Surrey Canal Sports Foundation, the charity at the centre of the New Bermondsey and Millwall CPO controversy, spread the false claim that they had £2million of funding for three years after they were asked to stop.

It was revealed last month that the foundation, of which Lewisham mayor Steve Bullock is a trustee, falsely claimed Sports England had offered them the funding.

Sports England confirmed today that they sent a letter to SCSF in September 2014 to ask them to stop using the information.

However SCSF were using the false funding claim as recently as January this year, according to the Guardian newspaper.

In a statement, Sport England said: “In 2010 we received a funding application from the Surrey Canal Sports Foundation but this was withdrawn in 2013.

"We therefore have no funding agreement, of any kind, in place with them.”

A spokeswoman then confirmed that a letter had been sent asking them to stop claiming they would recieve the funding.

The discovery of the claim lead to the Compulsory Purchase Order being halted and an independent investigation will be launched.

A spokeswoman for Lewisham Council said that the CPO decision made in September last year can not be implemented.

She said: “The September 2016 CPO decision has no force and cannot be implemented, full stop.

"Any regeneration of the area, proposed by anyone would require a completely new and fresh decision by the Council."