The owner of a business located opposite Sutton Station has described a sense of a "dampened mood" this morning, after a teenager was stabbed to death last night.

Ankur Baria, owner of LA Café, got to work this morning to discover that the area outside his business was now a crime scene - after a 17-year-old boy was stabbed just after 7.05pm yesterday (Tuesday).

The business opened in the Sutton area three years ago, and Ankur has described seeing a rise in crime in the area, which he says is having an impact on local businesses like his.

An "urgent" police investigation is underway as no arrests have yet been made, with Sutton Station and parts of Sutton High Street closed.

LA Café, along with other businesses in the area between the BP Garage in Brighton Road to Zizzi’s in the High Street, have been unable to open this morning because of the crime scene.

Ankur told Your Local Guardian: “I went to open the cafe today in the morning, and we were not allowed to go in, because I think it's really cordoned off properly.

“Police said that they will take almost the whole day today to do forensics and whatever they must do, but they are not allowing us to even go into the site right now.

“Nobody can open, from anywhere between the BP garage and the Zizzi’s and it could take all day, we just don’t know.”

He added: “In the last few months this is a second or third case of stabbing, it feels even more awful to know someone lost a life.

“When you see that one life is lost, it just dampens everything even more and my heart goes out to the family.

“I am also aware that in the last three or four months at least three shops have been broken into and vandalised and also had their stock and money stolen.”

Ankur is concerned about the financial impact these crime scenes have on local businesses, and said that his customers have expressed a rising “concern” for their wellbeing in light of crime in the area.

He explained “As a small business we lose all the trade as we are not allowed to open for the whole day. It has happened a few months back as well.

“With things happening like this very often, it of course makes you think that it should be safe and it's worrying.

“And secondly the trade goes for the whole day, which for something like us it's very difficult to survive.

“Our customers and people in Sutton are getting concerned for their well-being and are getting insecure with these criminal activities on the rise in Sutton now.

“I really hope someone can do something about it before it gets out of hand.”

Crime scenes are expected to remain in place today as police investigations continue.

A spokesperson for Metropolitan Police said: “Police and LAS were called to Sutton High Street at about 7.08pm on Tuesday 5 December, following reports that a teenager had been stabbed.

“On arrival officers found a 17-year-old male suffering with stab wounds.

“He was treated at the scene but sadly died as a result of his injuries.

“Enquiries are ongoing to trace his next of kin.

“No arrests have been made.

“A number of road closures have been put in place at the location, including a full closure of Sutton Train Station.

“An urgent investigation is under way and enquiries are ongoing.”