Furious allotment holders have vowed to fight after claiming they were given no notice of government approval to sell their spaces off for housing.

Eight different sites across the UK have been given the green light by Angela Rayner to be sold off by councils under what has been dubbed the deputy PM's 'war on allotments.'

Her decision was revealed in a parliamentary answer last month and includes sites in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Kent, Hertfordshire and West Sussex.

Despite being listed on official government papers, holders in Kingsway Allotments, in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, said they did not know their space was one of the eight listed as being under threat until today (7 August).

They said they are "gutted" and "absolutely devasted" at the revelation."

Tony Tilley, 59, has had a space at Kingsway allotments for six years.

He grows everything from potatoes to tomatoes, as well as sweetcorn, cabbages and carrots.

Tony, who has lived in Ashfield all his life, said: "It is absolutely disgusting. "

"This government - I cannot believe they didn't even tell us - they didn't even have the guts to tell us. "

"What can we do? We are going to fight it as best as we can."

"I am absolutely devastated."

He says he loves sitting at the allotment site "all hours of the day", listening to bird song, spotting and feeding the wildlife. "

Tony added: ""We are all here together as a community - everybody helps me as I have health conditions."

"I sit here in the morning and listen to the birds - bluetits and robins - there is all the wildlife here! We have hedgehogs, baby hoglets, foxes."

"All this wildlife we have. Won't I see them again?"

Rayner is understood to have approved the sale of eight allotment sites in England since Labour took power in order to raise money for councils budgets and provide space for the party's ambitious housing development plans.

Under the Allotments Act 1925, land that is designated "statutory allotment" cannot be sold or repurposed without ministerial consent."

Rayner has received vast criticism for her actions - including former Labour leader and keen horticulturist Jeremy Corbyn, who has used an allotment near Islington, North London, for 22 years.

Another holder in Kingsway devastated by the news, Dab Abbott, 84, said he has had his allotment for 15 years.

He says to grow "every vegetable" in his allotment from cabbage, to potatoes, spring onions and even beans. "

Mr Abbott said that without the allotment he "doesn't know what to do"."

He explained: "Me being 84 and retired I go there everyday. It is better than watching TV day in and day out. "

"I don't want that kind of life. I have been active all my life and that's how I want to keep it. It gives me the drive to keep going. "

"Without the allotment I don't know what to do."

Mr Abbott added that he was in "shock and anger" after being told the allotments were under threat. "

He said: "Ashfield Council must have known about this and they didn't told us anything."

"We are going to fight and try to keep it open."

"I spend a lot of time here when the weather is good. "

In the allotment community they know one another and trade vegetables between themselves, said Mr Abbott.

"They are all friendly people and we all have the same objective in mind to grow vegetables," he said."

"It is a good outlet. The veggies you grow in the allotment are far superior than the ones in the supermarkets."

Mr Abbott, who's also an aircraft fanatic said to like the allotment to watch planes flying over.

He said: "It is a space where I can sit there with my binoculars and watch the planes."

He added that if the allotment is gone he won't have a place to plant his vegetables as the only option is to rip his small lawn out and flowers which he does not want to do.

Ashfield Council has been contacted for comment.

The other sites under threat are:
Land at Spaxton Allotments in Spaxton, Somerset.
Lant at Wallingford Road Allotments, Wallingford Road, in Cholsey, Oxfordshire.
Stapleton Garden Allotments, in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.
Ravenscroft Allotments, Browns Lane Storrington, in Horsham, West Sussex.
Longlands Allotment, off Longlands, and Longlands (Oxcroft) Oxcroft Lane, in Old Bolsover, Derbyshire.
Churchfield Allotment Site, in Wye, Kent.

A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) previously said that councils should only sell off allotments "where it is clearly necessary and offers value for money"."

They added: "We know how important allotments are for communities, and that is why strict criteria is in place to protect them, as well as school playing fields."