Surrey dry spell reaches 50 days, affecting farmers
A dry spell in Surrey has continued for 50 consecutive days without rain, impacting local farmers and raising concerns for crops.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A village in Surrey has now gone 50 consecutive days without rain, as the dry spell across southern England continues to break records and force farmers to rethink their crops. Wisley, near the A3, has seen no significant rainfall since mid-June, according to local reports. The previous record for the area was 36 days without rain, set in 1976. This summer has already seen a heatwave in June, and July in southern England was the hottest, driest, and sunniest month on record.
At Crockford Bridge Farm, a pick-your-own operation, the owner Caroline said the weather patterns are shifting and causing serious problems. The farm has traditionally grown strawberries, raspberries, and blackcurrants, but the soft fruits are struggling. Strawberries and raspberries stop producing when temperatures exceed 28 degrees Celsius. This year, the London area has seen more days above 30 degrees than it did in the entire 1980s. As a result, the farm is pivoting to sunflowers, pumpkins, and sweet corn, which are more resilient. Caroline said raspberry yields are down by 30 to 40 percent, and this will be the last year they grow strawberries. The crop is too labour-intensive to plant, look after, and water, and the farm is having to prioritise its irrigation reservoir carefully.
Reservoirs across the country are now 12 percent below where they should be for this time of year. More areas are being placed in drought status, and hosepipe bans are being introduced. Another heatwave is forecast, and there is still no significant rain expected in the south of England. Farmers are adapting, but the long-term shift in weather patterns is forcing difficult decisions about what to grow and how to use water.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| July in southern England was the hottest, driest, and sunniest month on record. | |
| Reservoirs across the country are 12% below expected levels. | |
| Wisley in Surrey recorded 50 consecutive days without rain, breaking the previous record of 36 days set in 1976. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The report focuses on the human and practical impact of the dry spell on a specific farm, using the owner's testimony to illustrate the challenges. It highlights the record-breaking nature of the drought and the strategic shift away from traditional soft fruits. The tone is concerned but not alarmist, with a clear explanation of the science behind the crop failures.
- “It has been incredibly challenging, yes. The weather patterns are moving and it is causing a lot of problems for us and many other farmers.”
- “And so we're sort of swinging on and we're just doing other crops now with the sunflowers, with pumpkins, with sweet corn and the soft fruits are just much more difficult to grow.”
- “We saw the raspberry crops that yields down, what, 30, 40%, something like that.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.