HAMPSHIRE'S home-grown gardening star Charlie Dimmock has been invited to join the ground force in the battle to stop homes being planted on Eastleigh allotments.

Angry allotment gardeners are waging war on a plan which threatens to replace rows of peas with concrete terraces.

The council wants to build hundreds of homes in a massive town centre redevelopment and part of the £22m investment will be ploughed into developing leisure facilities.

In a bid to raise public awareness of the campaign to stop allotments being grabbed for development, a peaceful picnic protest is being held on Sunday, May 4.

It is being organised by the Lakeside Area Residents' Association (Lara) and membership secretary Karen Freeman said: "We have written to Charlie Dimmock to request her presence at this peaceful event.

"So now we keep our fingers crossed that she and maybe Tommy Walsh will be able to join us."

Karen hopes that as many people as possible will take up the picnic invite.

She said: "This will be a morale boosting day for anyone affected by the Eastleigh Borough Council proposals. There are still people who do not know or understand the implications of this bad plan."

A wide range of entertainment is planned for the picnic, which starts at midday. There will also be information about the development scheme.

The council is working with the Eastleigh and Bishopstoke Allot-ment Association to develop replacement allotment sites that will provide facilities including water supply, toilets and a gardening tool store.

Many allotment gardeners do not want to be uprooted from well cultivated plots where a strong community spirit has grown over many years.

More than 30 years ago Eastleigh allotment holders faced a similar battle to stop developers devouring cabbage patches to make way for a new community at Boyatt Wood.

A spokesman for Charlie Dimmock was not available for comment.