A family are at the centre of a row with planning officials – over a ramshackle tree house put together by children.

Youngsters Cameron and Justine Rykiel slowly built the den in their back garden over the summer.

The children planned to use the wooden structure in Oakwood Road, Burgess Hill, to play in and as a hide-out.

But council officials have now ordered them to tear it down saying they do not have planning permission for it.

Mother Patricia said: “It’s just daft. Surely the council has better things to be doing with their time than to pick up on some youngsters’ play house.

Red tape “To get planning permission will cost money. It’s just a case of red tape getting in the way of kids having a bit if fun.

“They are really upset as they have spent a lot of time getting it to its current state “It’s not like it’s going to be there forever.”

The multicoloured structure has an attached basketball hoop and is reached by ladder.

Cameron, 14, and Justine, 11, said they had almost finished building the den when Mid Sussex District Council visited their home.

In a joint letter, the pair said: “Their rules discourage us from playing outdoors and creating something from scratch.

“The amount of people that have admired the tree house is overwhelming.

“Some have even offered us wood to help us.”

They said they had hoped to paint the house and place netting around it to ensure it was camouflaged.

A council spokesman said: “While we want to encourage young people to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible we also have a duty to our residents to ensure local planning regulations are observed.

“A tree house requires planning permission if it is above three metres in height, four metres if it includes a dual-pitched roof or 2.5m if it is within two metres of a neighbour’s land.

“A council planning investigations officer visited the site and took on board the position of the owners and local residents whose properties are overlooked.

“As the season was coming to an end, the tree house was allowed to remain in place for the rest of the summer.

“However, as we now move into autumn, the owners must apply for planning permission or agree to remove the tree house."