A few weeks ago I watched in horror as the events in Tottenham spread throughout east and south London. Like many people I was unable to turn away from the TV and found myself almost in tears as rioters and looters made their way through Camden and Ealing - parts of London I know, and where people I love have their homes - leaving a path of destruction in their wake.
More than a hundred homes were destroyed during the riots, and businesses estimate costs running into the hundreds of millions. Those hardest hit were the many small, independent businesses that still cling on in an already difficult financial climate. With no huge corporation to back them up many have seen everything they have worked hard for many years to achieve completely destroyed by a bunch of yobs in an opportunistic frenzy.
