Local Labour politicians have called on Barnet Council to improve safety in “dangerous and dirty alleyways” following a recent fire.

London Assembly Member Andrew Dismore and Cllr Sara Conway urged the council to fence off dangerous areas, maintain cleanliness and tackle anti-social behaviour in alleyways behind Watling Avenue, Burnt Oak.

It comes after fire crews were called to reports of a bonfire, possibly out of control, in River Approach, Edgware, on Thursday, April 23.

The Labour representatives say the alleyways are affected by drug dealing, litter, public drunkenness, urinating, human waste and fly-tipping.

London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore said: “I have been asking Barnet council to deal with the state of these alleyways for over 20 years, but sadly the council has consistently failed to take real action.

“There was a fire nearby a few years ago at the same time Burnt Oak was found to be the fifth-worst town centre in England, which should have shamed the council into action.”

Cllr Sara Conway (Labour, Burnt Oak) said: “For the last two years the ward councillors have had meeting after meeting with the council, who have repeatedly promised action, but nothing has been done to properly address this.

“I dread to think what could have happened if the fire brigade hadn’t been called in time. Barnet must now take this situation seriously and urgently fix the fences to increase safety and clear the area of dangerous waste.”

The council outlined several measures it has taken to improve safety and said more would be done when the coronavirus crisis is over.

A Barnet Council spokesman said: “The safety of all our residents is something we take extremely seriously, and we have been carrying out a significant range of community safety activity in Burnt Oak and this particular location for some time. More recently, we have arranged for daily patrols to be carried out and for a street cleansing team to visit the area.

“In February, it was agreed that repairs to fencing were to be carried out to improve security, but it was necessary to delay this work due to the coronavirus outbreak and council staff being deployed to work on the authority’s Covid-19 response.

“The council is in the process of picking this issue up again with a view to having the work completed as soon as possible.”

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Firefighters were called to reports of a bonfire possibly out of control on River Approach in Edgware last Thursday.

“There were no reports of any injuries.

“The brigade was called at 11.34pm and the incident was over for firefighters by 11.49pm. Fire crews from Mill Hill fire station attended the scene.”