Countryside groups yesterday warned people were being forced out of rural communities by a growing trend for city slickers to buy up farms.

The warning follows a report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors which said nearly half of people now buying farms were non-farmers who often had no intention of working the land themselves.

The report found 44 per cent of people who bought a farm between April and the end of June were non-farmers, rising to 56 per cent in the South-East.

It said they generally bought the farm for the house, sometimes reaching an agreement with a local farmer to manage the land for them.

However, rural campaign group the Countryside Alliance warned the trend was breaking up communities, leading to a fall in jobs in rural areas and could result in the countryside becoming "one great manicured lawn".

A spokeswoman said: "People move in and push house prices up, meaning people cannot afford to stay in their home town.

"What is most worrying is if these people are buying up massive amounts of land, will it be made into a massive garden?

"It is quite terrifying to think of rural Britain being one great manicured lawn.

"It will end up breaking up the countryside if people only come down for the weekend there will be ghost towns."

She added farming had been in trouble for a long time and many farmers were now going abroad or could not afford to carry on.

Paul Millard, of the Country Land & Business Association, said a huge proportion of agricultural jobs had disappeared from the industry.

He said the property boom in London and the South-East had led to a huge increase in people buying rural properties for weekend homes or to commute from.

"There has been and there is an exodus of farmers and farm workers from the countryside.

"Farmers and farm workers are no longer able to stay in their own villages and communities.

"This is not news to those of us who are involved in the industry. We need action to ensure the traditional workforce can afford to stay in traditional areas."

Tuesday August 5, 2003