Delayed strawberries may be 'well worth the wait'

Grower Chris Seager said due to the fruit being left to naturally ripen this year, he was expecting his strawberries to be even more "flavoursome" than usual

Strawberries are expected to taste "better" this year due to the delayed warm weather.

The wettest winter on record in Somerset means fruit has taken longer to ripen in Strawberry farms.

However, with many strawberry crops kept in polytunnels, some farmers say the bad weather has not been "too damaging".

Chris Seager, owner of Seagers Farm in Draycott, said due to the fruit being left to naturally ripen this year, he was expecting his strawberries to be even more "flavoursome" than usual.

Mr Seager said the industry was struggling due to long days and the lack of available fruit pickers

Chairman of British Berry Growers, Nick Marston, said the slower ripening period would allow the flavours to develop as the strawberries grow to become particularly "large and juicy".

Mr Marston said they would be "well worth the wait", adding that it would be a "fantastic year for British strawberries".

However, Mr Seager said even though it should be good year for strawberries, his biggest issue was finding fruit pickers.

He said since leaving the EU it had become a major problem.

Seagers Farm has 125 metres of polytunnels filled with strawberries

Mr Seager said he had some spare fields he was unable to grow other crops in as he was unable to "get the staff".

He continued: "No one wants to do it because it's hard work.

"We used to have lots of Polish people who had been coming for 18 to 20 years, but now we can't get any new people to replace them because of Brexit."