Tension was high as London braced itself for a fourth night of violence.

But locals in one area decided it was time to protect their own community.

If social media could be used by the rioters it could also be put to a more positive use.

Sally Whooten, Eltham Resident said:

“ It’s literally spontaneous and also on Facebook and Twitter and everywhere else. Like I said, Eltham is a very strong community, we respect what we’ve got here and we want our place to stay safe and we want people to be able to come back into the community and not feel threatened by what’s going on.”

Although there were pockets of violence the warning that police were likely to be more heavy handed than before appeared to have kept many if not all of the gangs away.

After three turbulent nights, the police presence in London was increased three-fold coupled with an evident revision of tactics. But while the priority is to restore law and order the question remains – what lies behind the unrest.