Asparagus harvest in South East hit by bad weather

Farmers in the South East say the cold, wet spring has hit this year's asparagus crop hard, with the first few bunches just getting to shops and restaurants now - a month late.

The harvest for 2013 is expected to be down by 50%.

Peter Dyas, of Sevenscore Farm in Ramsgate, Kent said his workers had taken 20-odd trays from a field which would usually yield up to 200.

"It's very, very sparse. It's a disaster this year," he said.