'We want to be busy': Tottenham battles Covid-19 recession

With the UK's fastest growing rate of unemployment, the area near the Spurs stadium is struggling

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The streets of north London around the Tottenham Hotspur stadium are quiet. In the shadow of the gargantuan building, as though descended from space on the Tottenham High Road, business has dried up for Ali Polmaz, who runs the Spurs Restaurant kebab shop.

It has killed us," he said, sharpening his blade to carve doner kebab for a rare lunchtime takeaway customer. We still have to pay rent; the landlord told me this is his only income. We want to be busy, but with no fans there is no business."

Less than a year ago Haringey did not rank in the 50 local authorities in Britain with high claimant counts. Now it sits second, just behind Blackpool