THE rampant spread of an invasive super-weed is among a number of problems which could lead to an allotment in Bradford being shut down for good.

The dreaded Japanese knotweed has now taken over 40 per cent of the plots at the Queens Road B site in Bolton, a council report says.

The report adds the site also suffers from vandalism, break-ins and fly-tipping.

But allotment holders, many of whom have lovingly tended their plots for years, have spoken of their determination to fight to keep the site open.

They are holding an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the way forward for their campaign.

One allotment holder, Jeremy Brearton, said they had been asking for proper security fencing around the site for years but it felt like the council was "spending money on every site except this one".

He said: "I live at Clayton now. I have carried on coming here even though I live at Clayton because I have always liked coming to these allotments.

"With the problems we get, we seem to have minimal effort from the council to try to resolve these problems.

"One of the main ones is with a security fence that never went ahead, because of a footpath that runs through the site."

A report going before a council scrutiny committee next week says a five-year knotweed eradication programme has failed to rid the site of the destructive plant.

It says tenants could be offered plots on nearby sites and funds from any sale of the land could be re-invested into the allotment service.

But two ward councillors, who met with council officers to discuss problems at the site about a month ago, said they were sorry to see that closure was on the cards.

Councillor Rachel Sunderland (Lib Dem, Bolton and Undercliffe) said security was a problem at the site because the fencing was insecure and many of the plots were vacant because they had been infected with knotweed.

But she said if these problems were tackled, the site could thrive once more.

She said: "The council needs to take it seriously and put some investment in it."

Cllr Sunderland also said she feared what would happen to the land if the allotment holders were moved off, saying it could end up not being looked after.

Councillor Michael Stelling (Lib Dem, Bolton and Undercliffe) said it was "absolutely terrible" the authority was thinking of closing the site.

He said: "I really do feel sorry for the people who use that site because it has been deteriorating for a number of years and the council has done nothing about it.

"It is just a real shame."

The Telegraph & Argus put these concerns to Bradford Council but a spokesman declined to comment.