A man in his 40s has died after being stabbed outside a Tube station in London, Scotland Yard said.

Police were called at 2.37pm on Friday to reports of a stabbing outside Clapham Common station in the south of the city.

Despite the efforts of paramedics the man died at the scene.

Superintendent Sean Oxley, from the South Central Command Unit, said: “Our thoughts are with the victim and his family.

“Urgent police work is under way to establish the full circumstances and catch those responsible for this terrible act.

“This is a very busy area and I am sure the incident would have been witnessed by many people.

“If you have information that could assist police in apprehending those responsible, I urge you to please call 101 as soon as possible, ref CAD 4449/29 March and tell us what you know.”

He said a Section 60 Order, which grants police extra powers including to stop and search, would be in place in the area on Friday night.

“If you saw anything, I would urge you to speak to those officers and tell them what you know,” he said.

“They are there to help you. Bearing down on violent crime is one of our top priorities and we, our partners and the public must work together to tackle it.

“Communities play a vital role in tackling knife crime and may well hold information that can help us remove these offenders from the community.”

Road closures and a crime scene were in place, although the station remained open.

The force said they are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.

The victim’s next of kin have not yet been informed.

Police ask anyone with information to call 101, quoting reference CAD 4448/29Mar.