London’s first ‘bee corridor’ – created last year to support biodiversity – is being extended.

Brent Council announced that it planted wildflower patches on 13 grass verges and roundabouts, following on from the meadows created in its parks and open spaces in 2019.

It hopes to attract pollinating insects to the borough – a so-called bee corridor – and combat a decline in wild habitats available to these creatures.

The council said it is already having an impact, as a rare species of butterfly returning to London for the first time in years.

Cllr Krupa Sheth, who is responsible for the environment at Brent Council, said: “Many of us have been lucky enough to reconnect with nature during lockdown.

“Seeing the human impact of this pandemic has brought home just how fragile life is, and that’s why it’s so important that we protect pollinating insects.

“They play a crucial role in our food chain. I’m incredibly proud of our commitment to boost biodiversity in Brent, and hope our residents enjoy the new splashes of colour too.”

According to a UN report, more than a million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction.

And an article published in nature research journal ‘Nature Communications’ said around 97 per cent of Britain’s wildflower meadows have disappeared since the Second World War.