The UK's knife crime epidemic is being fuelled by a sick game on social media where points are awarded for stabbing different parts of the body, it is claimed.
The so-called Tally Up challenge is followed by young gangs and has already been linked to street attacks, according to reports.
Stabbing someone in the head scores 50 points, the chest is 30 points and the stomach is 20 points.
Ten points are awarded for a leg wound and five for stab wound to the arm in the game also known as Street Scores and Street Shark, it is claimed.
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It is claimed the craze has popped up on social media apps including Snapchat and Instagram and has been referenced in drill rap videos - a genre targeted by police.
Former gang leader Sheldon Thomas, founder of support group Gangsline, said the challenge was helping to cause the bloodshed.
He told the Sun: “This points scoring game was just in London and has been around for about six months or so.
“But it’s now spreading at a scary rate and is now getting everywhere and is potentially more lethal than ever.”
It is claimed Tally Up was involved when a victim was targeted in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, last month.
A police source said: “This was a points score for the game.
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“The head is the most points you can get which is why it was targeted but the fear is it will lead to more lives than ever being lost.”
Reports claim there have been references to Tally Up in drill rap videos online.
The challenge has surfaced amid a wave of knife violence in the UK.
A violent weekend saw at least three people stabbed to death.
A 17-year-old boy was fatally stabbed outside a block of flats in west London, while a shop worker was knifed to death during a robbery at a newsagent's in north-west London.
In Wells, Somerset, a man died after suffering knife wounds after police were called to a disturbance at a home.
The Government has pledged a £100 million increase in funding for police forces specifically to tackle the knife crime crisis.
The number of police officers across the 43 forces in England and Wales has fallen by more than 20,000 since 2009.
