Police were out in force in London today in a bid to prevent any repeat of England's worst riots in decades, which left city neighbourhoods smouldering and five people dead. The number of officers was more than doubled to 16,000 earlier this week, and Home Secretary Theresa May said the extra police numbers would stay on the beat until further notice amid concerns violence could flare up this weekend.

It was once one of the world's most deadly frontiers but has since been converted into one of the planet's most fascinating bicycle paths — a green belt that offers a surreal ride into Berlin history.