Beckham boys' playhouse can stay

The Beckhams built the Wendy house for their sons

David and Victoria Beckham will not have to demolish the half-built two-storey Wendy house being put up for their sons at their Hertfordshire home.

East Herts Council has also said the celebrity couple can also keep the play castle already built in the grounds.

They can complete the Wendy house subject to conditions - including one that the building must not be lived in.

The Beckhams needed planning permission because both buildings were more than 4m (16ft) high.

Officials wrote to the footballer and his wife in December after hearing about the wooden structure, complete with mock tower, drawbridge, slides and rope swings.

Outdoor staircases

A council spokesman said on Wednesday there had been no complaints from the public about the plans.

The Wendy house, built of red brick with red roof tiles, is 12.3m (40ft) long and 3.3m (11ft) wide with outdoor staircases leading to the second floor.

The Beckhams must also make sure the external timberwork of the buildings is coloured black, and within a month give more details of the pole-mounted floodlights they have installed, as well as sending in samples of the materials used in the house.

Officials agreed to give retrospective planning permission for the castle.