A micro-farm based in a shipping container outside Wimbledon Stadium is being forced to move by developers just four months after setting up there.

groLOCAL moved to its current site in October but within a week was served with an eviction notice to make way for AFC Wimbledon's new stadium and luxury flats.

The farm, set up in a 45x9-foot insulated container, grows superfood microgreens, such as sunflower shoots and nasturtiums.

Now the hydroponic farm has just five weeks to find a new home and is struggling to find a suitable location.

Owner David Charitos, 51, said: "We started preparing the equipment in July, and moved to Wimbledon in October.

"We didn't know at that point that we would have to move. We're subtenants of Simon's Diner, which doubles up as our production kitchen.

"But the week after we moved in, Simon was sent a letter saying we would have to go by April 14 - it was such unfortunate timing.

"We started concentrating on getting the business up and running, but more recently we've been trying to find somewhere else.

"The business is starting to gain traction, but now we're in the position where we might lose the whole thing."

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David, who lives in Battersea, said his business which supplies pouches that buyers only have to add milk or water to make a smoothie was booming.

It sells through farmers markets in Wimbledon and Queens Park.

So far they it has exhausted every option in finding a new site and David added: "We've had no luck finding anywhere.

"We're looking at retail premises but it's too early for the business to commit to a ten-year lease at the moment.

"We're now looking at licensing an industrial unit or retail premises to use, but ideally we would like to move the container, everything is kitted out.

"Fitting out the container was a £20,000 investment, and it cost £700 just to locate here with the transportation cost.

"I'm a bit gutted - running a business is full of hurdles and from a pragmatic perspective, we just wanted to get the business up and running before trying to move.

"But now there's the dawning realisation that it's getting closer, and the things we've been doing to try and find a new location hasn't yielded anything."

David said eventually he wants to locate smaller versions of the container in supermarket car parks, to supply microgreens on-site.

The urban farm is currently growing pea shoots, wheatgrass, mustard mixes and dill, while working on growing chillies and sweetcorn.

He added: "We started off growing microgreens because they're so nutritious, and I'm a firm believer in urban farming being the way forward.

"As a country, we could grow far more than we currently do, and we're well poised to take advantage of the technlogy and infrastructure of urban farming to take food production to a new level.

"We're at the starting point for seeing that come about.

"The biggest thing we're focussing on is our pre-made smoothie pouches - you can take sunflower shoots, which are a superfood, and add kale, apple, and pear to make a really healthy mix.

"We're giving people access to superfoods which are beneficial to consumers, and it's a niche in market that no one else is tackling.

"We've also been trying to get into restaurants in south and central London but haven't yet cracked the market.

"Microgreens don't have a very long shelf life, and don't transport well, so they're perfect for growing local.

"Consumers are giving us great feedback, and we're one of the only people supplying them."