Dozens of volunteers armed with pick-axes, crowbars and sledgehammers smashed up concrete front yards, paving slabs and brick walls to make more space for nature to thrive in Homerton.

The idea to break up lifeless grey spaces to add more greenery to the streets was part of Friends of the Earth’s 10x Greener project.

A crowdfunding campaign last year saw £8,000 raised to pay for Kate Poland’s first year’s wages as their ‘E5 postcode gardener’.

She said: “We had a fantastic time smashing it up in E5. Around 40pc of garden space in London is now paved over and more of our open spaces are being covered in concrete. Less green space means less food and shelter for wildlife and high summer temperatures for humans and animals alike, and flooding is also more likely as rainwater is not absorbed by soil and plants.”