A community group restored an eyesore bus kiosk into an art space - only for the local council to rip it down without warning.

Art collective Kabinett spent around a month clearing out the dirty bus shelter in Camberwell, south London, which was constantly used as a rubbish tip.

They decorated it and began hosting art performances for the local community.

Videos later emerged of council workers tearing the structure from the ground - with Kabinett claming no one warned it was going to happen.

Camille Moreno, a member of the Kabinett team, says though some of her colleagues were "heartbroken" by the kiosk's removal, it had brought more attention to their projects, including a newly refurbished bus kiosk in Crystal Palace in southeast London. "

Southwark Council claimed the box was "a hotspot for fly tipping and anti-social behaviour"."

Camille said: "[The art installation] started last October, and we had the first show in the Camberwell Kabinett at the beginning of December."

"It took about a month to really clean it up. We emptied the trash and sanitised it and from then on we started having programming. "

"It developed organically as more people started to become involved. We would encourage artists to see how they could create street art. "

"Sometimes we would put objects inside the Kabinett to be taken, like potatoes and onions. "

"At Christmas we filled it with plants and encouraged people to take them home with them."

It was an experimental project space for artists.

"We had a team of volunteers keeping an eye on it, making sure it was still clean. "

"I never got negative feedback about it from members of the community. "

"Bus drivers would smile and wave as they passed. People said it made them happy. But anything was an improvement on what it was like before. It was a health hazard."

But the box

was suddenly ripped down by council workers at the end of July.

"On July 31 we discovered it was gone," Camille said."

"It didn't belong to us, but I didn't expect it to go this soon."

"The council had wished me good luck at the beginning, but said they wouldn't be able to help me directly. "

"I still don't know who made the decision [to take it down]. "

"But what we built is the community around the Kabinett, and that community still exists. "

"I don't see [it's removal] as a setback, necessarily. I'm keen to find more Kabinetts now. "

"Some of my colleagues were pretty heartbroken about it, but there's lots more opportunities to do this. "

"I almost felt it had to be sacrificed so that more people could learn about it."

Southwark Council said: "We are big advocates for unused spaces being reworked for the benefit of the local community, as we have done at locations all across Southwark."

"It's really important that these spaces are maintained properly so that they can be safely enjoyed and add value to their surroundings."

"This wasn't the case for the bus controller's box, which remained a hotspot for fly tipping and anti-social behaviour."

"We'd urge the artists involved to speak to our culture team about other opportunities in the borough to present work and to connect with local people."