ALLOTMENT holders in a Bromsgrove village look set to have a long wait before they can taste the sweet success of their labours.

The six successful applicants, who applied for the new plots in Finstall following a story in the Advertiser/Messenger earlier this year, are raring to roll up their sleeves and start planting.

But, it was claimed this week, Bromsgrove District Council, which owns the overgrown site at Penmanor, is taking its time over releasing the land because officers are just "too busy" to deal with it.

A few weeks ago Finstall Parish Council, which came up with the idea of putting the land to productive use, appealed through the Advertiser/Messenger for people to take on the allotments.

The response was so great the parish council decided to make the individual plots smaller so more people could rent them.

Parish council chairman Jon Prescott said it is important the handover is soon so the land can be cleared of weeds and cultivated.

"People need to start planting the land now, in the spring, in order to get a crop this year. It will be no good in June or July.

"We have contacted the district council several times to ask them to sort out the lease and legal paperwork, but they say they cannot tell us when that will be because they are "too busy."

No-one from the district council was available to comment as we went to press.