A PARK has become a wild 'jungle' wasteland full of fly-tipped rubbish as residents fight to have it restored as a green space where children can play.

However, the former park at Woodmancote, Warndon, Worcester will soon be cleared say landowners Sanctuary Housing.

Work to clear the land was said by Sanctuary to have begun on Tuesday, a move welcomed by residents.

Over years of neglect, the park has become a tangled wilderness of brambles, nettles and fly-tipped rubbish where even the most intrepid explorers might fear to tread. 

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Most of them would struggle to navigate the land on foot at all and neighbours have called for diggers to be brought in to clear it.

Worcester News: WILD: Woodmancote's wild jungle is growing bigger every day WILD: Woodmancote's wild jungle is growing bigger every day (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

A quick tour of the site reveals not only the perils of the untamed vegetation but an assortment of rubbish including a dumped office chair, a pushchair, a paint roller, bin bags of waste and empty, soggy cardboard crates of beer.

Worcester News: ABANDONED: A push chair thrown away in Woodmancote park ABANDONED: A push chair thrown away in Woodmancote park (Image: James Connell/Newsquest)

The overgrown vegetation towers over residents who still remember a play park with a slide, seats and even a zip-wire and wigwam.

Lorraine Spencer, 62, has lived in Woodmancote since the mid-1990s.

When she first moved in she says she could see 'for miles', all the way to Hindlip. However, now she can see nothing from her window but the encroaching wilderness.

Mrs Spencer, a grandmother to two boys, aged 10 and two, said: "It does look like a jungle. With the fly-tipping it's an eyesore as well. It's alright for people who want to make pies.

"There are plenty of blackberries. But it's not very good for the children. People come here and say 'where's the park?' and 'there used to be a park here - what happened to it?'"

In her time living here, she has seen mattresses, bags of rubbish, furniture and other household items discarded.

Cllr Jill Desayrah says Sanctuary has agreed to clear the site, near Cranham Primary School, within two to three weeks and is pleased with their response so far.

The Labour councillor for the area added: "I want it as a community space. It used to be and I would like to see it like that again. It's a complete wasteland. It was always a green space but it has now become unusable. I want to see it regenerated."

She said, since the play park equipment was removed in 2008, Warndon does not have any children's play areas. However, she understands there is an ongoing review of children's play equipment in the city, commissioned by Worcester City Council.

However, Cllr Desayrah said there would need to be a consultation to decide what happened to the land once it was cleared.

"Areas like this are gold dust and must be properly cared for everyone's benefit. We just want to make it accessible again," she said.

A spokesperson for Sanctuary said: “We can confirm that work is starting to clear the site (November 29) and that we are looking forward to speaking to neighbouring residents to hear their thoughts on the best future use of this area for the local community.”