RAMPANT ivy which a woman claims is slowly destroying her garden shed will be cut back by Transport for London (TfL) after the intervention of Iain Duncan Smith.

The Chingford and Woodford Green MP wrote to TfL after Patricia Graves of Kings Avenue in Woodford Green asked for his help.

Mrs Graves spent more than a year begging TfL to deal with the vegetation sneaking into her shed from the Central line which runs past the bottom of her garden.

But while TfL have said they will cut the vegetation back, they say there is no evidence to back Mrs Graves' claim that it is damaging her shed.

And they say a large crack in the floor of the building is nothing to do with tree roots on their side of the fence.

Mike Brown, Managing Director of London Underground said: “As a gesture of goodwill I will arrange for my team to remove the fence panels to cut back any remaining ivy and poison an ash sapling to prevent any adverse impact in the future.”

Mrs Graves said: “I’m glad that they are doing something, and I’m very grateful to Iain Duncan Smith for helping me.

“They wouldn’t be doing it at all otherwise because they have fobbed me off so many times.

“But I still say the crack is being caused by roots from their side of the fence because there is no tree on my side which could have caused it.”

Mr Duncan Smith said: : “Although they (TfL) haven’t admitted responsibility for the ivy problem, they are nonetheless doing the works as a gesture of goodwill, which is a very positive result.

“It is great when a positive result like this happens for local residents. If only other organisations could always act with such goodwill to the community they serve.”