’m a foster carer and I’ve got children in my care, and now I’ve got to protect them now because of what’s happened.’

Another neighbour said: ‘I woke up because I could hear the helicopter – I had no idea what it was at first. It’s crazy that something like that would have happened here.’

A further local resident who lives two doors down from the home where the incident happened said she saw ambulances take the victims away in the early hours.

‘I saw the bodies come out,’ the elderly woman, who did not want to be named, told the PA news agency.

Like other local residents, she said she was woken in the night by police sirens and the sound of a helicopter.

The woman, who lives on the corner of Delaford Road and Bramcote Grove, said she knew ‘him and her’.

Armed police are said to have gone from house to house nearby in order to make sure neighbours were safe.

Despite the efforts of emergency services, all four people were pronounced dead at the scene and officers are now in the process of contacting next of kin. Post-mortem examinations will be arranged in due course.

Delaford Road is located in the SE16 postcode area next to South Bermondsey train station and is also close to Millwall FC’s ground The New Den.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan today tweeted: ‘I am heartbroken that three women and a man were killed last night in a devastating incident at an address in Southwark. My thoughts are with the family and friends who have lost loved ones in this awful crime.

‘I am in contact with the leadership of the Metropolitan Police. An investigation is underway and one man has been arrested. I urge anyone who has information that could be relevant to contact the police immediately.’

Michael Situ, a Labour councillor on Southwark Council, said: ‘Thoughts with family of victims of murder on Delaford Road, SE16. If anyone has any information about incident, do contact @MPSSouthwark urgently.’ 

Several forensics officers were seen entering the fenced-off section of Delaford Road.

A resident of the adjacent road, Bramcote Grove, who did not want to be named, said he was woken at around 2am by police sirens and a helicopter and was kept up until 6am by the commotion.

‘When I saw four ambulances – not one, not two, but four – I knew it was serious,’ he said.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to reports of a disturbance at around 1.40am, and when they forced entry to the house they found four people with fatal stab injuries. 

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘We were called at 2.07am today to reports of an incident on Delaford Road, Bermondsey.

‘We sent three ambulance crews, two fast response units, two incident response officers, two advanced paramedics and a team leader to the scene.

‘Our team worked closely with colleagues from other emergency services. Sadly, despite the best efforts of our medics, four patients died at the scene.’

Local MP Harriet Harman described the killings as a ‘terrible tragedy’, telling reporters at the scene: ‘Tragically, four people have been killed and that is shocking to happen anywhere but especially in this very peaceful, quiet, very settled community here.

‘The police have arrested someone but it’s really important still that people give information – any information they’ve got – to the police so that whoever committed this horrific crime can be brought to justice.

‘It’s a terrible tragedy and our thoughts are with the family and friends of those who’ve tragically had their lives cut short.’