Inside UK's first underground farm - photos of old air raid shelter now used for sustainable growing

Salad sprouts beneath feet of unsuspecting Londoners as Growing Underground keeps it local, with no produce travelling past the M25.

Growing Underground is the UK's first subterranean farm, built inside underground tunnels roughly 33 metres below London's busy Clapham High Street.

Underground Farm — Spanish Intern, Isabel checks on the plants Dan Kitwood/ Getty Images

Formerly an air raid shelter, the farm prioritises sustainable growing practises while working towards carbon neutral certification. Growing Underground produces a wide range of herbs including fennel, wasabi mustard, coriander, rocket and red amaranth.

The farm's location, which covers an astonishing 65,000 square feet, allows the greens to be unaffected by weather or seasonal changes and reduces the need to import crops. Keeping all their products local, while limiting food miles – no produce travels further than the M25, means that the leaves can be in the kitchen within four hours of being picked and packed.

Growing Underground uses the latest LED technology and hydroponic systems that use 70% less water than traditional open-field farming. This means that all nutrients are kept within the closed-loop system, which removes any risk of agricultural run-off. The tunnels in which the produce grows also means that the greens grow in pesticide-free environment, all year round.