The London Assembly has announced that it is to conduct an investigation into the disappearance of playing fields in the capital.

The investigation has been spurred by the publishing of statistics earlier this year that reveal a dramatic loss in the number of playing fields in the UK since 1992.

It will be led by Murad Qureshi, deputy chair of the London Assembly's Environment Committee, and aims to establish how many community playing fields are left, the current demand and whether legislation loops are having an adverse effect.

"London needs its playing fields," said Qureshi. "We want to know why they are disappearing, how they are maintained and what improvements can be made to them.

"London simply cannot afford to lose any more and we also need to encourage people to get out and enjoy them."