Gardeners are being asked to avoid tidying their autumn leaves, as they could be beneficial for your lawn. It comes as the latest advice calls for botanists to cut their lawns for the final time to keep them alive during the bitter winter.

Currently, gardeners are preparing for winter, with the first warning signs already starting to show as temperatures plummet. Meanwhile, many of the vibrant plants that we come to love in the spring and summer have already wilted away, going into hibernation before kicking into life next year.

But as gardeners prepare for colder weather that will blast the UK later this week, some ecological experts are advocating against cleaning up autumn leaves.

Leaves fall most heavily from late October through to mid-November so it's no wonder pavements across the country have been covered this month. But gardeners have been told to leave them alone in their own gardens as it could massively benefit the local ecosystem in your garden without you even noticing it.

Ecological writer, Alys Fowler, insists that the fallen foliage should be left untouched, explaining that these can actually provide a habitat for insects as winter gets underway. She added that the leaves store carbon, which can enhance your lawn's ability to absorb minerals and moisture.

While leaves can make the house appear unclean, Alys insisted that the winter winds will eventually scatter them, allowing worms to break them down and incorporate them into the soil. In an article for Gardeners' World magazine, Alys advises readers: "They're called leaves for a reason; to be left alone to do their essential work.

"They may look spent but their business is far from done, both for the plant they left and the wider world around them," she continued. "Soil can hold up to 30 percent more carbon if the autumn leaves are left to rot; carbon feeds the soil food web, particularly mycorrhizal fungi, which improves not only the trees' ability to take up water and minerals, but also the lawn and wider garden."

On top of this, Alys pointed to one nocturnal hero -- the elephant hawk moth, known for its striking pink and olive green colours, which relies on decomposing leaf litter to form its cocoons. This only emphasised the importance of allowing leaves to decay naturally further, according to her.

But Alys' view isn't shared by everyone. David Hedges-Gower, the chairman of the Lawn Association, gave a stark warning about the environmental dangers of leaving leaves on grass, insisting they can "suffocate and kill" it. He warns that the accumulation of leafmould could devastate even the most resilient lawns.

Based on his knowledge, overlooking fallen leaves in your garden might need even more maintenance come the spring, and could involve reseeding and increasing water supplies simply to get the lawn safely through winter.

He explained: "Neglecting our lawns by leaving fallen leaves not only harms them but creates unnecessary work each year, increasing our unsustainable footprint. Unlike other garden areas, lawns require attention year-round."

David strongly maintains that "safeguarding" the lawn must be a "priority", saying it "enhances your garden's beauty year round" and helps it appear as a sustainable outdoor space. The Royal Horticultural Society, meanwhile, recognises the potential benefits of leafmould, especially when it's fully decomposed.

They suggest it can be used as seed-sowing compost or mixed into the garden compost heap. They recommend that leafmould younger than two years is best used as mulch, to enhance soil composition, as an autumn lawn top-dressing, or as a protective winter cover for bare soil.

However, they have exercised caution, issuing a warning to gardeners about homemade leafmould compost which could attract weeds. Moreover, leaves gathered from the street could contain rubbish and should be inspected before being added to a leafmould pile.