Half of women say city parks are unsafe

More than half of women in the capital believe their local park is unsafe - and one in 10 avoids them completely because they fear attack.

In a survey of more than 1,000 people by the Greater London Authority, 39 per cent of women felt either "a little" or "very" unsafe in their local parks, and 12 per cent never use them - 89 per cent of women say only regular foot patrols by police, community wardens or park attendants can allay their fears.

The survey follows a spate of high- profile attacks, including the murder of American artist Margaret Muller in Hackney's Victoria Park last January.