"Stop knife crime" screams a not-so-subtle new work of street art on a 21m long Old Street wall.
The psychedelic lettering is by street artist Ben Eine, and replaces a similar work of his. The word 'Change' was written on this wall in the same stylised coloured letters 10 years ago, and has been replaced by other one-word murals in the last decade. 'Create', 'Worth More' and 'Engaging' have featured. All allude to the problem of knife crime in the capital.
This time, the message is clearer. In a city which has seen more than 120 murders (not all involving knives) so far this year, something must be done about knife crime.
Ben Eine said:
The situation with knife crime is just getting worse and worse and people have had enough. More has to be done to prevent it. This has to stop.
Eine's work was created in association with anti-knife crime charity The Flavasum Trust, which was founded in memory of Tom Louis-Easton, who was fatally stabbed in the area in 2006.
See the work between Bath Street and St Luke's Close on the northern side of Old Street.