Teenage girl critical after London stabbing

LONDON, Sep 30 (Reuters) A 17-year-old girl was in a critical condition in hospital today after being stabbed, London's Metropolitan Police said.

The teenager was taken to hospital after officers were called at 0840 hrs to an address in Orpington, south London, a police spokeswoman said.

She said the girl's condition was described as ''life-threatening''. No more details were immediately available.

Concern over levels of knife crime in Britain have prompted the government to double the maximum sentence for unlawfully carrying a knife to four years.

A national knives amnesty in the summer netted more than 100,000 knives during its five-week span, including machetes, meat cleavers and axes.

REUTERS SHB RN1931