A family cheated death when their cornershop was reduced to rubble with them inside.

One moment Bhupendra Patel and his son Chetan were working in their Powerscroft Road, Lower Clapton shop – the next all hell had broken loose.

The pair cheated death by diving through the door and clear of the building to avoid the tons of bricks and concrete that was tumbling down.

Builders had finished carrying out structural repairs to the shop, but the father and son heard a creaking noise and the plaster began to fall. One firefighter said: “It was a scene of devastation – absolute chaos.”

The same week, community groups were set to meet with police to set up a consultative committee – but Hackney Council said the idea was an unrepresentative sham. Councillors called for a boycott saying the town hall should be involved in the committee.