ALLOTMENT holders forced off their plots to make way for the Olympics have claimed the land in Leyton provided as a replacement is unusable.

More than 80 plots on the Manor Gardens site, off Waterden Road, have been bulldozed to make way for a concrete walkway.

Because of this. the gardeners have been relocated to Marsh Lane fields, prompting outcry from groups concerned about the loss of Lammas Land.

Figures obtained by the Evening Standard newspaper revealed that more than £2m was spent by the London Development Agency on the new site.

The figure included £1.8m on constructing the new allotments, £172,000 on surveyor fees, £115,000 on legal costs and £89,000 on planning applications.

Each gardener also received £650 compensation to relocate.

But the allotment holders are now saying the land is prone to flooding, is sterile and lacking in nutrients.

Julie Sumner, who led a campaign to retain the old allotments, said a third of the plots were unusable.

She said: "My plot on the new site is the worst of all. It looks like a lunar landscape after any rain.

"There was water on the surface even after the heatwave earlier this month. Not even the weeds are growing."

An LDA spokesman said: ""A number of plots have been affected by significant water logging since the new allotments opened in September.

"We have been working with Manor Garden Society to rectify the situation which included commissioning an independent soil report.

"It has recommended putting a mechanical blade through the soil to make it less compact.

"We have agreed with the Society to begin work on a test area next week to see whether this is effective.

"We are also speaking to the contractor team responsible for creating the site about the report's findings to ensure that the cost of rectifying this issue is met by those responsible."

"Allotment sites are rarely created from scratch and where this happens the soil needs to establish itself.

"To compensate for this it was arranged in advance that plot holders would not be charged rent for the first year.

"We are confident that, as they are worked over time, they will prove to be excellent new allotments."