Sadiq Khan warns those thinking of joining high street mobs they will face 'full force of the law' after Clapham chaos

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The Mayor said the anyone who joins in with the chaos will face the consequences after the scenes which he described as "inexcusable and unacceptable."

His comments come after Nigel Farage described London as "broken and lawless", after locals in the south west London surburb barricaded themselves into high street shops while mobs of youths ran wild on Tuesday.

The Mayor told LBC: "The scenes we saw in Clapham earlier this week were utterly unacceptable.

Read more: Disorder in Clapham Common is a warning sign we can't ignore, writes Cllr Susan Hall

Read more: 'Terrified' shoppers barricaded themselves in stores as youths rampaged through Clapham for the second time in days

"Not only did they spread fear in the local community, but assaulting and intimidating hard-working retail staff and police officers are serious offences. The culprits will face the full force of the law.

“I'm in close contact with the Met police, and arrests have been made already. More are likely to follow over the coming days as officers continue to review CCTV and body worn video, and ensure all those involved are apprehended.

"My message to anyone thinking of going out this weekend to commit crime in our shops or on our high streets is that your actions will have consequences. You will be identified, held responsible and punished accordingly."

Images captured from the evening showed the feral crowds wreaking havoc as teenagers, many dressed in black and clad in balaclavas, ran on the road in large groups towards the nearby Common, where fires had been allegedly started by fireworks.

Witnesses say the unruly scenes left shoppers fearing for their safety, as many hid inside shops which had been forced to close in broad daylight.

Many took refuge from the mobs inside the McDonald’s, Marks & Spencers and a Sainsbury’s on Clapham High Street, before later being escorted out by police.

Despite Farage's claims, Khan insisted the Met had made "huge progress" to bring down violent crime.

He continued: "The Met have a strong policing plan in place which includes increasing officer numbers in hotspot areas and using dispersal orders where necessary.

"The police are also working with social media companies to stop footage circulating on their platforms that encourages or coordinates criminal behaviour.

"The dissemination of viral online content which promotes violence and theft can have damaging real-life consequences both for frontline workers and communities across the country.

"It breaks down our social fabric and undermines community cohesion.

"We’ve made huge progress in London over recent years to reduce many serious crimes, including violence with injury, burglary and homicides.

"At the heart of our approach has been a massive investment in London’s young people, funding interventions and positive opportunities for more than 550,000 young people across our city, in an attempt to reverse the damaging legacy of austerity.

"But the scenes we saw in Clapham are completely inexcusable and unacceptable, and show why we must continue to be tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime.

"We must stamp out this kind of behaviour which does such damage to our communities."

Earlier on Thursday, the Reform leader Farage said: "If you decriminalise shoplifting, don’t be surprised when acceptable behaviour escalates into intimidation, threats and danger."

He added: "London is broken and lawless. If you’re a victim of crime [you're] unlikely to even report it as the police will do nothing.

"They were appalling scenes. All crime needs to be prosecuted. Appalling scenes - but actually it points to societal breakdown."

One M&S security guard said one of those barricaded inside the store was a "very scared" lady with a baby in a pram.

He told the Mail: "Police warned us there would be chaos so we prepared for it because of what happened last Saturday. There were loads of kids sprinting and shouting and police advised all the shops to close for one hour.

"Police knew roughly the time today. They said it would start at around 4pm so they were here since midday. But the chaos happened at 7pm.

"We had to lock shoppers in, at 8.15pm we let them out one by one with police and and security holding the doors shut and escorting them out. Shoppers were very scared. There was one lady with a pram and a baby. She was terrified but police escorted her to safety."

A Met spokesperson said: "Police are responding to an ongoing incident on Clapham High Street following reports of a large crowd of young people causing anti-social behaviour.

"Officers are on the scene, and a dispersal order has been put in place, meaning anyone congregating must leave the area. At this time two teenage girls have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. They have been taken to custody.

"Officers will remain in the area to offer support and respond to any concerns from local residents and businesses."