This is london reports.

Allotments could offer the solution to London’s obesity epidemic.

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.”

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