Farmer loses £30,000 crop

A Shropshire potato farmer has lost £30,000 as flood waters have swamped fields and wrecked his crop.

But Peter Ford has laid the blame squarely at the feet of the Environment Agency which he says has refused to dredge the brook which runs alongside his land.

Mr Ford, from Prees, said he has been asking experts to dredge the silt from the waterway since October without success.

Now, as he tries to salvage the small parts of his land which aren't under water, Mr Ford said he would dredge the brook himself rather than sacrifice another crop.

"I grow about 30 acres of potatoes and two-thirds of them are completely ruined," he said. "We thought the brook was holding up pretty well until Monday when we noticed all the ridges were completely saturated. By then it was too late to do anything to save them.

"What annoys me is that I've been ringing the Environment Agency since last Monday but it is impossible to get hold of anyone.

"Essentially I've lost around £30,000 and there's no insurance which covers the losses." No-one at the Environment Agency was available to comment.

Although the weekend's bright weather provided some respite, experts are predicting more showers for the next fortnight.

Adrian Joynt, Shropshire NFU chairman, said: "I think everyone with potatoes is struggling and there are quite a few fields of waterlogged potatoes.

"There is also damage to corn and cereals but it hasn't happened everywhere and there are reasonably normal areas.

"We have had to re-house our dairy cows and I know we are not alone."