Pensioners stuck at home could earn up to £500 a year by allowing gardeners frustrated by lengthy waiting lists for allotments to rent out space in their gardens instead.

The I Dig Allotments scheme is the brainchild of Wombourne-born John Wilkes, aged 28, and is aimed at householders – mostly older people who are no longer able to tend their gardens.

They can rent out the space to earn a bit of extra money, get their own fresh produce and help bring down the spiralling waiting lists of people after a coveted allotment plot.

Recent figures showed there were 320 waiting in Walsall, 180 in Wolverhampton and 29 in Dudley. Disabled Paul Ware, 58, lives in Lilac Drive, Wombourne, and is among the first to take up the scheme.

“It will be good as I can’t really look after my garden, but it’s nice to have somewhere nice to sit outside,” he said.

“What’s more, having someone come around regularly to look after the garden will be lovely company to me – and hopefully I’ll get some fresh fruit and veg out of it too.”

I Dig Allotments was founded earlier this year after keen cook John, who moved to London two years ago, found his dream of being able to grow and pick his own ingredients hindered by a huge waiting list.

He placed an advert on internet site Gumtree for anyone who wanted a free gardener in exchange for a bit of allotment space, and said he received so many responses from elderly people it was obvious there was an opportunity there.

“Wolverhampton has one of the longest waiting lists in the country, and as I am from there I thought that was as good a place as any to start,” he said.

For details call John on 07891 544423 or see www.idigallotments.co.uk