A mother whose son was stabbed on Oxford's Blackbird Leys estate three years ago last night said knife crime was a "frightening everyday reality" for its residents.

Helen Bailey, 41, was baby-sitting her grandchildren in Willow Way on the morning after Thursday night'saug 23 stabbing - and the incident brought back painful memories of what happened to her son, Germain Morris.

She said: "It has got to be sorted out. I would up and leave, but I was born and brought up in Blackbird Leys and have been here 41 years.

"People are absolutely sick of it. Up until a few years ago I felt really safe here - daytime and night-time.

"I have teenage girls and they are like prisoners, I won't let them out because anyone could get stabbed. It's terrible.

"There are a hell of a lot of knives on the street."

She said she will always remember the night Germain Morris was stabbed.

"It was like they told me he was dead, he was 60 seconds from death," she said.

He survived the attack in Grenoble Road, but Mrs Bailey said the fear of knife crime on the estate had escalated.

She added: "It's got 100 per cent worse recently, definitely. It worries every decent parent big time."

Thursday's stabbing was the latest in a string of knife attacks that have dogged the estate.

In the most serious, Moshean Cameron, 23, from Littlemore, died from a single wound to the heart.

Meanwhile, youth workers have asked for an increased police presence on the estate over the Bank Holiday weekend because tensions were running high.

Beth Knowles, a youth project manager for Leys Community Development Initiative, said the group had contacted police to request more officers on the beat.

Ms Knowles and Oxfordshire County Council's youth service took the decision to postpone the Leys CDI Grand Finale - a showcase of young people's work which was expected to attract 150 people. It was due to take place at Blackbird Leys Community Centre last night.

Ms Knowles said: "We decided to postpone it for a couple of weeks on the grounds of safety for young people and to make it enjoyable, which it's not going to be if we have it now.

"Everyone, especially the young people, are very disappointed because they have put so much hard work in."