Floods to put damper on Christmas dinner

The trade magazine the Grocer says shortages in the wake of the recent floods could last until the end of the year with the British crop of brussels sprouts badly hit.

Torrential rain across much of the country has added to the woes of growers and threatened availability levels in supermarkets. Up to half of the UK's brussels sprout crop has been lost, fuelling fears of Christmas Day shortages, producers have warned.

Sarah Pettitt, a sprout grower, said: "When the sun is shining again the consumer will forget there was a problem, but the impact of this weather on crops will be felt into 2008. There will be shortages."

She warned that staples such as spring cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower were also likely to run short.

"Cauliflower and broccoli supplies will be sporadic with peaks and troughs for the rest of the year," she said.

The magazine said that in the meantime broccoli is being brought into the UK from the US to keep supermarket shelves stocked.

Ms Pettitt added: "The supermarkets' initial reaction has been to hit the panic button. They have got on to the produce marketing companies and told them to get buyers out to every corner of the earth to keep supplies going."

The Grocer said that the strategy of supply at any cost has resulted in soaring shelf prices in supermarkets. Broccoli was being sold by major retailers for 1.59 per kg last week - up from 1.28.

The price of cauliflower, which had already been hiked once by the hot, dry spring, has risen from 89p each in Morrisons to 1.09.

The pea harvest has been particularly hard hit, with the Processed Vegetable Growers Association estimating that two-fifths of this year's crop has been wiped out - the equivalent of 61 million bags of frozen peas.

The cost is more than 220 million, the association estimates. Birds Eye has admitted that pea prices could be affected by the reduced harvest and supplies of salad crops such as lettuce have also suffered.

Dairy farmers have been forced to keep many cows indoors, using scarce silage stocks, pushing up their costs.

Matt Davies, spokesman for the National Farmers' Union, said the full impact of the floods on specific crops had yet to be assessed.

"Anecdotally, it sounds pretty bad. Some farmers have lost everything," he said.

WATER BACK ON TAP - BUT NOT FOR DRINKING

TENS of thousands of homes in areas devastated by floods will today get water flowing through their taps.

Around 140,000 properties across Gloucestershire, which have been without running water for a week, were told yesterday that the water supply would be restored to all areas by Thursday.

However, it could be a further two weeks before tap water is safe enough to drink. Severn Trent Water - which plans to take a week to phase in supplies - warned that the water would not initially be fit for drinking, preparing food or brushing teeth, even if it is boiled.

Tim Brain, the county's police chief, asked people to remain patient, adding: "There is light at the end of the tunnel."

Fears of more flooding in the South Midlands and Thames Valley areas have faded as drier weather is forecast for the week ahead, and residents can finally see an end to the long crisis.

About 13,000 homes in Tewkesbury have already been reconnected, and a further 65,000 properties in the Gloucester area should have water back today.

RAIN WIPES OUT MILLIONS

HEAVY rain has seen midge numbers plummet this year, quashing fears this would be a record season for the tiny biting insects.

The country's leading midge expert said millions could have starved from not being able to get their fangs into fresh blood for more than a week.

Dr Alison Blackwell said all 30 official midge traps in Scotland had captured up to 50 per cent fewer insects.

The monitoring station in Argyll recorded just 58,000 midges last week - half of the count for the previous week and 40 times less than the first week of June.

The weather also appears to have delayed the second, and final, midge hatch.

Earlier this year Dr Blackwell had warned that 2007 would be a "bumper year".

However she added that an Indian summer could reverse the present trend.