A betting shop which hundreds of people petitioned against has been vandalised before opening its doors to the first customers.

A bucket of white paint was thrown over the front window for the new Paddy Power in High Street on Sunday night.

In April, the company was successful in appealing against a decision by Waltham Forest council's planning committee to deny a change of use despite more than 1,200 people signing a petition against the move.

The paint has now been cleaned off the windows by shopfitters working at the site.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

The paint on the new Paddy Power site has been cleaned up

Johnny Elton, 29, of High Street said he was not surprised by the vandal attack and described betting shops as a 'cancer on the high street'.

“Whoever the vandal was is likely to be a law abiding, tax paying citizen, and he or she has been that let down by our governing bodies that they’ve decided to take things into their own hands,” he said.

“Betting shops are a cancer on our main street, we have four now within 100 meters of each other.

“They’re of no benefit to the local community, they leach off the vulnerable and are centres for anti-social behaviour.

“Once they’re allowed to set up shop they don’t leave, making it more difficult for new businesses that actually benefit the community to open and prosper.

"I don't blame them though or the punters. It is the people at the top making the decisions against the communities will, people that don’t even live here but make these decisions for us.

“This is what needs changing, a community that has more say in what goes on in their high street.”

Paddy Power has been approached for comment.