About a hundred volunteers, including one from Rickmansworth, gave up their weekend lie-in to clear overgrown weeds in London.

Steve Gerrish, 28, took part in a clearance of Middlesex Filter Beds, a wildlife haven in the heart of East London on Sunday.

The group of 80 worked on site for four hours, clearing overgrown reeds and scrubs, in return for tickets to an exclusive concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Mr Gerrish, of Springwell Avenue, said: “What a perfect hangover cure, jumping out of bed on a Sunday morning and heading out to help the community while earning some free gig tickets.

“I’ve never volunteered before but I have really enjoyed it today and would like to do it again.”

Middlesex Filter Beds are a part of the 10,000 acre, 26-mile long Lee Valley Regional Park, and were once used for water purification.

Today the site is home to a diverse population of wildlife, with more than 200 species of plants recorded on site.

The event was part of Orange RockCorps, a scheme with exchanges volunteer work for tickets to music concerts, such as the one Mr Gerrish will be attending on September 24, featuring Pendulum, Mark Ronson, N-Dubz and Taio Cruz.