Gardeners are facing waits of up to 15 years for an allotment in parts of the country, campaigners claim.
Nearly 175,000 now find themselves on waiting lists across the UK – double the number since 2011 – an investigation has found. On average, applicants are left in limbo for around three years.
The city with the biggest list was Bristol, with 7,630, followed by Sunderland, Portsmouth, Southampton, Edinburgh and Manchester.
Islington in north London was the authority with the longest wait, of up to 15 years. The council’s website said its list was closed and will reopen when it ‘has reduced to 100 names’.