Two 14-year-old boys have been arrested after a man was stabbed to death in east London.

       James Markham, 45, was attacked after confronting a group of young people in Chingford on Monday night, the Metropolitan Police said.

       The force said 14-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of murder while another boy, also 14, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.

       Both are in custody at an east London police station.

       Emergency services were called to the scene in Churchill Terrace at 6.20pm and found Mr Markham with stab injuries.

       He was treated by paramedics but was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem examination found he died of a stab wound to the lung.

       Detective Inspector John Marriott, of the Met’s specialist crime command, said: “We believe that James confronted a group of youths causing a disturbance and was stabbed as a result.

       “The brutality of this response is beyond shocking and our thoughts are with James’s family, who have been left devastated by their loss.

       “The arrests of these two individuals is a significant development but we still need the public’s help to build a full picture of exactly what happened on Monday evening.”

       Former Conservative Party leader and MP for Chingford & Woodford Green, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, visited the scene with the force’s borough commander.

       He tweeted afterwards: “A dedicated team of officers are working to piece together what happened that led to this man losing his life. The thoughts of all of us are with his family and friends as they come to terms with their loss. I would like to thank officers, paramedics and members of the public who helped.”

       Additional reporting by PA