Concerned parents have called on Transport for London (TfL) to carry out repairs on a "neglected" and “dangerous” footbridge which crosses the Central line.

Reports of graffiti, slippery steps, urination and littering – including leftover nitrous oxide canisters containing a widely used legal party drug – on the footbridge which runs between Churchfields and Gordon Road in South Woodford, have left residents furious.

Claire Hughes, of Wynndale Road, South Woodford, along with many other parents, walks her daughter to and from Churchfields School every day via the footbridge.

She said: “The bridge has been in this state for years and it is appalling. It is only a matter of time before a child or an elderly person is hurt there.

“Somebody needs to do something about it. There are kids that hang out there who leave beer cans, paint tags on the wall and use nitrous oxide canisters and leave them there.

“I wouldn’t dream of walking along there by myself, especially at night. The lights there haven’t been working for ages so it’s been completely dark at night.

“The bridge is a lifeline for us - if we didn’t go over it, what would be a 10-minute journey to the school would take half an hour.”

At a meeting of the full council on Wednesday night, Cllr Gwyneth Deakins asked a TfL representative to carry out repairs and maintenance on the bridge.

The Guardian is awaiting comment from TfL.