THE demand for allotments in Dorset is surging as prices of food in the shops rises.

Green-fingered enthusiasts are clamouring for plots in Weymouth and Dorchester.

And allotment chiefs are in talks with major landowners around Bridport to find new sites.

The 256 allotments around the Dorchester leased by the town council are full and the waiting list is bigger than ever before.

Deputy town clerk Steve Newman said: "At the moment we are very over subscribed and the waiting list for our allotments is well over a year.

"It has increased so much from about six years ago when they were under utilised.

"Gardening an allotment has become very popular and it certainly is cheaper to grow your own."

An allotment in the Dorchester area will cost £26.70 yearly and it is up to the tenants what they grow on the site.

In Charlton Down the 37 allotments that opened in March were taken straight away by residents.

Chairman of the Charlton Down Allotment Society Nigel Barrow said: "We have had an excellent take up, which was surprising as we only started in March, and we only expected to get a few people.

"There does seem to be a higher interest than before.

"I don't think it is because it is cheaper but more that I think it is because you can know where the food is from and how it was grown."

The Forston Clinic near Dorchester leases one of the plots at Charlton Down where the patients can grow their own vegetables.

Mac Harris, chairman of the Green Lane Allotment Society in Weymouth, said there was also a very high demand there.

He said: "We have 98 plots full and we are in the process of building some more that will be made available for disabled people.

"Growing your own fruit and vegetables is a cheaper option and the taste and flavour is so different from those bought in the supermarkets."

Bridport Town Council began hunting for alternative plots after demand hit an all-time high creating a year-long backlog.

Among those being targeted are Palmers Brewery and the West Dorset District Council and Dorset County Council.

Soaring food prices are thought to be behind the surge, which ends decades of decline in grow-your-own.

In Bridport area more than 100 are already in use with 60 householders on the waiting list for the plots which cost £12 a year to rent - a fee that has not risen in two years.

Town clerk Bob Gillis said: "There is an increasing demand for allotments as the price of food increases and it is seen as a good thing to grow your own."