The Tour de France brought with it huge benefits for businesses in the borough, according to the chairman of Redbridge Chamber of Commerce.

The race sped through High Street, Woodford Green, and Woodford New Road, South Woodford, around 3.30pm on Monday, with thousands lining the streets and queuing for food.

Geoff Hill, Chairman of Redbridge Chamber of Commerce, said businesses selling refreshments were reaping the benefits of the crowds.

He said: "There were huge numbers of people there and it was lunchtime, so it was inevitably going to be lucrative for businesses stocking food and drink.

"It was a huge boom time for them that I haven't seen before, there were really long queues of people wanting refreshments.

"Of course some businesses were inconvenienced by the closed roads but everyone was getting into the community spirit and I think overall it was a really good thing for Woodford."