Paul McCartney reveals grandson was robbed at knifepoint in West London as he fears for spiralling knife crime epidemic in capital

: "In London, one of my grandkids, one of my older grandkids, was mugged and got his phone taken.

"He was saying the worst thing was that he should have just thumped the guy; he came back and felt a coward.

"I said: "No, no, no, no! The guy had a knife and you don't know, the guy might be able to use that knife. So it is scary these days."

The singer recalled his youth in Merseyside, when a similar incident happened to him.

He said: "When I was a kid, it was four guys and they nicked my watch. I was of a similar age. I just happened to be on my own, bigger kids came along and it was the same feeling."

It comes as a crime wave in London has already claimed 92 lives this year as politicians and police struggle to deal with knife crime in the capital.

HORROR KNIFE EPIDEMIC

Just today, a young man was left fighting for his life after being stabbed in South London hours after a 15-year-old was knifed in Tottenham.

Police were called to Croydon High Street today at 5.26pm to find a 21-year-old man with stab wounds.

The man is believed to have had his phone and watch stolen in the vicious attack, cops said.

This comes after a teen was knifed in broad daylight in the notorious Broadwater Farm Estate in Tottenham with cops called just after 11am today.

He was rushed to hospital in an ambulance and is in a critical condition.

More than 90 people have been killed in London already this year, with at least 50 on the grim roll call victims of fatal stabbings.

CRIME FIGURES SOAR

Britain has been battling a knife crime epidemic with fatal stabbings as deaths are at their highest level since the Second World War.

Violent crimes have surged in the capital since Sadiq Khan took office as mayor, with 2018 the bloodiest year in a decade.

The staggering statistics come a day after a report revealed that super-criminals who are caught carrying knives and committing crimes several times are STILL escaping jail.

Knife crime is up by more than half in the three years since Khan took power in the capital.

The Mayor is accused of "complacency, incompetence and shirking responsibility" in the face of the city's crime wave.

Knife crime has increased by 52 per cent, burglary by 17 per cent and robbery by 59 per cent.

Khan defended his record and blamed Government cuts for the rise in crime in London.

A spokesman previously said: "Knife and violent crime is slowing in the capital, but Sadiq is absolutely clear that it remains unacceptably high - across the country - as a direct consequence of the crippling cuts the Government has made to the police and preventative services since 2010.

"Ministers have cut £1billion from the police budget, reducing police officers to below 30,000 for the first time since 2003."