Hundreds of playground developments in Britain are being mothballed following government spending cuts, it emerged yesterday.

The Department for Education (DfE) has frozen grants to 122 councils for up to 1,300 play area schemes – many of which were originally designed by children.

The only developments given the green light will be those where construction has already begun.

It is unclear how many planned playgrounds will now be scrapped.

A DfE spokesman said the government put plans on hold after it inherited “unrealistic spending commitments”, insisting it was committed to “realistic and affordable” investment.

The £235 million Playbuilder scheme, which started more than two years ago, was designed to develop 3,500 community playgrounds.

Each local council was given funding to build 22 play areas by 2011.

But Education Secretary Michael Gove has now singled out play as a key area affected by the cuts in order to protect frontline education services.

He has also scrapped government targets for the number of play facilities councils must provide.

The decision has left some parents frustrated.

Mother Emma Kane, who worked with children in Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, to set up one playground scheme, said: “It’s insane to cut what is such a small amount of money.”