Lawyers from an environmental charity have urged the council to set clear climate change plans or risk facing legal action.

Enfield is among 105 local authorities written to by lawyers from ClientEarth warning they could violate their legal obligations if “evidence-based carbon reduction targets” are not included in their updated planning policies.

The councils have been given eight weeks to explain how they will set these targets and ensure they are central to their new policies.

It comes amid mounting pressure on councils to help combat climate change, with many declaring climate emergencies as fears over global warming grow.

Local authorities are required by law to set targets based on the local potential to reduce emissions, in line with the Climate Change Act.

This Government legislation set a UK-wide target of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Councils’ targets should be included in new local plans, which Enfield and the other local authorities are currently in the process of drawing up.

ClientEarth climate lawyer Sam Hunter Jones said: “Too often climate change is perceived to be just a national or international issue and therefore solely the responsibility of central government.

“Clearly central government needs to do more, as the recent Committee on Climate Change progress reports stress.

“Yet so many of the daily decisions around new and existing infrastructure – such as new buildings, roads and utilities – are made at the local level.

“All of these decisions will ‘lock in’ an area’s future emissions and its resilience to climate change.”

Neighbouring Barnet Council said its local plan would provide a “clearly set out policy framework” to make London a net zero-carbon city by 2050.

Enfield Council was also approached for comment.

Enfield Council recently declared a climate emergency and launched a plan to cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2030.

It pledged to reduce its investments in fossil fuel firms and widen its sustainability efforts.

The council said it would use ‘ethical procurement’ to make its supply chain carbon neutral and only use environmentally friendly products whenever possible.

A Climate Change Task Force has been set up to help the council meets its environmental goals.

Mr Hunter Jones added: “If local authorities fail to respond within the eight-week period, we will take that into account – alongside our assessment of their plan-making process – in deciding what further steps to take.

“Such steps could include making representations at the public examination of the plan and or litigation.”