The Health and Safety Executive says it is "aware" of a building collapse in which a house under construction was left a heap of rubble.

But the group did not say whether it would investigate the incident in Gloucester Road, Hackney, on Sunday (June 24).

One terrified neighbour described the vibrations as "like an earthquake" - emergency services were called to the scene at around 12.30pm.

The three-storey semi detached house collapsed at the rear from roof level to the ground, the London Fire Brigade confirmed.

The house was under reconstruction at the time of the collapse and no one was living in the property.

A man, 31, who lives close by and who did not wish to be identified, told the PA news agency that the incident was “very scary”.

“All I heard was a loud sound and the building I live by shaking like there was an earthquake. It was very scary,” he said.

“When I looked outside the window, the entire building was collapsed.”

He added that the emergency services arrived on the scene quickly.

“[Within] 10 to 15 minutes [they] were already gathering,” he said.

He added: “The police instructed us to stay away from the window facing the building for now until further notice.”

The brigade said the collapse is believed to be due to a structure failure caused by the building works.