Car plunges into Elephant and Castle subway

The aftermath of the incident, which happened at approximately 6pm, was captured on camera by local resident Graham Neale.

Graham spoke to an eyewitness who said: "I saw it coming down and I pulled my two children out of the way".

No-one was hurt in the crash which occurred at the southern roundabout close to Elephant and Castle Leisure Centre.

In January 2006 Southwark Council announced plans to replace the subways at the southern roundabout with surface-level pedestrian crossings as soon as June 2006.

The timetable for the subways to be filled in has been pushed back several times and the latest date given in Southwark's corporate plan is January 2008.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has denied claims that Transport for London has held up the project: "TfL has not opposed Southwark Council's plans to remove the southern roundabout and associated pedestrian underpasses at Elephant and Castle," he wrote in response to a question from Green Party London Assembly member Jenny Jones.

"TfL has been working closely with Southwark Council and its consultants and will continue to do so. Both organisations are working constructively toward a positive outcome."

Speaking to the London SE1 website last month, Southwark Council leader Nick Stanton insisted that the removal of the unpopular pedestrian subways is "an intrinsic part of the regeneration" but explained that as a London Development Agency-funded project on Transport for London-controlled roads, "it's not one of those things we [Southwark] can get on with on our own".