A 29-year-old man is “lucky” to be alive after he was stabbed in the chest by a knife-wielding gang who stole his bike as he rode home from work.

The victim had just cycled into Victoria Park from the entrance in Gore Road, south Hackney, when three youths grabbed him.

They pulled him to the ground and kicked him, before stabbing him in the centre of his chest when he tried to stop one of them making off with his bicycle.

Two of the suspects were already on bikes, and all three rode off towards the Gore Road exit and split up. One cycled east towards Grove Road and the other two headed west towards Morpeth Road or Skipworth Road.

Horrified passers-by ran to help the victim after the attack at 7.45pm, on Saturday, August 25.

He was rushed by ambulance to a London hospital for treatment and was only released on Monday (Sept 3).

Det Con Richard Coe said “The victim has been incredibly lucky that the injuries were not more severe. It is no exaggeration to say that the stabbing was millimetres away from causing life-threatening injuries.

“The victim has shown a remarkable response in dealing with this traumatic event and we appeal for any information that can help us identify these highly dangerous individuals.”

One of the suspects was described as a light-skinned black teenager, aged between 15 and 18. He was wearing black jogging bottoms, a black hoodie and a green baseball cap.

The other two suspects were described as dark-skinned black men, both aged between 16 and 20. Both were wearing black clothes.

The victim’s bike was a Claud Butler Urban 200 Hybrid with medium toe clips that had a fabric adjuster and silver spring buckles on the peddles.

Anyone with information should contact the Robbery Squad at Bethnal Green police station on 020 8217 7267 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.