Estate jammed by fruit pickers

One is a popular South Staffordshire farm with acres of fresh produce, the other is a new housing development.

But that hasn’t stopped fruit fans getting in a pickle as they drive through Essington. Motorists hoping to pick strawberries at Essington Fruit Farm have been following signs for Strawberry Fields – and ending up at a new estate.

Richard Simkin, owner of the farm on Bognop Road, said people had seen the funny side even after getting lost.

“It’s leading to a number of people coming to pick strawberries and ending up in a showhome,” he said.

“People asking the locals where the strawberry fields are can get one of two answers.”

He said the fruit farm was signposted with a picture of a strawberry, but that had not stopped a number of drivers ending up at the development around a mile away on Brownshore Lane.

Mr Simkin added: “I’m hoping there’s a degree of flattery in there and that they’ve named the development after us.”

Strawberry season is now well under way at the fruit farm. It is home to around eight acres of the fruit and produces around 20 to 30 tons of it in a season.

Staff at the farm started turning their attentions to the strawberry season months ago after spreading up to 500 bails of hay across the plantations. They made sure their strawberry crop ripened just nicely to coincide with Wimbledon.