THE leader of Enfield Council has called the violence in Enfield last night “unacceptable”.

Councillor Doug Taylor said that the rioting and looting in Enfield Town – which spread to Ponders End and Edmonton Green – was on a level that “instilled fear into local people”.

He said: “Clearly, law and order is the police's job, but we will be talking to them about what needs to be done to protect our residents.

“We have worked with the community to tackle issues and encourage social cohesion and we will continue to work with youth centres.

“The police will want to learn lessons from what's happened – but it's important to remember they were focussing on Tottenham and dealing with a developing situation with limited resources.”

Cllr Taylor added that he was meeting Enfield Borough Commander Dave Tucker later this afternoon to discuss the response.

The council hopes to get streets open in the town centre as soon as possible to minimise the effects of the rioting on businesses already struggling after a recession.

Cllr Taylor said: “We have got to try and restore trust and confidence in the area and make sure that Enfield Town remains a vibrant shopping centre for the borough.

“I will be organising meetings with Enfield’s community leaders to try address their concerns and see whether there are any lessons to be learnt.

“Enfield is an area with deprivation and we know that can be linked to crime and we need to address that, but that is not an excuse for looting and wanton destruction.”