Heatwave harvest spuds 'won't last till Christmas'

Paul Williams on his allotment in Scunthorpe

The UK's fourth heatwave of the summer is being felt by growers during National Allotments Week.

Paul Williams, who has tended his plot on Healey Road, Scunthorpe, for 15 years, said his potato crop was down by about three quarters after a terrible summer.

"We normally are self-sufficient in potatoes right up until about February, March time," he added. "We won't make Christmas this year."

Better news came with last week's rain, which filled his water butts, as the only answer to a heatwave was "water and water and water".

"It can take all day sometimes, because it's so hot."

Mr Williams said his chickens were also struggling and laying only three or four eggs instead of the usual half dozen.

Barry Cottiss says his pond liner has cracked in the heat

At the nearby Healey Road Wildlife Centre, trustee Barry Cottiss said high temperatures had caused a leak in a pond.

"We're having to harvest rainwater wherever we can to keep it stocked up," he said.

"We have a ditch at the side here, and because this is the lowest point on this site, we can pump water from the ditch straight into the pond.

"It's just rainwater, so that's great."

Paul Williams says his tomatoes - along with his potatoes - are struggling

The weather has not been all bad news: some plants are thriving, with fruit trees laden with apples and pears, and hedges full of blackberries and sloes.

National Allotments Week is running until Sunday and members of the Healey Road community are hoping it might spark interest in more people joining them, come rain or shine.

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