Home secretary Sajid Javid has announced a new legal duty that will require local authorities to prevent and tackle serious violence.

The new duty, which will also cover the police and health bodies, will ensure that services work together to share data, intelligence and knowledge to help understand the root causes of violent crime.

Mr Javid said: ‘It's crucial that we all work together to understand what causes violent crime in the first place, so we can intervene early and prevent this senseless bloodshed.

‘I'm confident that a public health approach and a new legal requirement that make public agencies work together will create real, lasting long-term change.'