Ross Kemp’s new show, Teenage gangs Of South london, to air tomorrow night on Sky One has been accused of making the situation appear worse than it actually is.

Youth workers in peckham, where the documentary was shot, contacted the Sunday Mirror and said:

“The woman who seemed to be in charge told me the balaclavas were to protect the kids’ identity – but they were obviously making them look more menacing to feed the public concern about youth crime,”

Youth worker Davina Baileyadded that producers had “egged on” other youngsters to do gangster poses and given them money for joining in: “It was disgusting. It’s one thing to report what is going on but another to come to Peckham and hype up the situation to make their programme look better,” she said.

But a Sky spokesperson said: “The participants in the photoshoot were offered the option of disguising their identity using headwear and some were offered a small fee for photography and their time.”