GARDENERS in Spennymoor have been rocked by the temporary closure of town centre allotments.

Nearly 60 gardeners who rent plots at Timothy Terrace have been forced to down tools for two months after a small section of land was found to be contaminated.

Spennymoor Town Council has asked tenants to keep off the site and not to eat any produce until it knows the results of a full inspection of the land, expected to be completed by July.

The council was forced to close the site to the public and call on Sedgefield Borough Council to carry out further analysis after a routine soil survey detected heavy metals exceeding Government guidelines.

Among those hit by the closure is Eden Residents' Association, which is transforming two overgrown plots into a community garden.

The group, which was formed to help rid the area of anti-social behaviour and strengthen community spirit, hoped to officially unveil its Garden of Eden in September.

But as members cannot complete work on its pavements, shed and raised flower beds the official opening has been postponed until next spring. The association secretary Cynthia Bell said: "It's a big setback. We have materials ready for building work but cannot do anything during the season that we hoped it would all come together.

"Plants are being looked after in our back-yards, which defeats the point of bringing the community together through the garden project.

"We're hopeful we can get it sorted quickly, as we always planned to buy in our soil, and are still as enthusiastic as ever."

It is hoped the contamination will be traced to a single source, such as a bonfire or fly-tipping, and is contained within a small patch of land that can be treated.

A Spennymoor Town Council spokesman said: "We have requested an intrusive survey of the full site to clarify the status of the allotments and arrange further works if deemed necessary.

"Both councils are taking steps to minimise the disruption and are mindful that the closure will have a substantial effect on tenants of this well-used site, but feel the uncertainties that now surround the allotment site make this the only option.