ANGER is growing among Scotland's allotment holders over plans they fear will reduce the size of their prized plots.

Worried growers claim councils are being encouraged to divide up allotments into smaller plots in order to reduce lengthy waiting lists.

Around 4600 people are currently waiting for allotments in Scotland's four biggest cities alone, with some facing a delay of a decade before they can turn a spade in the soil.

The allotment holders' concern centres on a new Community Empowerment Bill, which ministers have promoted enthusiastically as giving people a "right to grow".

Last year, the government said it would force councils to "provide sites triggered by actual demand," raising hopes local authorities would be required to find fresh tracts of land to be cultivated by keen amateurs.

But the Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society (SAGS) has warned it will merely encourage local authorities to offer half-sized or even smaller plots.

They say the standard 250 square metre allotment, which is based on the amount of ground needed to feed a family, must be recognised in law and growers should be entitled to a full plot if they want one.

In an embarrassing blow to ministers, SAGS said it would be unable to support the biggest overhaul of legislation affecting allotments for more than half a century unless major changes were made.

Mark Thirgood (corr), a SAGS committee member, said: "The bill does put more pressure on local authorities to reduce their waiting lists.

"But if that is the only thing in the bill, local authorities which are strapped for cash will look at what they can do and when an allotment becomes available, they will cut it in two and get two people off the waiting list.

"That is already happening in some areas and there is nothing in the bill to stop it.

"The bill should have clause to say people have an entitlement to a plot of 250 sq m."

He also warned that an existing safeguard requiring councils to charge a fair rent for an allotment was being swept away.

"Existing laws have already stopped Edinburgh from carrying out proposals that could potentially have trebled rents.

"Under this bill, councils could charge rents that would force people to give up their allotments.

"Councils should be encouraged to find more land that is suitable for growing on," he said.

Mr Thirgood warned the standard allotment, which provides enough land for a green-fingered family to be self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables, would become a thing of the past in a few years as 250squre plots would no longer be offered to new growers.

The number of allotments in Scotland has plummeted since the Second World War.

During the days of "dig for victory" there were between 50,000 and 70,000 plots but the figure has now shrunk to around 8000.

Under the Community Empowerment Bill, councils will have to keep their waiting lists below 50 per cent of their total number of plots, placing a huge strain on authorities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh where as many people are waiting as actually have allotments.

A meeting last week between SAGS and local government minister Marco Biagi failed to reassure the association.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "We know there is great demand for allotments across Scotland.

"The Community Empowerment Bill aims to address this by putting a duty on local authorities to create new plots and by strengthening protection for existing allotments.

"We are currently in discussions with stakeholders about the precise provisions in the Bill, but there are already powers in the Bill to specify minimum sizes."