Workers have unearthed piles of empty purses and wallets at Feltham Arenas after beginning a renovation of the site.

The grandstand at the disused stadium has already been demolished and builders were clearing the way for new football pitches when they stumbled upon the abandoned loot.

It was hidden, along with empty needles and bottles of booze, in overgrown vegetation next to a footpath behind Shaftesbury Avenue.

Feltham FC, which hopes to move into their new-look home next season, claims the work will help transform an area that has been plagued by gangs of youths.

But a number of residents surrounding the site are furious poplar treeslining the footpath, which were home to a huge population of parakeets, have been chopped down to make way for the new pitches

Club president Andy Lonsdale said: "Hounslow Council let the Arenas go to a state of rack and ruin and we're doing it up at no cost to taxpayers. This work will revitalise the site and make it an asset for the whole community."