Thursday Update   - The Calm Continues


Council and police confirm no disorder on Wednesday night

On Thursday morning, Hammersmith and Fulham Council say the borough Hammersmith & Fulham has again remained calm overnight, with no significant disturbances reported.

The high-profile police and council presence on the streets continues to deter unrest and the rapid response to any potential incidents has again kept H&F streets safe overnight.

This follows the update on Wednesday which confirmed there were no reports of any serious disorder in the borough on Tuesday night, though there were reports of two incidents in Hammersmith overnight, one which resulted in arrests of a group of young people on Sulgrave Road and the other involving a fire in Flora Gardens which lead to 30 homes being evacuated. Residents were able to return to their homes within an hour.

Police also confirmed yesterday that they were called after five masked youths were seen causing disorder in Farm Lane, Fulham on Tuesday night. As they were underage they were taken home to their parents.

The council thanked the police and all those who have helped avert trouble on the scale seen in neighbouring areas, and asked the public to continue to report any suspicious activity.

H&F council issued a further statement at noon, saying:

We made some changes to both domestic and trade waste and recycling services in order to help protect residents and businesses and to keep our streets clear of objects that could be used in disorder.

Some recycling banks, bins etc were removed and will be replaced as soon as it is advisable to do so. Please use alternative recycling sites in the meantime. For more information,  visit the refuse and recycling pages.

Some trade waste collections will continue to take place earlier or later than normal as part of efforts to keep the streets clear of combustible materials. If your business has not had its usual container / bin collections by 5pm please remove your bin from the street. We will revisit to make the collection as soon as we can.

Many thanks for your patience and support while these special arrangements are in place. We will return to normal business as soon as its is advisable.

The council has also issued new advice for businesses.

Hammersmith and Fulham Police meanwhile have issued a message from Kit Malthouse, Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority. The message says:

The looting and rioting over the last few days is pure criminality. There is no excuse or rationale for this. Those responsible will be caught and brought before the courts to answer for their actions.

We will work with local communities to make sure we deal with these individuals. Photographs are being published and we are urging Londoners to help identify those responsible for this mindless violence. You can find the pictures here.

Quick and decisive action by police means that more than 525 arrests have been made so far and the resources are being put in place to continue to police London effectively in the coming day.

We must remember that the vast majority of Londoners are appalled by this violence, as are most young Londoners. We are determined to make sure they can go about their normal business and live without fear of disruption and violence.

Independent Custody Visitors have been making extra visits to custody suites across London to ensure that detainees are being properly treated and we are reassured that no problems have arisen to date.

Please be patient with the police. All the properties and vehicles that have been damaged or destroyed need to be examined; to ensure they are structurally safe to be entered, but also because they are crime scenes and the police must be given time to gather evidence that will help bring people to justice.

We must remember that the family of Mark Duggan has condemned the violence, which detracts from their search for answers.

We would urge to you work with the police and others to help communities recover and return to normal as soon as possible.

August 10, 2011