Tory leader and Witney MP David Cameron has accused Radio 1 of encouraging knife and gun crime.

Mr Cameron singled out the station's Saturday night schedules which feature DJ Tim Westwood's hip-hop show.

"I would say to Radio 1, do you realise that some of the stuff you play on Saturday nights encourages people to carry guns and knives?" he told the British Society of Magazine Editors.

He was responding to a question from June Walton, the editor of Good Housekeeping, about how the Conservatives would tackle the growing problem of knife crime.

Mr Cameron said his remarks were an example of having "the courage to speak up when you see something that is wrong" despite the fact that "you will get a lot of bricks thrown at you".

The station hit back at Mr Cameron's remarks.

"Radio 1 strongly refutes any suggestion that the station condones or encourages knife or gun culture," a spokesman said.

"The station takes its responsibilities very seriously and has strict producer guidelines that govern all of the output.

"Hip-hop is a huge international genre with a vibrant UK scene and that music reflects the sometimes harsher realities of people's lives and cultures."

Mr Cameron's comments about knife crime follow a string of stabbings in recent weeks.