Woman stabbed to death in street 'by jilted ex-lover'

A manhunt was under way today after a 23-year-old woman was stabbed to death in a crowded street in south London.

The woman was walking in Battersea when she was approached and attacked by a man believed to be an ex-boyfriend.

The attack took place at 9.20pm in Lavender Hill close to the junction with Queenstown Road.

The spot is near numerous bars and restaurants which are crowded with diners and about 300 yards from the local police station.

Shocked witnesses dialled 999 and paramedics were at the scene within minutes.

The woman, who lives locally, was taken to a south London hospital by ambulance, but doctors were unable to save her. She died an hour later at

10.30pm. The woman and her assailant are believed to have been out separately when he confronted her in the street.

A police source said : "The woman certainly knew her attacker, but it is not thought that they were still together as a couple.

"He obviously had some sort of grievance and approached her. That is when the murder took place." Police recovered a knife near the scene which is undergoing forensic analysis but is thought to be the murder weapon.

The killer ran off after the stabbing. Today Scotland Yard launched a hunt for the man whose identity is known to them.

Police have sealed off a section of the road, and forensic science teams were today conducting a fingertip search of the area for clues.

A post-mortem examination and formal identification of the woman was expected to take place today.

Detectives from the Met's Homicide and Serious Crime Command are investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.