Eco fears as garden paving rife - RHS

MORE than half of Britain's front garden space and a third of back garden space is paved over, reducing the potential to help with flooding, wildlife and storing carbon, experts have said.

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New AI-assisted mapping from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) also indicates that 7.5 million square metres of domestic gardens are covered in artificial lawns.

The RHS's new State Of Gardening report also suggests the extent of Britain's love affair with gardening - and a certain reticence about claiming to be a “gardener” - and highlights disparities in the amount of green space available to people.

And it highlights the value of gardening - contributing some £38bn to the economy and boosting health and wellbeing, jobs, wildlife and carbon storage, as well as bringing people together in community gardens.