A school with toilets compared to prison cells, broken climbing frames and unusable classrooms has blamed developers for its poor state.

Parents of Chigwell Primary Academy School have become increasingly frustrated with the standard of their children's school in recent months.

With six weeks of promised refurbishments scheduled for the summer of 2016 never materialising, the interior and exterior of the Chigwell Primary has continued to deteriorate.

When pupils returned to school on September 10 following two extra-inset days earmarked for construction, they were disheartened to discover nothing had changed.

Victoria Clarke, who has a daughter at the school, has described the conditions that await the 228 pupils each day.

She said: "Children are expected to sit on filthy toilets without toilet seats, they are unable to wipe themselves as there was no toilet paper made available to them and there is no hand soap for them to clean their hands.

"The room is cold, dark, dirty and damp and frankly ugly.

"I have seen prison cells in better conditions than what you are offering to our innocent children."

Along with the unhygienic toilets, climbing equipment is broken, paint is flaking and shabby porta-cabins remain taped off.

Teachers have also been forced to lead lessons in the school hall because the old classrooms have not yet been demolished.

Now parents are demanding to know why the school has fallen into such ill-repair.

Ms Clarke added: "The school has misled and lied to us continuously as to why the very much needed update and refurbishment has not taken place.

"Over the last two years myself and 99 per cent of other parents I have spoken to have become extremely frustrated and feel let down as we have not received any concrete answers to why the work has not been completed, but also when the work will go ahead.

"Our children are our most prized and important possessions and we want and need them to be working and excelling in the best environment possible for their wellbeing and happiness.

"Chigwell Primary sold to us on the promise and vision of a newly refurbished safe and stimulating school, however it is the complete opposite.

Upgrades at the school have been planned for a long time, with funding for £4.5m of works to be secured by the sale of land for houses.

Although planning permission for 32 houses was won in 2016 - followed by an extra 25 earlier this year - construction is yet to begin.

A spokesperson for the school's trust REAch2 said: "We fully understand – and share - parents’ frustrations about the ongoing delays on the works at Chigwell Primary Academy.

"Disappointingly, the original developer for the scheme backed out of the project just before the summer holidays.

"The new developer committed to taking forward the original scheme as planned, but subsequently has indicated changes to both the scope and the value of the investment.

"Clearly this is unacceptable, and we are currently in discussions to ensure that the refurbishment delivers the exceptional learning environment that we have promised to the community.

"We will keep parents updated as those discussions progress.”