Carnage as scaffolding collapses onto busy UK high street ‘crushing car & trapping driver beneath rubble’

A DRIVER has been “trapped beneath rubble” after scaffolding collapsed onto a busy high street.

The man’s car was crushed by wood and metal which fell from a closed public library on Stoke Newington Church Street around 7.30am.

Hackney Council has asked residents to avoid the area.

It is thought members of the public helped the man to safety but his condition is unknown.

The busy high street continues to be blocked in both directions whilst a team from the travel authority’s Incident Response Unit has been seen in the area.

Bus routes 73, 393 and 476 are on diversion, TFL has confirmed.

A spokesperson for the council said: “Stoke Newington Church St is closed between Edward’s Ln and Albion Rd for traffic & pedestrians due to fallen scaffolding.

“Police & council teams are on the scene, thankfully no one was injured. Buses are on diversion until further notice.

“Please avoid the area if possible.”

Residents have been evacuated as a precaution and a cordon remains in place, according to local media.

Cops and firefighters have been spotted at the chaotic scene with the three-storey scaffolding having been in place for the past two years, according to Google Maps.

A shopkeeper told MyLondon: “We’re lucky it is the school holidays as normally there are lots of children around at that time. It could have been a lot worse..”

Witnesses told the outlet that the scaffolding “tore away” from the long-closed public library in seconds

Ibrahim, who owns the local off-licence, told a Hackney Gazette reporter at the scene: “We’re lucky there’s no school today — there are usually lots of kids on the street. So lucky.”