Newcastle residents claim popular basketball and football court had been demolished without warning

A community in Newcastle's West End woke up to find a beloved basketball court being demolished.

Locals say children have been playing in the rubble and groups are still turning up to play basketball during the summer holidays.

Newcastle City council says the games area in Elswick will be replaced with "open accessible space."

A spokesperson for the Council said: "Since it was agreed residents and councillors have continued to speak to us about their wants and needs around play spaces and in Elswick alone that is currently shaping more than £200,000 of investment.

"Of the 47 sites we have or are about to work on the vast majority are receiving significant upgrades or repairs, and where ‘alternative’ play spaces are being created, that does not necessarily mean we are removing all equipment."