Two hundred allotment holders are opposing the building of a road next to plots in Earlswood, claiming the resulting pollution and threat to their security could ruin their favourite leisure pursuit.

Members of Reigate and Redhill Allotments and Gardens Association also fear if the access road is built to land next to 120 plots at New Pond Allotments, a precedent could be set for a decline in the state of allotments across the borough.

Ron Arnold, secretary of the association, organised a petition presented to Reigate council earlier this month after hearing the land owner was intending to exercise their legal right of way, through public land, from Woodhatch Road.

He said: “We are concerned about security, vehicle fumes, whether it is right to take a lump of allotment land, and who is going to pay for it.

“It’s not just the allotment holders from New Pond who have signed, there are other allotment holders from other sites, because they believe that if it happens here it could happen to them.” In February Mr Arnold was told of the land owner’s right of way, and in May he bumped into surveyors measuring up.

At that point he claims he was told they wanted to cut through the allotments themselves, though the correct route around the site has since been clarified.

He said: “It’s lucky I saw them up there measuring up. That’s when we wrote the letter asking them not to do it and they didn’t proceed with it.” A council spokesman said the right of way would be for one vehicle only.

The spokesman added: “Work wasn’t about to start, it was just our officers trying to establish where the right of way went.

“If the owner decides to exercise their right of way, we would talk to the allotment holders, but at the end of the day it would be down to the land owner to agree.” Part of the cost of the road would be recouped from the owner, with the remainder shouldered by the council.

The association would have no formal right to consultation but any resulting security problems “would be addressed”.

Councillor Michael Ormerod (Lab, Southpark and Woodhatch) visited the site and suggested a cheaper and shorter path could come from the other side, off Lonesome Lane. He has asked the council to keep him informed of the owner’s intentions.