A restaurant quarter makeover is a case of style over substance and risks being washed away, according to one business owner who fears being proved right when the rains come.

Outdoor dining space, widened paths and cycle parking are among the improvements included in a Croydon Council redesign of South End, Croydon.

The idea is to allow restaurants and cafes the opportunity to spill out onto the street, while the road has been narrowed to encourage slower driving.

But the owner of The Audio Centre, Alfonso Camisotti, said there are problems with the design, the building works, the quality of the materials and the management of the scheme.

Bits of the recently laid paving are already cracked and crumbling and there are patches of tarmac where it looks like there should be paving slabs.

And Mr Camisotti, who has run his store since 1971, said the biggest problem is with the low kerb on one side of the street as he thinks it will not prevent businesses from floods.

He said: "The design looks nice but they have not considered what I have told them over and over again.

Your Local Guardian:

"I told the planners that the Wandle river is under the road and there is the issue of flooding.

"The last time it was flooded was five or six years ago and if the flooding does come then it will be worse than it was last time because of the changes.

"But I cannot prove anything until it rains, but then will they carve the street up again [to fix the problems]? No."

A Croydon Council spokesman said: "The resurfacing of the carriageway in South End during August brought to an end the most disruptive works that traders, residents and visitors have faced since works started in March.

"Although the focus of the improvements has now moved southwards to create the Selsdon Road ‘Village’, the council is aware that a small number of paving defects have yet to be remedied in South End.

Your Local Guardian:

"Rest assured that these are being attended to and we remain committed to delivering the highest quality public highway throughout Croydon’s restaurant quarter.

"And thanks to the improved layout and enhanced design, any historic draining issues should also now have been resolved."