Farmers fear worst in spring drought

They say April is the month for showers, but for farmers and gardeners in the West Midlands, conditions are more akin to a long hot summer.

Today they spoke of their struggle to help their plants and crops cope with the lack of rainfall, together with their fears of a knock-on effect on this year's harvest.

April was the warmest on record, with temperatures around 5C (9F) warmer than usual. It was also the fifth driest on record in the West Midlands, with just a quarter of an inch of rain compared to an average April when 2.25in would be expected.

Yvonne Sadler, who runs Hobble End Farm in Hobble End Lane, Walsall, said their crops were in desperate need of water.

She said: "They are stressed out by the heat. It's affecting the barley and wheat which is due for harvest in August. It's just so short.

"The prices will have to go up because there won't be as much about. The cows are suffering too because the grass isn't growing. That has a knock-on effect with the milk."

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