Knife Angel sculpture installed at Blackburn Cathedral

A sculpture dedicated to victims of knife crime has been temporarily installed in Blackburn.

The 27ft (8m) Knife Angel statue is made from 100,000 blades handed into police across the country.

A peace vigil will be held next to the statue outside Blackburn Cathedral, where it will be in place until 29 November.

A box has been put next to the angel and people are being urged to hand in knives.

The sculpture was unveiled in 2017 and has since been displayed across the country, including in Liverpool, Hull and Coventry.

Jonjo Highton, 18, died after being stabbed in the neck in a confrontation with a group of men in Preston in 2014.

Six men were jailed for life for his murder.

His brother Byron Highton, an anti-knife crime campaigner, told BBC Radio Lancashire the Knife Angel sculpture was "powerful".

He said his brother was stabbed more than 20 times on two occasions and it "felt like someone was tormenting us".

"We had to live it twice and that made it extra devastating," he said.

Mr Highton said some youngsters had a "bravado and live in a social media world" and it was sad to see.

"When you put a knife in a young person hands and fight or flight adrenaline kicks in, bad things happen," he added.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, Andrew Snowden, said his message to anyone thinking of carrying a knife was "don't do it".

"You are so much more likely to become a victim yourself and the potential to cause serious injury is huge, even if you don't intend to," he said.

He urged people to "surrender their blades".

Det Ch Supt Sue Clarke, head of the Lancashire Violence Protection Network, said the Knife Angel would help raise awareness of the "devastating impact of knife crime".

Candles will be lit at the peace vigil later and people will stop to remember victims of knife crime from across Lancashire.

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