1,000 London teenagers hurt by guns and knives this year

The figures reveal the full extent of the scourge of gun and knife crime sweeping London.

While a total of 17 teenagers have been killed in the capital so far this year, the figures for those injured are revealed for the first time.

Campaigners and families of victims called the tally "alarming" and "horrific" and called on the Government to take action.

The figures obtained by the Standard show that in the first eight months of this year a total of 857 children and teenagers up to the age of 20 were hurt in knife attacks. Over the same period 64 young people were injured in shootings.

The figures cover all cases of injury, from youngsters being slightly hurt by a cut in a knife scuffle to others who are seriously injured. With an average of three young people being injured every day, the total could already have passed the 1,000 mark.

The figures come after two teenagers were shot dead in London last month within four days of each other. Samuel Adelagun, 16, died in Plaistow on 23 October and Marvin Henry, 17, was shot dead in Mill Hill on 27 October.

So far 10 teenagers have been stabbed to death, six killed by gunshot wounds and one has been strangled.

Police believe that the death toll would be higher but for the skill of doctors and paramedics who often carry out life-saving surgery in the street.

Anti-knife crime campaigners said they were shocked by the statistics.

Colin Knox of the campaigning group Families Utd said: "Even if it was just a scratched finger, that does not matter, this is still 857 times that someone has drawn a knife and intended to use it."

Mr Knox, whose 18-year-old actor son Rob was stabbed to death in Sidcup in 2008, is calling for a mandatory six-month prison sentence for anyone caught carrying a knife.

He said: "There are lots of people doing great work, even the police, but what lets it down is the justice system. We should simply not be allowing people to carry a knife on the streets."

Detective Superintendent Darren Curtis said the Met was constantly developing operations to tackle gun and knife crime.

Boy, 15, beaten up for phone and £5

The family of a 15-year-old boy who suffered horrific injuries in a mugging have released photos of his battered face in a bid to catch the attackers.

Bobby Bedwell was beaten unconscious in Harold Hill, Essex, by a gang of teenage hoodies wielding lumps of wood and baseball bats. They stole his phone and £5.

Doctors at Queen's Hospital in Romford spent three days repairing his jaw, cheekbone and teeth, and stitching a two-inch gash in his head. Bobby, from Barking, has also lost peripheral vision in his left eye. The student at Barking Abbey School said the attack, at 10pm on September 24, has left him "scared". His father Robert, 38, said: "I want people to think about how they'd feel if it was their son or daughter."