Couch potatoes offered allotments for just £10 a year

Council chiefs are offering residents more than 300 subsidised plots for as little as £10 a year in the hope of improving their diets and giving them more exercise.

Londonwide the popularity of allotments has soared, with waiting lists of up to a decade in some places. Now Harrow council, which has surplus spaces, has decided to offer hundreds of people the chance to grow their own for half price.

Councillor Susan Hall said: "I urge anyone who doesn't have a garden to sign up. It's a fantastic hobby that delivers a wide range of benefits, including the ability to grow your own pesticide-free fresh fruit and vegetables as well as providing a vital habitat for wildlife." She said the allotments were particularly targeted at families who live in flats and properties without gardens.

"This is a great way of getting children out in the open air and gives them a chance to nurture something," she said.

"It's fantastic exercise - much better than being stuck in front of the TV - and people also get to eat organic food."

More than 1,000 residents in the borough are already using allotments to grow fresh fruit and vegetables. In total there are 39 hectares of allotment land in Harrow - the same as almost 56 football pitches. Full-size plots cost £43 per year or £23 with concessions. But people renting an allotment for the first time will receive a 50 per cent discount. The offer comes as Boris Johnson's new food czar spoke of her enthusiasm for allotments.

Former newspaper editor Rosie Boycott urged Londoners to make the most of open spaces and in doing so eat more local produce. A recent report on sustainable living suggested that London's royal parks and other open spaces should be turned into allotments to offset rising food prices.

Harrow's initiative comes months after the council came under fire from health campaigners for planning to put snack vending machines in civic buildings.

The council said it was so strapped for cash after government funding cuts that it needed to install the machines, selling sweets and crisps, to generate income. They will be placed in libraries, the civic centre and possibly in blocks of flats.