BBC denies 'Blue Peter' garden axe

The BBC has denied claims that it is planning to axe the Blue Peter garden after 34 years.

Yesterday, a tabloid newspaper reported that the famous plot would be scrapped when the long-running children's show moves from London to Manchester in 2011.

It was also claimed that producers wanted to introduce an online replacement for the existing garden, which was first unveiled by hosts Peter Purves, John Noakes and Lesley Judd in 1974.

However, a Blue Peter spokeswoman told Digital Spy last night that plans are being made for a new garden to be introduced at the show's new Salford location.

She commented: "There are absolutely no plans to make the garden a virtual garden. Our plan is to have the real garden at Mediacity UK."

Last year, the BBC insisted that the future of Blue Peter was "strong and healthy" following criticism from the show's former editor Biddy Baxter. She had accused the corporation of attempting to sabotage the programme by removing popular segments.