An allotment amnesty is to be held to allow unregistered holders to turn in their plots to be correctly recorded.

Control of the allotments passes to Keighley Town Council in April, for the first time since Bradford Council was formed in 1974.

There was an unusually high turn-out at the annual meeting of the town council after invitations were sent to all allotment holders.

The gardeners packed into Sir Swire Smith Hall, in Keighley College, to catalogue their complaints about the state of the 480 plots across Keighley.

Deputy mayor Cllr Tony Wright has been heading a working group looking at what the council needs to do before management of the sites reverts back to Keighley.

His team has been to all the sites over several Sundays.

He said: "We found that some are in desperate need of repair. It is not going to happen over one year. It will take a number of years."

Cllr Wright added there were vacancies on most of the sites across Keighley

Many people had obtained their sites through family or friends. However, while the council updates its records, they will be allowed to correctly register their stake.

But in future all transfers must be above board.

Holders said repairs were needed to many sites. Problems included the state of some plots and pathways, poor security and trespassers using the water supply.

One gardener said that at least two plots had been burnt out off Ashbourne Road.

Cllr Wright said new perimeter fencing and locked gates would be installed. Allotment holders would also be given special keys to use the taps.

Holders were also urged to form small associations in order to have a spokesman, who could inform the council of any problems.

A part-time allotment officer will be appointed, possibly from the current holders, to examine any problems.

Chairman of the council's finance committee, Cllr John Philip, added that if the associations were fully constituted, with a committee and bank account, they could apply for funding from national pots of money.