Kingston residents face up to a seven-year wait for a council-managed plot, a new report from the i newspaper has revealed.

Analysis of 120,000 council-managed plots across the UK by furniture company Oak Tree Mobility revealed a top 10 ranking of the longest waits for council-run allotments, with Kingston upon Thames sitting in seventh place.

Data obtained by freedom of information requests, seen by the i, found that residents of the borough face waiting more than double the average wait time in the UK of three years, and a year longer than the average wait time of six years across London authorities.

The number of people who have opted to start growing their own fruit and veg has soared since the national lockdowns enforced by Covid-19 and the cost of living crisis, with households seeking new ways to reduce spending.

Islington in north London had the longest waiting time at 12 years, with neighbouring Wandsworth and the city of Edinburgh closely behind at 11 years.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council ranked slightly lower than Kingston with a six-and-a-half-year wait and Thanet District Council sat in 10th with a six-year wait.

A spokesperson for Kingston Council said the authority is responding to 'high demand' by auditing the existing waitlist which will 'lead to a reduced volume in applicants and further reduction in waiting time'.

They said: "Additionally, we are surveying our allotments with a view to increasing the capacity of plots by recovering areas deemed unletable or indeed creating and forming new plots where space is suitably available."

The council also advised residents to consider applying for plots managed by the local network of associations and committees.