A DISABLED allotment holder is at the centre of a new row over the water supply to his prize-winning plot.

Fred Dart has hit out at Totton and Eling Town Council over restrictions imposed on the hours he can use his standpipe. But the council says it is acting in the interests of other allotment holders.

Mr Dart, 62, of Calmore Gardens, Totton, suffers from breathing and mobility problems. He has often suffered a collapse under the strain of carrying heavy watering cans from water butts to his 150ft vegetable plot off Testwood Lane.

Mr Dart was eventually provided with a standpipe after a two-year battle backed by the Hampshire Coalition of Disabled People.

But the award-winning grower has been banned from using it at certain times of the day.

"I'm not allowed to operate the standpipe between 4pm and 8.30pm Monday to Friday.

"I'm also barred from using it between 9.30am and 8.30pm at the weekends - and that's the restriction that really upsets me," he said.

"I'm being prevented from watering my plot at times of the day when other people are free to water theirs. It's a clear case of discrimination against a disabled person."

A council spokesman said the use of a hose connected to a standpipe at peak periods could cause a drop in water pressure.

That would result in water butts used by other allotment holders taking even longer to fill up, he said.

But Mr Dart said he had a letter from Southern Water in which an inspector ruled out any adverse impact on pressure.

Council chairman Len Harris said: "I've got a lot of sympathy for Mr Dart. I have a few ideas which might help him, but they'll have to be discussed in committee before any action can be taken."

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