VANDAL-PLAGUED allotments could be featured in the new series of Gardener’s World.

Thornton Allotments, in Wirral, have a troubled history and many of the site’s plots remain unused, despite a lengthy waiting list in nearby parts of the borough.

But Clive Ransom, who has led efforts to have security fencing installed at the Bidston Hill premises, will meet production staff from the long-running BBC TV show this week.

The prime time gardening programme is planning to feature allotments from across the country and make regular visits to see how they are progressing.

Mr Ransom said he had written to the programme about the allotments’ plight.

He said: “They seemed very interested and are coming this week.

“They said it is between us and a site in County Durham.

“We tick all the right boxes – the north end of Birkenhead is one of the most deprived areas in the country, and the profile would fit in with the educational element of what the programme is trying to achieve.

“But this should be a great opportunity for Wirral – prime time television on a Friday night is the kind of publicity you just could not buy.”

Thornton Allotments have just 11 tenants across 32 potential plots after enduring years of frequent vandalism.

Few gardeners even bother locking their sheds now after so many break-ins, and most equipment is kept in a secure storage unit.

Last year, it was revealed how tenants were being forced off because of violence and intimidation, and the attacks against the site have continued.

At one point, just two hardy gardeners clung to their plots until the group WANT – What Allotments Need Today – came along and funded the renovation of the site, but problems remain with vandalism.

Across Wirral, there are 41 allotment sites administered by the council, containing nearly 1,700 plots.

Earlier this month, Wirral Council said allotments were increasingly sought after, and demand for plots in parts of the borough had increased year-on-year for the last five or six years.

A spokesman for the BBC confirmed that team members were planning to visit the Wirral allotments as part of a “recce”.

He said: “We are going to have a regular feature on the programme with allotments, and we will be looking at Wirral.

“Nothing has been confirmed or finalised yet.”

Gardener’s World was first screened in 1968 and its presenters have included Percy Thrower, Geoff Hamilton and Alan Titchmarsh.