THE public balcony at Enfield Civic Centre's main chamber may be pulled out and replaced amid fears it is dangerous.

Council assessors have ruled the safety barrier is 13cm too low, and warned someone could fall from the balcony to the chamber below in the event of a “surge”.

The balcony is used by the public who come to watch Full Council meetings, but could now be pulled down and replaced following the report outlining its dangers.

The assessment said: “In the event of a surge load applied to the barrier, there is a potential risk arising from a failure to prevent a user from falling from the balcony and consequential injury to both the user falling and anyone in the chamber below.”

Council officers also warned of gaps in the stair railings which children could potentially fall through and potential risks with the glazed panels at the back of the gallery.

Councillors are due to be advised that the “most reliable” course of action is to de-construct the balcony and replace it with a completely new one with different safety designs.

Concerns over the balcony's safety were first raised in March after police carried out a review ahead of the Full Council meeting to agree this year's budget.

Following mass demonstrations elsewhere in the capital against swingeing budget cuts, the Met insisted on assessing Enfield Civic Centre and had officers patrolling around the meeting.

The review threw up initial safety concerns which led to the balcony being closed for the crucial meeting and the handful of members of the public who turned up to watch were show the meeting in an adjacent room via videolink.

The Labour administration will now be handed the safety report on the balcony next week at a cabinet meeting.

It must decide whether to fork out the money to replace the balcony or continue restricting the number of people who can use the balcony.