Cherries to flood supermarket shelves after July's heatwave

Cherries are a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals and are well-known for their antioxidant properties

A flood of sweet cherries is set to hit supermarket shelves after the recent hot weather led to a bumper crop.

A cold and rainy spring had threatened this year's output, but growers are now celebrating a massive yield.

Lee Turner, from Kent-based FGA Farming, the UK's largest cherry grower, said the UK was now looking at an "abundance of super sweet cherries".

Supermarket chain Tesco said it had taken on an extra 115 tonnes of the fruit to avoid them going to waste.

The bulk of the sudden rush of supply has come from Kent, the UK's main cherry-growing area.

The county saw high temperatures throughout July, with Public Health England issuing heat health alerts.

This year's British harvest is expected to be double that of 2018

Mr Turner said the hot spell had helped the cherry trees develop, producing super-sweet fruit.

He said: "For the next two to three weeks the UK will be getting an abundance of super-sweet, classic British cherries."

Unseasonal weather in April and May had meant a far colder start to the cherry growing season than usual, he explained.

But that meant trees were dormant for longer, allowing them to build up the energy needed to produce the high quality fruit coming through now.

This year's British cherry harvest is expected to be double that of 2018, at just over 6000 tonnes.

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