Shocked families said council proposals to close the town’s adventure playgrounds and sack staff would “rip the heart out of the community”.

Watford Borough Council claims it will save £250,000 a year if it got rid of 16 play staff and replaced play equipment at the Harwoods and Harebreaks playgrounds.

But teenagers who use the supervised facilities say closing them will mean people have no where else to go.

Joanna Verducci, 14, of Queens School said: “Thousands of kids have visited and enjoyed both playgrounds.

“I, along with many hundreds of others, was distraught, absolutely heartbroken when I heard the news.

"These two adventure playgrounds were the places to go if you were having a hard time at home or if you had a rubbish day at school, no matter how miserable the weather the wonderful staff always put a smile on the children’s faces.

"I have so many wonderful memories from both playgrounds, and so do my parents.

“This park has kept kids off of the streets and given vulnerable children a place where they can go to escape their problems and to talk to the workers for support.”

The council said it would invest £1.25million in transforming the playgrounds, which would be completed by next May.

Mother Libby Truscott has started a petition to save the purpose-built play centres, which have been around for those aged between five and 15 since the 1970s.

More than 1,000 have signed the petition, which states: “Watford’s play service provides children from disadvantaged backgrounds - and their families - with space to grow, learn about themselves, learn about the world around them, develop social skills, make new friends and have experiences they simply cannot get from going to a park with their parents.

"The Watford Adventure Play service offers children the opportunity to get away from home and school, it provides space to engage with nature and play with elements such as fire and water.

“Losing this service would have a huge impact on the standard of living for local families, it could force some parents out of work as they may not have access to affordable childcare.

"It would also lead to children loosing freedom of movement, and freedom of choice.”

Mrs Truscott, 31, said she started the petition because she felt it was important children had somewhere they could express themselves.

She said closing them would “rip the heart out of the community”.

Sophie Wilson is spearheading a campaign top prevent the closure. The 35-year-old mother of three said: “In this ever-more digitised age where it can be a daily struggle to get kids away from a screen, why take something away that is already in short supply?

“Children were crying when they found out the news. The facilities are priceless and have a massive presence in the community.”

The council said it was making the move to save money due to the removal of money from central government.

Elected Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill said: “We have delivered fantastic new play areas for our younger children but we know that the town’s offer for older children is currently lacking.

"The proposals for the two adventure playgrounds are amazing and really put adventurous, challenging and, importantly, fun play on the map in Watford.”

Officers at Watford Borough Council have recommended the decision be approved at a council meeting tonight.

To view the petition, visit: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-watford-play-services.

What do you think? Comment below or write to our letters page: charlotte.ikonen@london.newsquest.co.uk.