Shops were looted and buildings, among them a furniture store in Croydon, set alight as police clashed with youths.
Trouble first flared on Saturday after a peaceful protest in Tottenham over the fatal shooting of a man by police.
The prime minister is returning early from holiday to chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee Cobra.
David Cameron, who is on holiday in Italy, was due to board a flight on Monday night ahead of a meeting with Home Secretary Theresa May and Acting Metropolitan Police Commissioner Tim Godwin on Tuesday.
A government spokesman said the prime minister has been monitoring the situation on “an hourly basis”.
Monday’s violence started in Hackney after a man was stopped and searched by police but nothing was found.
There were also fears trouble may spread further afield as police in riot gear were deployed in Birmingham city centre after scores of youths rampaged through the shopping area, smashing windows and looting from shops.
Meanwhile:
- Cars were set on fire in Lewisham
- A bus and shop were set alight in Peckham
- Several fires broke out in Croydon, including one at a large furniture shop which spread to neighbouring buildings and tram lines
- In Hackney police 200 riot officers with dogs and mounted police were located around Mare Street where police cars were damaged
- Looters raided a Debenhams store and a row of shops in Lavender Hill in Clapham
- In Birmingham, police said officers had made nine arrests on Monday evening
- Buses were diverted as the violence spread to Bromley High Street
The fresh violence prompted Mr Godwin called on parents to contact their children and urged the public to clear London’s streets.
Groups of people began attacking the police in Hackney at about 16:20 BST, throwing rocks and a bin at officers.
Police cars were also smashed by youths armed with wooden poles and metal bars.
Looters also smashed their way into shops, including a JD Sports store, before being dispersed by police.
Planks of wood taken from a lorry were then hurled towards lines of riot officers.
At the scene
In a lane off Mare Street the wreckage of a burnt-out car still smoulders, surrounded by riot police.
At least for now, the violence in this half of London seems to have abated. I was talking to one young man who had received on his BlackBerry a list of places where he said there will be further trouble tonight.
He didn’t tell me which places and stressed it is speculation. But he and a friend told me frustration with poverty in the area was boiling over.
On Mare Street there is the sound of crunching as police vans run over broken glass. Much of it from a bottle bank which was overturned providing makeshift missiles for rioters who lobbed the bottles at police.
In nearby Lewisham, a number of vehicles and a trail of bins were set on fire.
At least 215 people have been arrested and 25 charged following the riots across London over the last two days.
In Birmingham City Centre looters have attacked several shops, smashing windows and stealing items.
An eyewitness said windows have been smashed in McDonalds and Jessops near Birmingham Cathedral and a sign has been thrown through a gym window.
London’s mayor Boris Johnson is cutting short his holiday to return to the city.
Home Secretary Theresa May also returned early from holiday, to meet Metropolitan Police (Met) chiefs to discuss their response to the violence.
Mrs May condemned the riots as “sheer criminality” and said those responsible would “face the consequences of their actions”.
The trouble follows two nights of violence over the weekend which started after police shot a man dead in Tottenham.
Mrs May said: “The riots in Tottenham on Saturday night and the subsequent disturbances in other parts of London are totally unacceptable.”
A peaceful protest in Tottenham on Saturday over the fatal shooting by police of Mark Duggan, 29, was followed by violence which spread into Sunday.
A candlelit vigil was due to be held at The High Cross in Tottenham on Monday evening.
Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh said there were “significant resources” on the streets, with a third more officers on duty than on Sunday.
He said: “What we can see is that the Metropolitan Police are getting police officers there in numbers.
“When we have large numbers of criminals intent on that type of violence, we can only do that, get lots of officers there quickly and try to protect local businesses and local people.”
He also admitted relations with the family of the man shot dead by police could have been handled better.
Mr Kavanagh said: “I want to apologise to the Duggan family because I think both the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) and the Metropolitan Police could have managed that family’s needs more effectively.”
