TWENTY years ago, almost every town or village had an antiques shop.

But rocketing rents and rates mean they have been badly hit, with experts estimating around 30 per cent have closed in the last three to five years.

Many have moved onto the internet and, while this opens up a wider choice for shoppers, it is a far less personal, and far less pleasurable experience.

The situation is so acute the industry is petitioning the government for more support. And a nationwide campaign to save Britain’s antiques shops is underway, spearheaded by Homes and Antiques magazine. More than a thousand dealers across the country are on board, and for a limited period are knocking 10 per cent off the prices.

While other sectors receive help from the government, the antiques industry – which is partly reliant on the housing market – does not. And although consumers pay no VAT on antiques, dealers have to pay VAT on the difference between cost and selling price – regardless of how much restoration has been carried out. There’s no VAT on second-hand goods, so we shouldn’t really have to pay VAT at all is the the dealers’ case. They point out their recycling credentials too.

They are right. No matter how ethically sourced your timber, or how sustainably grown, a new product is, almost always, using up precious resources. Add the fact that most antique furniture was handmade, using natural woods and no electricity, and antiques can be seen as the deeply shade of green – as this year’s inaugural National Antiques Week (November 23-30) will be celebrating.

Antiques also resonate with today’s “make do and mend” mindset where mindless consumption is seriously passe, and conscientious buying is as chic as ever before.

Far from being dusty and boring, antiques are becoming the last word in cool. Kirstie Allsopp recently mixed vintage pieces and contemporary crafts to great effect in her TV series Kirstie’s Homemade Home. And Kylie Minogue, Nicole Farhi, Kate Moss and even Kelly Osbourne are all converts, often spotted truffling in antiques shops all over London alongside stylists, stylistas and fashion mavens in their droves.

Part of the attraction is the sheer volume of interesting objects, all laid out to be examined, squeezed, prodded and even smelt – something no website could ever begin to replicate.