A Noah's ark display has been removed from a children's playground in Newark, Delaware, after atheist grandparents complained that they did not want their grandchildren to see Bible verses.

The grandparents took their complaint to Americans United for Separation of Church and State, who in turn presented their challenge against the Noah's ark display to Newark city officials.

Janice Rael, vice president of the Washington DC chapter of Americans United, told The Christian Post that the grandparents were atheists who "did not want their grandchildren to see the Bible verses or the cartoon rendition of the Noah's ark story".

Americans United argued that the display in Norma B Handloff Park was a violation of church-state separation and should therefore be removed. 

They sent a letter of complaint to Newark officials in October giving them 30 days to respond. 

The city of Newark removed the display on the advice of a solicitor and the Parks and Recreation Department.

A spokesman told The Christian Post: "Earlier this month, the city of Newark received a complaint regarding the playground equipment, which had been installed for some time, alleging that it was in violation of the establishment clause, citing numerous examples of case law."