A COUPLE are demanding an explanation after being told to leave allotments they have had for more than 13 years.

Barry and Karen Smith, from Bishop Auckland, have been ordered by Dean Valley Parish Council to vacate their patch in Grange Avenue allotments.

They must quit the site by April next year after being given notice by the council - but the couple insist they have no idea why.

And despite hiring a solicitor and attending a public meeting of the council on Monday, they are still unclear about the reasons for their eviction. Mr and Mrs Smith began renting an allotment when they moved into their Grange Avenue home 13 years ago.

But after they paid their latest bill, they received a letter giving them notice.

"They seem to have evicted us for no reason," said Mr Smith. "I'm not a gardener, but I've had it grassed and kept it tidy. It's 200 per cent tidier than when we got it.

"All I want is a fair crack of the whip - it seems to be one rule for one and one for another."

The couple, and their son, keep chickens and pigeons in a hutch at the allotment, which is located at the back of their home.

They have now enlisted local solicitors Meikles to help them in their battle to stay.

At Monday's monthly public meeting, councillors refused to answer the couple's questions about why they had been evicted from the land.

Chairwoman Dorothy Burn said: "I do believe this is not the right forum to discuss it. I do not think it's right to discuss it in public."

Dene Valley Parish Council's allotments committee chairman Geoff Harrison said he could not comment.