A man has been stabbed in a shop doorway as he attempted to escape three attackers this afternoon.

One man, believed to be in his 20s, ran into Noted Eel and Pie House on the corner of Leytonstone High Road and West Street at around 2pm today (February 27).

Staff witnessed him being stabbed in the leg before calling an ambulance.

The former owner Les Shields, now assistant manager, was working when the attack unfolded in front of him.

He said: “There was three of them, they chased him through the door – they were all trying to beat him up. They were all fighting. I think he had parked a car up the road.

“He tried to escape them and came through the door, one pulled a knife out and stabbed him.

“We bought him in and I tied something around the leg and tried to stop the bleeding.

“It didn’t look life threatening. He didn’t say anything about why it happened but I didn’t ask.

“We called 999 and the ambulance took him away.”

The police came and set up a cordon around the front of the shop.

A defiant Mr Shields who owned the business for 30 years before his nephew took over said he is not happy with the way the police have handled the incident – he is currently serving pies over the cordon using the on-guard policeman to hand out change.

“The police came along and told me I had to shut – this is a busy day and we need to take the business we can get. We cannot close," Mr Shields added.

“I’m not happy with the way they have treated us at all. There is a bit of blood on the floor, around the back, but there is no need to ban the customers from coming in – we have helped all we can but they don’t care.

“We took him in and helped him but they are treating it like a murder scene.”