Crop crisis threats after 'worst ever' wet summer

For most the dreary August has been a disappointment, but for crop farmers the wet weather has been a crisis.

Weeks after they were due to start working their harvests the exceptionally damp month has brought worries to farmers across the area.

Colin Rayner (pictured), a Royal Borough councillor and farmer, has praised his stalwart staff this week for averting potential disaster when a break in the weather allowed them to bring in around half of their crop, but with just under £1 million worth of crop still waiting to be harvested, things are far from over.

In order to harvest a dry period of 24-hours is required and Mr Rayners' 15 workers toiled from 6am-11pm to get the crop in. He admitted: "I would have been very concerned for the livelihood of our staff on the farm."

David Phelp, who farms land at Highfield Farm in Wargrave and Sheeplands Farm in Hare Hatch, last week said he stood to lose about £120,000 in damaged crops if the summer rains did not relent. The father-of-two said: "I cannot remember an August quite like this one."