Capital's green spaces to be given a makeover to counteract drought

London's parks may have to be replanted with exotic trees and plants because of the "disturbing" effect of the summer heatwave on native species.

A report published by the Royal Parks yesterday revealed that at least 300 mature trees across the capital's parks had died during the hot weather and many more had shed branches to try to conserve water. There are fears that more hot weather could lead to a "time bomb" of hundreds of branches ready to fall.

Large areas of parkland, particularly Hyde Park, were left scorched and barren by the record-breaking temperatures, lack of rain and crowds attending concerts and demonstrations.

The Royal Parks, which is responsible for 5,000 acres of open space in the capital, has set up a working party to look at planting different species in the future.

"Many trees find it hard to survive droughts so it is sensible to consider more plants that enjoy hotter climates," Theo Moore, of the Royal Parks, said.

Mike Fitt, the organisation's deputy chief executive, said: "The summer has been challenging and disturbing. If it becomes the trend we would start to be worried. Trees such as the beech, which have shallow roots, have been particularly susceptible.

"We are worried about oak trees, and especially veteran oaks. There are some in Richmond Park that are 600 or 700 years old, although they have survived hot summers in the past. Greenwich Park has been badly hit because it is based on gravel.

"But it's not as if we're going to suddenly replant the parks with new species. It is something we have to think about in the future, which is why we have set up a working party. We would look to see what does well on the Continent. But we'd also be looking to see which of our own trees are doing well.

"It's not just trees. We are going to have quite a task to replace all the shrubs that we know we are going to lose."

Mr Fitt added that the overall effect of the summer would not be apparent until spring, when trees tried to come back into leaf. He said many trees were damaged and "look quite unwell", but may pull through.

The cost of restoring the parks will run to hundreds of thousands of pounds. The bill for Hyde Park alone is expected to be more than £250,000, but an overall figure is not yet available. Short-term measures include a football ban in parts of Hyde Park and Regent's Park, and a massive replanting programme.

"We are not banning football completely," Mr Moore said, "just asking people to leave certain areas alone until next year. The bare patches need over-seeding and time to regrow. And we need to plant new trees and put more water into the Serpentine [the boating lake in Hyde Park].

Mr Fitt said it was impossible to water all of the Royal Parks' thousands of acres during the summer, and with newly planted trees watering proved ineffective because it merely "sizzled" the tree before drying up.