A small patch of potatoes being grown next to Reading station car park sparked fears they could cause damage to the structure and make it collapse.

Members of Guerrilla Gardening, a community gardening group, which gives "love and attention" to run down areas around Reading town centre, were left somewhat surprised to get an email from Network Rail over a small area next to the station.

They said they had been asked to be remove the potatoes because they feared they "could cause the car park to collapse".

The email raised concerns about some of the things being grown in the patch, including a patch of potatoes that are "close to the foundations" of the car park.

Network Rail said growing potatoes means "repeated digging" and is therefore "not suitable" for such planting, however they later denied the spuds would cause structural damage to the car park .

There are already problems with other trees around the station, according to Network Rail, and two small pine and chestnut trees, which are growing in underground pots, can add to structural damage if not planted without proper consideration.

The gardeners have also planted a buddleia, which Network Rail labelled a "pernicious weed that destroys buildings and structures".

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Other concerns raised include climbers like ivy, and "invasive species".

Network Rail has to keep the building free from vegetation and so is asking the gardeners to remove it.

The exchange between the two appears to be good-natured and the gardeners, who have spent five years improving the patch of land, have made a series of suggestions on how to improve the situation.

Network Rail's email reads: "We very much appreciate what you are doing but we have an obligation to manage our assets on behalf of the public and government.

"These plants above will need to be removed for safety and accessibility reasons.

"We hope that you may consider this with future planting as well. The options available are for your group to uproot and translocate away from Network Rail property or sadly they will get removed by ourselves at a suitable time."

Network Rail also says it is working with Reading Borough Council and Ethical Reading to plant trees and shrubs around other parts of the station.

'Who knew growing potatoes could do so much damage?'

Poking fun at the situation on its Facebook page, Guerrilla Gardening wrote: "Just found out the garden is on Network Rail land and we had an email from them this weekend.

"One of the things they said was that basically planting potatoes at the Guerrilla Garden is structurally dangerous and could cause the car park to collapse.

"This is an area approx 1m by 1m - probably 6-8 inches deep.

"Who knew that growing potatoes could do so much damage?"

What Network Rail has said about the potatoes

A Network Rail spokesman said: "We always look to work with community groups to help improve stations and the overall passenger experience.

"However, due to our duty of care, we need to know what exactly is being planted and where, so we can determine whether or not this can cause damage to nearby structures and result in repairs paid for by the taxpayer.

"The plants near Reading station car park bare no risk to the structural integrity of the car park.

"We are looking to develop a professional working relationship with Guerrilla Gardeners and look forward to anymore green changes they can make."

What Guerrilla Gardening is doing

Writing back to Network Rail, the gardeners have said the trees are growing in pots which will restrict the growth, and they said they are happy to remove them.

They also say the buddleia has "got too big" and will be removed in the autumn and claim the climbers were already there, but are "happy to have a go at digging them out" if Network Rail agrees.

On the controversial spuds, they say: "The potatoes are in a two to three inch deep trough and we have mounded up the earth as the plants grow. It hasn’t involved any deep digging at any stage. However, we will be harvesting the potatoes in the next two or three weeks and won’t plant any more potatoes."