A packed-out children's play area was filled with diggers today, sparking concern from parents.

With the half term holiday well under way, hundreds of children were at Cobtree Manor Park in Aylesford.

But parents were shocked to see JCBs and construction workers carrying out work in the middle of the park's play area.

Diggers at Cobtree Manor Park

One mum-of-three who did not want to be named, said: "It's a death waiting to happen.

"There's loads of parents complaining, the workers aren't exactly happy about it either.

"If you take your children to a play area you expect them to have fun, you can't take your eyes off them but you can relax a little bit."

"Once we started complaining one of them started guiding the diggers around, but he's only got one perspective.

"They were right in the middle of the play area, now they've started to move away a bit.

"I just can't believe the council would really schedule major building works in the middle of half term."

Workers were pouring ready-mix concrete into holes left behind after benches were removed from the park.

A spokesperson from Maidstone Borough Council said: "We can confirm that we are responsible for the work being carried out at Cobtree Manor Park today.

"The work had been scheduled for an earlier time in the day when the park would not have been so busy, but due to ready mixed concrete arriving on site later than planned it had to be carried out immediately.

"The health and safety of visitors and staff was taken in to account with the sufficient number of council staff required to oversee the project on site throughout the work being carried out.

"However, we do understand that this was not an ideal situation on such a busy day during the half term holidays and apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused to visitors to the park."