A senior councillor said Haringey Borough Council will work with police and the community to stop female genital mutilation.

Councillor Ann Waters, cabinet member for the children, made the comment after Lynne Featherstone, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, organised a meeting to discuss a strategy to tackle the problem.

More than 20,000 girls across the UK are believed to be at risk of being made to undergo the procedure, sometimes known as female circumcision.

Cllr Waters said: “It’s clear that this abuse has a profound long-term impact on young girls and women who fall victim to it and we need to challenge the idea that this practice should ever be considered the norm.

“I’m proud that Haringey is already taking the lead on tackling FGM by working with our partners to identify this as a priority and explore ways of tackling this together during the last few years.

“We’ll continue to work with the police, our schools and the community to raise awareness of FGM and help put a stop to this violent crime.”

The roundtable meeting will take place on April 25 at Ms Featherstone’s constituency office.

Borough Commander Chief Superintendent Victor Olisa and Haringey council’s deputy chief executive Zina Etheridge will be in attendance.