A NEGLECTED corner of Gants Hill has become a “magnet for crime” according to fearful residents who say they are too scared to walk along the road.

A knife was plunged into the leg of a middle-aged man on Wednesday during an altercation in Frinton Mews, Gants Hill.

Residents and shopkeepers say the road, near the bustling Gants Hill station, has become a crime hotspot and needs fast action to stop it sliding into a spiral of crime and vandalism.

Rupinder Singh, who lives within sight of Frinton Mews in Bramley Crescent, said: “That particular area is known for these sorts of things.

“It’s definitely a hotspot area.”

The 22-year-old added: “So many people get drunk and at night they end up there and things happen. It’s a magnet for crime.

“It’s kind of hidden away, like an alleyway.

“I wouldn’t want to walk there at night, I’d be too scared.”

Shopkeepers in the area say Frinton Mews has been the scene of “multiple stabbings” in the last two years, and in May 2009 a 20-year-old was left fighting for his life after being shot in the chest.

A number of shops in Cranbrook Road back on to Frinton Mews, as does Images, a black of apartments owned by Belvoir Lettings.

Some flats are also accessible via Frinton Mews.

Kemal Karatus, owner of Empires Pound Plus, said: “They should put CCTV there so they can see everything and make it safe.”

“When these things happen, the police keep asking us for our CCTV but there’s no point as it doesn’t point towards the road.

Mr Karatus, 41, added: “When I finish late, I’m sometimes scared to go out because of what’s going on here.

“There have always been problems in the area At the moment it is very unsafe.”

Police say arrests have been made in connection with the stabbing, and they have been bailed pending further inquiries.

The injured man has been released from hospital.