A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 22-year-old woman was stabbed to death in south London.

The Metropolitan Police said officers were called at just after 10pm on Christmas Eve to a residential property in Spenlow House, Jamaica Road, Bermondsey.

Paramedics from the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance provided emergency first aid to the woman, but she died at the scene.

Her family have been informed.

Bermondsey incident
Spenlow House in Jamaica Road, Bermondsey, south-east London, where a 22-year-old woman died from a stab injury on Christmas Eve (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

The boy, who was known to the victim, was arrested nearby a short time later, and is in custody at a south London police station.

Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, local policing commander for Southwark, said patrols will be increased in the area over the coming days.

“This is a tragic incident and my thoughts are with the woman’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time,” he said.

“We recognise this will also have an impact on the wider community and we will have additional patrols in the area over the coming days to provide reassurance.”

Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command are leading the investigation, and Detective Chief Inspector Brian Howie asked for anyone with any information to come forward.

“Our investigation continues and a team of detectives are working at pace to establish what happened that resulted in a young woman losing her life,” he said.

“My thoughts, and those of my team, are with her family and friends at this awful time.

“One person has been arrested, however we still need to hear from anyone who was in the Spenlow House area between 7pm and 11pm on Christmas Eve and may have seen or heard anything suspicious.

“I would urge anyone with any information that may be relevant to our investigation, no matter how insignificant it may have seemed at the time, to come forward immediately.”