The Daily Mail reports the island of Antikythera, located between Crete and Kythira (Kythera), is paying people £450 per month, giving them a plot of land and even free food as it seeks to increase its population of 24 to 300 – although families with at least three children are most preferable.

While recruiters are not on the most sought after occupations of would-be residents, the council is seeking people to be employed as fishermen, farmers, builders and bakers.

The island falls under the administration of the Greek capital Athens and is part of the Attica region. It has three hamlets – Poramos, Galaniana and Charchaliana.

While it has electricity, phones and the internet, island life can be unpredictable during stormy weather and the plumbing is also basic. Running water is provided by carefully monitored ‘cisternas’, which collect rainwater.

However, surroundings are described as luxurious, ideal for bird-watching, star-gazing and bathing in the island’s sparkling waters. The island has a rich history and is famed for the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek bronze analogue computer machine discovered in 1900. It was used in astronomy and considered one of the greatest scientific devices ever recovered from the ancient world.

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