Flood-affected farmer writes off £15k of crops

A farmer from Staffordshire has said he has written off about £15,000 worth of crops as a result of recent wet weather.

Richard Bower, from Lower Drayton Farm in Penkridge, said February had already seen more than twice the usual rainfall, despite there still being a week to go until the end of the month.

“It just hasn’t stopped raining unfortunately, it’s been quite relentless,” he said.

Mr Bower said he had recorded 93mm (3.7in) of rainfall already in February – with the average for the month being 41mm (1.6in).

As a result, Mr Bower’s family farm is "absolutely saturated", he said, adding it had flooded five times this winter.

It has also led to challenges with the usual routine of the farm.