Shopkeepers are still reeling from the crash which saw a driver smash into an empty shopfront before fleeing on foot.

A man inside the property was injured by the black Vauxhall Zafira, which ended up nearly half-way through a shopfront in Markhouse Road, Walthamstow, just before 6am on Sunday.

He suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment, while the driver didn't stay for the police and fled the scene.

Estate agent, Mohammed Farooq, who works next door in Mortgage Administration, said he is “devastated”.

He said: “My whole place is damaged. My roof is leaking and there are cracks all over my property.

“It is so sad. I phoned the police today to find out exactly what happened but they said it could take six months to deal with.

“I just don’t know how the vehicle turned into it. The lamppost saved my building. You can see, it’s all bent.

“If it was not there, it could have been my shop. If it was intentional then that is a criminal offence.

"The police told me to go to my insurance, but if I do that my premiums will go up.”

Up the road in S&R Carpets, Kamran Hussein believes there is another culprit behind the crash – the council.

He said: “My issue is with the roads. The change in the roads has 100 per cent contributed to the crash that happened.”

The council widened the pavements on both sides of Markhouse Road to fit in a cycle lane, which runs alongside a walkway for pedestrians.

Mr Hussein added: “The drivers are also getting more agitated. It’s so tight down here, they have less space and are just waiting in traffic.

“A journey which took five minutes up this road now takes thirty.

“People are getting anxious.”

Mr Hussein said the smashed shop has been empty for years and can understand why there was someone in there at the time.

He said: “All the shops are closing as we don’t have any customers anymore.

“There is too much traffic to attract any customers and all the shops are being turned into flats.”

Akshay Soni works directly opposite the smashed shopfront at the Commongate Hotel.

He arrived for his shift an hour after the crash at 7am.

He said: “It was horrible, so dangerous. I know builders sit inside the empty shop. Everybody around in here is in shock.

“The police need to find the man who ran away.”

After an eventful night shift, police in Waltham Forest said the events of Saturday night and Sunday morning were "not good by anybodies (sic) standards".

No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

A spokesperson for the council said: “We have not received any complaints in regards to this incident and the road layout of Markhouse Road.

"We await the results of the ongoing police investigation.”Waltham Forest council has been contacted for a response."