The London Riots of 2011: part 3 The Aftermath and Clean up

Londoners came together to begin cleaning up today after one of the worst nights of rioting the capital has ever seen.

Using the social networking site Twitter, shell-shocked citizens united under the hashtags #riotcleanup and #riotwombles to make plans to repair the city's ravaged streets.
Celebrities including actor Simon Pegg and comedian Dave Gorman got behind the growing online movement, as users shared information on the worst affected areas and posted pictures of volunteer clean up teams.

#riotwombles: Volunteers wait to clear up after overnight disturbances in Clapham Junction, in south London

Clean sweep: Brooms at the ready, people brought together through Twitter gather to clear up Clapham Junction, devastated in the riots last night

'London hates looters': More volunteers in Clapham Junction, where they have congregated after call outs on Twitter

Helping hands: Part of a group of about 300 volunteers help clear the remains of destroyed vehicles in Hackney, north London

But experts warned today that the riots which broke out across London and other cities have caused 'tens of millions of pounds' of damage.
Despite massive clean-up operation getting under way in affected areas, the Association of British Insurers said the total cost could run into the tens of millions.
Nonetheless, concerned people from London's ravaged suburbs flooded Twitter with their plans and intentions to do their part to help out those affected by last night's violence.

 

According to the hastily set up website riotcleanup.co.uk: 'This is not about the riots. This is about the clean up - Londoners who care, coming together to engender a sense of community.'
The site offered advice to people keen to get out to repair their communities, including locations where clean ups were taking place and a list of equipment people taking part should bring with them.
It proved so popular that soon after the address of the site was published on Twitter, it was brought down by the huge amounts of online traffic it generated.

Residents of Hackney club together to clean the streets outside their homes

'RiotWombles' sweeping to victory on the Walworth Road in Camberwell

Some members of the community arrived in Peckham High Street armed with cleaning equipment to help restore order in the aftermath of the riots.
About 20 people with dustpans and brushes offered small businesses help cleaning up their destroyed stores. One woman aged in her 20s said: 'I was devastated when I saw what happened last night.
'I was really angry so I thought I'd channel my anger in a constructive way.
'We have never met each other before, we just spoke on Twitter this morning. Twitter can be used for good."

Aftermath: A fire fighter douses a burnt out building in Croydon, Surrey, following a third night of civil unrest on the streets of London

Wreck: A fireman walks past the burnt out shell of 140-year-old Reeves Furniture store in Croydon this morning

Smashed: An internal view of damage to shop on London Road in Croydon

The inside of a Tesco Metro on East Dulwich Road in south London

Damage caused by looters in a mobile phone shop on Clapham High Street

Counting the cost: A woman speaks on the phone in Big Jim's Trims, a shop looted in Ealing

A man sweeps glass from outside an organic food shop on Ealing High Street

In Enfield, north London, council street cleaners cleared away debris to allow the area's one-way system to reopen. Councillor Chris Bond said they were determined to 'not surrender the streets to criminals'.
'Our street workers have done a marvellous job in clearing away debris last night to ensue Enfield town is open for business,' he said.
'This shows we will not let these criminals beat us. We will not surrender our streets to these mindless morons.'
Those using Twitter to co-ordinate clean-up efforts are calling themselves the 'Riot Wombles' and are now using the hashtag #riotwombles to arrange meeting times and places.
One, with the username Ladypaperclip, wrote: 'Sitting in the bus lane outside the station with dozens of #riotwombles waiting for the police to let us into #claphamjunction.'

A burnt out car is removed from Ealing High Street

A burnt out smart car is seen on Ealing High Street

The #riotcleanup campaign was the idea of former shop keeper Dan Thompson from Worthing, East Sussex. He said: 'We are mobilising people to go to their local streets and start the clean up wherever it is needed.
'We need to get them started as quickly as possible.
'Even woth a dustpan and brush we can start to make a difference.
'Local shopkeepers are really pleased to know that there is people behind them helping them.' TV quiz show host Stephen Fry and Manchester United and England star Rio Ferdinand were also supporting the campaign on twitter.
Stephen Fry posted: 'I do hope that if I was in London now I'd be as good & brave & kind as all those who are agreeing to meet & help clean up.'

Street cleaners sweep around burned out vehicles along Princess Avenue, in the Toxteth area of Liverpool, after rioting there

A council bulk rubbish truck is destroyed after a fire set by rioters in Toxteth, Liverpool

In other chaos-stricken cities, communities came together to clean up the mess left by rampaging rioters. Labour councillor Steve Munby, Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for neighbourhoods who represents the Toxteth area, was today taking part in a 'spontaneous' community clean-up with residents.
He said: 'People have been meeting up in different parts of the area and cleaning up debris. I think people are quite upset and angry because really people have been getting their jollies, saying, "lets go and have a riot in Toxteth". Who are these people?'
Mr Munby said he believed the riots were led by a 'small group of organised criminals' from outside the Toxteth area. Their main aim was to 'loot and rob', he said.

The Sony Distribution Centre in Enfield that was looted and set alight by rioters on Monday evening

The shift in emphasis from carnage to clean up marked a change in fortunes for Twitter, which had been criticised as an organising tool for rioting youngsters.
Ella McSweeney wrote: 'Follow #riotwombles to see how twitter can be used for common good.'
But reflecting the social backdrop to the past three days of violence, some users still found time for bitter comments. Charlie Phillips wrote: 'By all accounts the true #riotwombles are the amazing council street cleaners. Yes PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS. That's why we should fight cuts.'