Sutton Council has launched an investigation into the dramatic scaffold collapse that occurred on the high street on Tuesday afternoon.

The council is working with the police and scaffolding company to determine the cause of the collapse and to ensure "lessons are learnt".

Storm Henk brought a dramatic start to the working year as trees and debris were sent flying by gale-force winds all day.

However, the incident in Sutton was perhaps one of the most dramatic.

The scaffold tower was hit by 60mph winds around 4pm on Tuesday, causing it to collapse next to the former Wilko’s location near the top of the street.

While the collapse did not hurt any bystanders or cause much damage to the surrounding area, the scope of the collapse did draw much public attention due to the fact it was caught on camera.

Unsurprisingly, many are pointing the finger at the scaffolding company who they believe failed to correctly secure the scaffolding over the Christmas period.

On X (formerly Twitter) one contributor said: “Not “severe winds” but shoddy workmanship. Sorry to disappoint.”

Others noted that the high street has historically been a significant wind tunnel, with one resident saying on Facebook: “Because of St Nicholas Road and Throwley Road the wind can really whip up around Sutton.”

A spokesperson from Sutton Council told the LDRS: “Following yesterday’s incident, the Council’s Health and Safety team visited the site and worked with the scaffolding company and the Police to ensure the high street was made safe. The scaffolding was cleared to ensure that businesses were able to open this morning.

“The Health and Safety Executive has been informed of the incident and the Council is working with them and all relevant parties to help with their investigations. Based on the outcome of the investigation we will make sure any lessons are learnt.”

There was widespread disruption across the borough, following the amber weather warning issued across south London by the Met Office. Greenwich also saw a large-scale scaffold collapse on the other side of London.

Disruption to the nearby rail line and roads persisted throughout the day. At one point, the famous ‘mad mile’ road was temporarily blocked by a fallen tree near the Sutton end. On Facebook, Sue McNamara commented: “I was caught in the queue of traffic coming up to where the tree was down, must have been very soon after it came down.”

“Well done to everyone that got out of their cars in the queue and somehow managed to clear one of the carriageways so the traffic could start moving again. Great work everyone and I’m so glad the tree didn’t land on anyone on such a busy carriageway.”

The results of the council’s investigation will follow soon.