A man suffered life-threatening injuries after a brutal exchange with another man, as both slashed at each other with machetes on a main road in London.
The pair were seen brawling on the A127 in Romford at around 3.50pm as members of the public stood helpless nearby.
Motorists stayed in their cars as the two men continued their vicious attacks.
Both appeared to be armed with large machete-type knives.
A spokesman for the Met Police confirmed one of the men is now in hospital with life threatening injuries.
A passer-by caught the exchange on video and shared it to social media.
He is heard saying: “Oh s***, oh my days, oh my.”
Another person calls out “oi, oi” while drivers honked in an attempt to break up the attack.
The Met Police said in a statement: “Police were called at around 15:50hrs on Friday, 13 January, to a fight between two people in the Gallows Corner area of Harold Wood.
“One male has been taken to hospital. His condition is currently being treated as life-threatening.
“Detectives from the Met’s East Area BCU are investigating. There has been no arrest at this stage.
“Any witnesses or anyone with information are asked to call 101, ref 4545/13jan. To remain anonymous please contact Crimestoppers.
“The A127 travelling towards Essex is closed and drivers are advised to avoid the Gallows Corner area.”
A spokesman for London Ambulance service added: ““We were called at 3.52pm today (13 January) to reports of a stabbing in Southend Arterial Road, Romford.
“We sent an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car and an incident response officer to the scene. We also dispatched London’s Air Ambulance.
“We treated a man at the scene and took him, by road, to a major trauma centre as a priority.”
