High Street, Stoke Newington: emergency work after rubble rains down from building

Building safety work at Stoke Newington High Street. Photograph: Hackney Council. Free for use by partners of BBC news wire service

Experts are working to make a partially collapsed building in Stoke Newington safe and warned that the road could be closed to traffic for another week.

Hackney Council’s building control team stepped in after rubble fell from the parapet of the four-storey building on the High Street, Stoke Newington (A10).

Construction teams are working round the clock on the building which partially collapsed on Friday morning. Scaffolding at the front of several shops and masonry from the roof fell into the pavement and 20 people had to be evacuated from the building.

They are building a supporting structure around the existing scaffolding so work can then start to make the building safe.

The busy shopping street is closed to motor vehicles, bikes and pedestrians between Tyssen Road and Brooke Road.

Hackney Council is helping find temporary accommodation for residents in the building opposite who have had to move whilst the safety work is underway.

The landlord of the affected building has found temporary alternative accommodation for the people living there.

Stoke Newington High Street is likely to be closed to traffic until at least next weekend.

In the meantime, the nearby low traffic neighbourhood streets at Bouverie Road, Lordship Road, Nevill Road, Oldfield Road, the Stoke Newington Church Street bus gate and Yoakley Road have been re-opened to traffic.

Bus services are on diversion and passengers are advised to check Transport for London for updates.

The 67, 76, 149 and 243 buses diverted and the 276 has a shorter route and is  temporarily  ending at Amhurst Road/Hackney Downs station and starting at Hackney Central station.

The Health and Safety Executive is looking into the incident.