A 68-page government-funded research document into the London riots fails to mention Croydon once.

Croydon was one of the main town centres hit by looters during the August disorder, with the historic House of Reeves furniture ablaze one of the iconic images from the troubles.

But the paper compiled by the National Centre for Social Research (Natcen) does not include a single detail on Croydon.

The paper was commissioned by the Cabinet Office at a cost of over £100,000 and was called the August riots in England: Understanding the involvement of young people.

It lists five riot-affected areas in the UK in which it conducted research: Tottenham, Peckham, Clapham Junction and Battersea, Salford and Birmingham.

Croydon Council opposition leader Tony Newman called the omission an “insult” to the people of Croydon.

He said: “It is inconceivable that any serious piece of research could be done into what happened in August without understanding the issues in the largest borough in London and the impact made.

“This report if it has not included Croydon is not worth the paper it is printed on.

“Croydon has the largest group of young people and most mixed community in London.”

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said: “A representative sample of locations and people were selected for the independent research, including five areas directly affect by rioting and two non-affected areas.

“The study was delivered by an experienced team of qualitative researchers at NatCen who conducted interviews and focus groups with young people, business owners, youth workers and community leaders, speaking both to those directly involved and those who chose not to be, inside and outside of London, with a range of demographics.

“This robust research captures a broad spectrum of opinions to compare and contrast, it is the first and currently only major study to be based on what young people themselves have to say about the riots.

“Whilst there was some variation in results there were a good deal of common motivational themes clearly evident across areas surveyed, going forward findings are expected to inform policy makers across the country.”