Allotment holdersare facing a "David and Goliath" battle in court as Leeds City Council is expected to continue a fight to raise their rents.

Leeds and District Allotment Gardeners Federation celebrated last month after a landmark ruling in the High Court in Leeds quashed the proposed new rents from 2014 onwards.

But now the federation is facing a further battle as Leeds is expected to appeal against the decision.

The council's proposals would also have made changes to the amount of money available to manage sites - and campaigners say they could have priced plot holders out of the hobby they love.

The LDAGF issued an application in the High Court at the end of last year to launch a judicial review into council plans to put up rents while reducing the amount of money associations could keep to maintain sites.The court battle so far has cost the council more than £50,000.

Now the federation says more taxpayers money will be used if they appeal goes ahead.

Federation spokesman Phil Gomersall, who is also a Rawdon councillor, said if the propsosals went ahead pensioners would see their plot rent triple, and self-managed allotment sites would see the amount they were allowed to keep for management and maintenance slashed from two thirds to less than a quarter.

He said: "If self-managed sites fail to sign leases, as many are considering, then sites will be taken over by the council costing the council tax payers much more.

An LDAGF deputation to the council last week implored councillors to 'think long and hard' about their decision.

The delegation said: "The Federation’s 2,500 members are the voice of the self- managed allotment movement in Leeds, and its members manage over 65% of the allotment sites in the city through delegated responsibility from LCC."

"Many city and town councils up and down the country are making great efforts to encourage their allotment plot holders to create site associations and federations and to become self-managed. They have learned from other councils that in nearly all cases self-managed allotments are almost cost neutral to the council and can attract external funding; an important consideration in the present financial climate.

"Up until now Leeds has been leading the way within the group of core city councils with more than 80% of its allotment plots under self-management. Until last year there was an excellent rapport between the Council and plot holders, a fact revered throughout the country. No other core city could lay claim to having such a large percentage of self-managed sites.

We are not opposed to reasonable rent increases, our main objection is to the Councils proposed proportion of rent to be retained by associations, to manage and maintain their sites. We have always been prepared to negotiate and continue to offer suggestions and assistance to help in make further savings but have been refused the opportunity recently."

After the court hearing a Leeds City Council spokeswoman said: "We have tried to keep charges as low and affordable as possible and we’re pleased that the judge has upheld our position on the majority of grounds. We are disappointed to have lost part of this case on a narrow point of law.

"We will now be considering an appeal, while assessing the judge’s comments and bringing a report back to our September executive board."

She said the council had won on three of the four grounds of challenge to its decision, and that the authority's general approach had been upheld.