The company that told north London Jewish residents they had to take down their mezuzot from their doors has been condemned for causing them "great offence and distress" by the local mayor.

Warwick Estates apologised to residents of Cedarwood Court, near Stamford Hill, for threatening to remove the scrolls of parchment, which Jewish families customarily hang on their front doors, and bill the leaseholders for the cost of removal.

It said a letter it had sent to them threatening this was "overzealous" and "not in keeping with our business values".

But on Monday, Hackney mayor Philip Glanville wrote to Warwick Estates, saying he was "genuinely surprised by the unthoughtfulness of the request".

In his letter, seen by the JC, Mr Glanville acknowledged Warwick Estates had apologised but wrote: "This has not only caused great offence but a significant amount of distress to not only to your residents but also to the Charedi Orthodox Jewish community across Hackney and beyond".

He added: "Warwick Estates' approach is not in keeping with the values we seek to foster in Hackney as a place that not only celebrates diversity but promotes tolerance and equality."

"As a landlord, you need to understand the residents and the wider community that you serve as well as equalities duties," he wrote.

"Warwick Estates' letter... does not demonstrate that it has a clear understanding of its residents and is therefore understandable as to why the community is upset."

Warwick Estates sent its letter to residents last week and backtracked on Monday, after the JC published a story on the letter.

"The letter was overzealous in its nature and not in keeping with our business values... We wish to make it very clear that residents of the block in question are not required to remove their Mezuzahs and they will certainly not be removed by Warwick Estates or any representatives working on our behalf," a spokesperson said.

Warwick Estates said the letter was sent "by the property manager who was attempting to perform his job in line with his interpretation of the lease".

Mr Glanville asked for "further reassurance that this genuinely was a mistake".

He said the company should write to residents to apologise and also "constructively reach out to residents" to "help foster better relations and encourage a greater understanding of the wider community needs".