Residents living on a Borehamwood estate this week challenged the borough council over its decision to remove five play areas targeted by vandals.

Hertsmere Borough Council agreed last month to landscape over five play areas in the Farriers estate, due to concern over nuisance behaviour.

But the estate's tenants association has since criticised the move, claiming children living on the estate will be left without adequate play facilities.

The council consulted householders earlier this year and claims the majority did not want play areas near to their homes because of the risk of disturbances.

Roger Bluff, secretary of Farriers Tenants and Residents Association, said: 'We are never going to solve these problems if we don't provide something for the kids.'

The council had set aside £56,000 to build a new play area on the estate, most of which will now be spent on landscaping the five derelict play areas.

Some of the money, however, will go towards installing a five-a-side football goal on public open space in Dales Path next month.

Mr Bluff said: 'I don't understand how we can go from getting a new play area for £56,000 to getting just one goal post.'

At an exhibition of plans for a new play area, hosted by the council in February, 72 per cent of residents indicated they were in favour of some play area provision.

But David Clarke, the council's landscape officer, said that, at the same time, most of those people did not want a play area to be situated near to their home. 'We would have preferred to have a play area, but we have to go with what the residents want,' he said.

Mr Clarke said extra cash would be spent on upgrading the Kenilworth Park play area, which could be used by children from the Farriers estate.

A mother from Dales Path, living close to where the goal-post will be placed, criticised the idea, claiming it was not what children needed.

The woman, who has an eight-year-old son, said: 'Lots of children between five and ten play out there and they would benefit much more from having swings and things.'

She said the nearest play areas were too far to let many children walk to on their own, and said she, as a neighbour, should have been consulted.

Mr Clarke said widespread public consultation had taken place in February, and suggested the council could look at a new play area in the future.

mfoy@london.newsquest.co.uk