The council has applied for £160,000 in grants following the August riots, but officials say it will never be enough to compensate for the full extent of the devastation.

Deputy leader of Lambeth Council, Councillor Jackie Meldrum, said the money, if allocated, would help businesses get back to full trading, after looters targeted shops in Streatham and Brixton.

But a council spokesman said the cash would only cover a small proportion of the costs incurred by the disturbances.

Officers hope to obtain nearly £90,000 from the Government’s £10million Recovery Scheme to compensate for lost income.

They have also applied for more than £30,000 from the High Street Support Scheme to give 80 affected businesses assistance with their business rates, and a further £40,000 for general business support, according to a recent report of Lambeth Council’s Finance Scrutiny Sub-Committee.

Coun Meldrum said affected businesses could apply to the council for business rate relief, as well as to central government for extra funding.

She said: "Businesses are at the heart of our local community and economy and we did a great deal to help retailers get back on their feet immediately after the public disturbances, which included advice on compensation and insurance claims as well as business recovery workshops."