Hundreds of stray cats and kittens face being crushed by diggers at the Olympic site

Former supermodel Celia Hammond said London 2012 bosses reneged on a deal to let her on to the East London site.

She said the authorities are being "obstructive" while telling local residents it was working closely with the Celia Hammond Trust to save the cats.

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When saving cats from another part of the site, Ms Hammond found three litters of newborn kittens under pallets at the back of an abandoned Chinese supermarket.

But she claims she is being prevented from accessing an area of around 400 acres in the south where the cats have made their homes around an abandoned fish factory.

Around 150 cats and kittens have been saved but many more remain on the site, she said.

She condemned a decision to spend a reported £70,000 to rescue a group of 150 newts from another part of the site. London mayor Ken Livingstone is a famous newt-fancier.

She said: "They have spent £70,000 moving 150 newts from the site, but they won't even give us the time to save the cats.

"I think Ken is a newt person whereas I don't think anybody has given a thought to the huge population of cats on the site. I think the great British public would be appalled."

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Actress Joanna Lumley, who has joined the campaign, said: "(Celia) and her team are fully qualified to have dealt with this problem weeks ago, had she been granted the access she needed.

"But this has been denied time and time again, and the appalling mismanagement by the Olympic Delivery Authority means that many animals may have died already."

Mr Livingstone's Tory rival, Boris Johnson, said: "It seems very unreasonable not to let Celia get the cats."

A petition posted on the Celia Hammond Trust website has attracted more than 5,000 signatures from supporters.

An ODA spokesman said: "We have been working closely with the Celia Hammond Trust for a number of months to capture and remove over 150 feral kittens and lactating cats.

"Each building is thoroughly checked for wildlife ahead of demolition and the ODA has agreed to contact Celia Hammond trust if kittens or lactating cats are discovered alongside enabling proactive searches around the demolition schedule.

"We appreciate the Trust's expert help and are currently discussing the timing of future visits although prolonged access is no longer possible.

"The Olympic Park is a huge demolition site with significant contamination and our number one priority is ensuring the safety of our workforce and visitors."