A BUILDING collapsed into a busy street in South Shields tonight.

The Bizz Bar, on Ocean Road, was undergoing renovation at the time.

A spokesman for Tyne and Wear fire and rescue said that initially they were working on the theory that people may have been trapped inside the building when a 10m by 10m section collapsed at 5.30pm.

However, having spoken with the contractor and viewed CCTV footage, it was established that noone was inside or on the pavement outside at the time.

Caitlin Florence, ten, was 30 yards away with her mother Vickie.

She said: “There was a big rumble and I looked round and saw the building shaking.

“The roof fell down, the wall fell into the street.

“There was loads of dust. It really was loud.”

Mark Farrell, 41, said it was a miracle he had not been caught underneath the rubble.

"I'd been in the bookies next door when my phone went off, so I went outside to answer it. I heard a noise and then saw something falling from the building," he said.

"The whole building then just collapsed.

"It was just so lucky that there was no one underneath. It was a miracle that I wasn't caught underneath it because I was so close."

Colin Thompson was passing when the collapse happened.

He said: “I heard a creaking, which sounded like it was coming from inside.

“Then I heard a big bang and the building came down. There was lots of smoke and rubble.”

The fire brigade spokesman said that the gas and electric board were called to the scene to isolate the supply and the incident was left in the hands of the police and the local authority's building inspector.

A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police said: "At 5:30pm this evening, police received a report that the Bizz Bar building in Ocean Road, South Shields, had collapsed.

"Police, fire crews and paramedics attended the scene and a cordon has been set up and traffic diversions have been put in place.

"A section of Ocean Road is currently closed between the junctions of Anderson Street and Seafield Terrace.

"Side Streets in this area are also closed.

"Fire crews and paramedics have now been stood down and left the scene, however a police cordon remains in place.

"The incident is ongoing and people are asked to avoid the area if possible."