Shops will still need approval for shutters

Proposals to cut planning restrictions on shops wanting to install security shutters in the wake of last year's riots have been rejected.

Ministers were reportedly considering scrapping the requirement but a consultation by the Department for Communities and Local Government concluded it "would be a disproportionate over-reaction to the riots".

In a letter to planning officers, decision officer Maria Stasiak said shutters could create "an unwelcoming environment".