Growing craze for The Good Life

But demand for grow-your-own plots has never been greater, with thousands of young people seeking the Good Life and taking up what was once seen as a hobby purely for pensioners.

The number of people stuck on council allotment waiting lists soared by a quarter last year to almost 100,000, a report has found.

And in some city areas the waiting time is now at least 40 years.

But despite the huge interest, only 483 new plots were brought into use by local authorities last year. It means, as the report warned, that “waiting lists for allotments are long and getting longer”.

The survey of more than 150,000 council plots in England found 94,124 people are waiting for an allotment, up 23 per cent from 76,330 last June.

There are now 59 people waiting for every 100 plots, up from 49 people last year, and from just four people in 1996. The average wait is three years.

Report author Margaret Campbell said: “Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide allotments but it is just not happening and is such a shame.” The trend has risen as consumers pay more attention to how their food is produced, inspiring many to copy the self-sufficiency of Tom and Barbara Good in the 1970s TV sitcom The Good Life, starring Richard Briers and Felicity Kendal.

In Camden, north-west London, 1,000 aspiring gardeners have been warned they face a four-decade wait before one of the borough’s 200 allotments becomes available.

Waiting lists of 10 years or more also operate in Burnley, Wirral, Hull and Islington, north London.

The report was commissioned by the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners and environmental group Transition Town West Kirby.

It concluded: “When people are standing in a long line for years and years, saying they would like to grow their own fruit and veg, have more exercise and improve their carbon footprint, it is a real missed opportunity.

“It seems ridiculous that they are not being allowed to do this because of the lack of supply of allotments.”

Donna McDaid, assistant secretary of the society, said: “If councils are effectively refusing to provide allotments, we would consider taking them to court.

“As we have elections coming up, people should lobby their local councillors and MPs to put pressure on.”