Birmingham's Conservatives are vowing to protect the city's green and pleasant parkland in the run up to the local elections in May.

With the campaign now well and truly under way, the Tories have issued the bulldozer poster to highlight plans to sell off or build on eight acres of park or playing fields a year.

They disagree with the ruling Labour group that there are unwanted fields which could be better used to meet the soaring demand for housing.

Conservative leader Robert Alden said: "The Labour council's plan to build on eight acres of parkland a year would be a disaster for Birmingham.

"The environmental impact alone of removing land which helps clean the air we breathe would be damaging in itself.

"In addition to that, you have to consider the fact the majority of the parks were gifted to the city and the council has no moral authority to build on them."

He said many parts of the city were lacking access to parks and open space and this would make the situation worse.

He also attacked the Labour council's record on recycling.

Coun Alden added: "A city which claims it wants to be a world leader in green issues and sustainability is planning to build on parks, the green lungs of our city, is failing to hit its recycling target, is burning wood meant to be recycled and has doubled the amount of waste sent to landfill since taking over."

Birmingham's Labour leader John Clancy accused the Tories of "misdirection", saying they were trying to distract voters from the brutal cuts to other services such as social care.

He said: "They are picking on a small provision in the budget which gives us the flexibility, with local agreement, to take small, under-utilised and unused space to meet the immediate and desperate housing need in this city.

"They are doing their favourite trick of trying to deflect residents' eyes away from the real cuts which are devastating communities."