ALLOTMENT holders in Okehampton are fighting to save their fruit trees, which are destined for the chop at the end of the season after a tightening up of allotment rules.

The rules, which say no trees should be planted, have been allowed to lapse over the years but now they are being enforced in a bid to tidy up the large allotment areas in Castle Road, North Road and Exeter Road.

Letters sent out by the allotment managers and landowners — the Okehampton United Non-Ecclesiastical Trust — have angered gardeners, who cannot understand why trees which are

producing fruit must go.

Young allotment holder Chris Smith, 24, who has two apple and two pear trees, is starting a petition to save the trees: 'These varieties have been here for about ten years and produce an abundance of fruit most years,' he said.

'I could understand taking them down if they were dead, but they are thriving.

'The idea of having an allotment is to grow produce for ourselves and our families, so this decision seems absolutely mindless. How are fruit trees any different from growing carrots and beetroot?'

The managers said the spreading root systems and shading branches of trees affected neighbouring allotments, but damson grower Rachel Chamness said this problem did not exist with fruit trees.

'I can understand with things like Leylandii, which grow really big and do not produce fruit, but my trees are kept trimmed and neat and they do not encroach on anyone else's allotment,' she said.

'Nobody has complained to me about it, and as for not being able to grow anything next to my damsons because of the root system, that is rubbish, because I grow strawberries between them.'

Mrs Chamness said the fruit trees were a really attractive part of the allotments and it would be a great loss to see them go.

Chairman of the Okehampton United Non-Ecclesiastical Trust Christine Marsh said she understood the feelings of the gardeners but not everybody looked after their trees in the same way.

'The trees ban is something that has been in the rules for a long time but the shoddy management of the allotments over the years has allowed this problem to arise,' she said.

'We are tightening up on the rules and a large amount of effort and money has been spent on tidying up the allotment areas including getting skips in, trimming back vegetation on the riverbank allotments and generally clearing up.'

Mrs Marsh added that beech hedges and willow trees were among the specimens that had appeared over the past few years.

'Unfortunately, many trees and hedges have not been trimmed and these have become overgrown and are encroaching on other allotments,' she said.

'However, I do sympathise with the concerns and will take these back to the meeting of the trust this week.'