Riotcleanup is No 1 trending topic on Twitter

Cleaning up after the UK riots is not going to be an easy job. It’ll be emotional and extremely unsettling, but for communities across the country to pull together and work positively in restoring order will tell the mindless mob that we will not let them break us or our desire for a sense of safety and order.

Spurs has already pledged its support in cleaning up Tottenham post-riots after it cancelled matches and stadium tours in solidarity with the police. It’s reasonable to assume that other football clubs and businesses will also step in to support their communities in the riot clean-up.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy said “We have immediately offered further support to the community and are discussing how best to tangibly assist with the aftermath of these events with our local MP David Lammy and Claire Kober, Leader of Haringey Council.

“The Club is committed to supporting its community with help with both the physical clean up of our area and the longer term rebuilding of the community spirit.”

As a resident, having watched on in terror as the rioting streets crumbled, now is the time to get out there and reclaim. Grab your garden brooms, shovels, wheelbarrows, gloves, rubbish bags and bins and positive attitudes. Fight disorder with order, fight negativity with positivity.

Contact local skip companies and ask if anyone is willing to give you a skip free of charge – mention you’re cleaning up after the riot, of course. See if you can get paint from local DIY stores to clean the walls up, as well.

Get organised as a community: the glass companies are going to be swamped, so see if your business community can gather and work out who has called for replacement glass services, and see if you can get one company to deal with your street as a whole, rather than getting several companies out to one place.

As so much of the rioters’ destruction involved glass, don’t pick through the rubbish with your bare hands; rely, instead, on using brooms and shovels to clean away as much of the debris as possible. If you find spoils from the looting, see if you can return it to its owners.

Work in waves of teams: gatherers, sweepers and hosers/second team of sweepers. Gather the rocks and other projectiles in a safe, hidden place, so they’re not around if the idiots return, then sweep clean the street of everything that’s left. If anyone in your community has a power hose, have them follow the sweepers to clean the tiniest pieces of glass and rock-dust.

When the street is clean, get to work on any damaged paintwork, together. And if you have the chance, plant flowers and let them bring the colour and life back into your community.

Let’s restore pride in our city, and our international reputation. Let’s claim back the London we love.

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