THE Mayor of Salisbury has paid tribute to the victim of a fatal stabbing in Bemerton Heath and issued a message to young people.

Councillor Atiqul Hoque is the 762nd Mayor of Salisbury and a resident of Bemerton Heath.

Following a knife attack that left the family of Tsvetomir Genov mourning their loved one, Cllr Hoque has issued a statement to the city.

Read more: ​Bemerton Heath stabbing victim named as Tsvetomir Genov

He said: "It’s very sad what happened to the young man. I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the family not only as Mayor but as a Bemerton Heath resident."

Cllr Hoque added that he wanted to send a "clear message" to young people, this was: "Please think before making quick irrational moves, it destroys lives. It has a knock-on effect on the whole community.

"I’d like to also extend my thanks to the emergency service for their prompt response and for dealing with social media."