My own small garden has been overrun with pests this year, probably as a result of all the wet weather that we had in the early part of the summer.

One particularly persistent problem I have had this year has been my dahlias and vegetables being eaten by slugs and snails, with the telltale evidence of slimy tracks being left behind.

I am loath to use slug pellets although I have been driven to this in the past.

I am uneasy about putting chemicals on the garden and particularly dislike the way pellets kill the slugs.

In the past, hedgehogs have visited the garden to dine on these voracious pests and it would be nice to think they will return one day (although I removed the rotting shed that was their home).

Apparently, the great British public do not agree with me, since garden pesticide sales increase by almost 40 per cent per year, an unbelievable figure.

Why is this?

I am a great fan of gardening programmes and read the odd magazine, but these are definitely not promoting the use of pesticides, advocating natural alternatives at every opportunity.

Perhaps it is the age-old enemy of environmental issues, lack of time.

Unless you are a keen gardener with plenty of time available, chances are that you want instant results and pesticides and herbicides are particularly helpful in that regard.

Unfortunately, the use of pesticides renders the garden a rather sterile place, with the food chain often completely stopped in its tracks.

For me, the joy of attracting bigger wildlife to my town centre garden would be impossible without some accommodation of pest species.

That does not mean that I let the slugs win; I have used many of the traditional methods of control with varying success, including beer traps, pepper, eggshells, chilli powder and picking them off my plants.

A slug control method that I have yet to use that was lauded a few years ago, is garlic.

Apparently, researchers at the University of Newcastle have discovered that garlic is not only unattractive to slugs but kills both adults and their eggs.

Although garlic has been used as a repellent for some time, this is the first time that it has been used to kill slugs and snails.

It is possible through manufacturing a highly-refined version of garlic being sprayed onto soil around the crops.

Being a natural product means that the garlic spray will dissipate into the soil with no lasting effects.

This could be a major boon to not only gardeners, but also the salad-growing industry, for whom slugs and snails are a huge problem.

Could it be that within a few years, the whole of Worthing smells strongly of garlic through the growing season as the popularity of this natural pesticide increases?