Volunteers joined professional conservationists to spruce up Fairlop Waters for spring on Tuesday.

The team spent more than four hours removing scrub from the grassland at the country park in Forest Road, Barkingside.

New saplings, plants and brambles were cut and put into small piles to act as a habitat for insects, reptiles and amphibians.

Clearing the area will help birds that nest on the ground to raise young in spring.

Conservation work is carried out throughout the year at Fairlop Waters, which was formerly a gravel pit and RAF base.