Cornwall farmer warns of 'disastrous' harvest over wet weather

Ashley Jones said his farm had seen nearly 20in (500mm) of rain since the start of the year

A farmer is warning of a "disastrous" harvest this year if wet weather continues.

Ashley Jones said he was struggling to get tractors into his land at Saltash in Cornwall because of deep mud.

"It is starting to cause a little bit of stress and I'm losing a bit of sleep," he said.

His warning came as forecasters said that March had been the wettest March recorded in nearby Plymouth since records began in 1931.

BBC South West senior meteorologist David Braine said on Thursday there had been 7.1in (181mm) of rain since the start of the month, when the average for the month was 3in (76mm).

Mr Jones said his farm had seen nearly 20in (500mm) of rain since the start of the year.

'Mother nature'

"We just can't get the tractors on to the land to care for our crops," he said.

"We are going to have a disastrous harvest if we can't get the crops sprayed and fertilised.

"It is also preventing us from sowing spring crops."

He added: "It is starting to cause a little bit of stress and losing a bit of sleep.

"We can't control the weather so we are in the hands of mother nature."