An eight-year-old girl says the council have destroyed the playground outside her Battersea home.

Maddy Moore-Gilbert, her brother and a group of friends held a protest at Lavender Gardens Playground recently after she noticed the greenery had disappeared.

"There used to be trees and shrubs all round the playground," she told the Wandsworth Times.

"It looked lovely and we often played there, and it was home to lots of bugs and birds.

"But the council have cut it all down, there’s nothing left."

Maddy, who lives in Dorothy Road right next to the playground, says the council didn't ask them what they thought about the changes.

"We are really upset and angry about it," she added.

"My mum emailed the council and asked why they had done it.

"They said it was to increase biodiversity, and lots of little plants couldn’t grow under the trees and shrubs.

Wandsworth Times:

"But couldn’t they have planted the little plants somewhere else? There must be lots of places where nothing is growing now.

"It will take ages for new plants to grow, and our playground looks bare and unfriendly.

A Wandsworth Council spokeswoman said they are carrying out work to improve Lavender Gardens and accessibility to the nearby Asda.

"Lots of people use the entrance next to Asda, but the steps make it difficult for people with limited mobility or people with buggies to access the park," she said.

"We are creating a new step-free access with a fully-accessible ramp which has meant we have had to trim back some overgrown foliage.

"Some of this looked like small trees, but the plants are in fact all classified as shrubs. We will be replacing them with planting that will not only look better but which will be more suitable for the site, providing a better habitat for the wildlife there.

"Notices and posters were put up in mid-December to warn about this work, which is expected to be completed in March. We’re sorry the children were worried but the works will make the park much better, and easier for everyone to enjoy."