Three conservation groups have joined forces this week to work on London's largest heathland area - Croydon's Addington Hills.

The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), the Downlands Countryside Management Project (DCMP) and Sutton Nature Conservation Volunteers (SNCV) are working on the 130 acre site as part of English Nature's Heath Week (July 11-19).

The team has been busy cutting down birch and bracken to encourage growth of other heathland plants in the area as part of its ongoing work.

A spokesman said: "Heathland is an ancient landscape that is a valuable part of our heritage. Heaths are wonderful areas for wildlife and are worth saving."

The typical plants of heathland are heather, gorses, and grasses, but often there are areas of scrub, woodland or bog.

Addington Hills contains significant areas of heathland.

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