More than one hundred thousand people have signed a petition supporting stripping benefits from rioters
Demands for rioters be stripped of state benefits look set to be discussed by MPs after a petition secured the online signatures of more than 100,000 people.
The six-figure backing means the call has become the first to pass the threshold qualifying it for a Commons debate under a new system introduced last week.
Ministers are already looking at what extra sanctions they could impose and the petition has been referred to a backbench committee which decides the subject of some debates.
Such was the demand by voters to sign up that the site crashed repeatedly.
Posted by Stephen Mains, the petition states: "Any persons convicted of criminal acts during the current London riots should have all financial benefits removed.
"No taxpayer should have to contribute to those who have destroyed property, stolen from their community and shown a disregard for the country that provides for them."
The petition is by far the most popular filed, with four times more support than Tory MP Robert Halfon's bid to cut petrol prices.
Prime Minister David Cameron said ministers were exploring whether legislation going through parliament could be used to help courts "confiscate things from people when they commit crimes". And he welcomed the popularity of the petition site.
"One of the points of the new e-petitions website is to make sure if it reaches a certain level of signatures it will be debated in this House whether we like it or not. That's an important way of empowering people."
He added: "We have to look at all the ways we can of making sure our punishments are robust."
