Farmers 'will take whatever rain we get'

Farmers say they "desperately" need wet weather after the sunniest April on record.

One farmer from Northamptonshire said he would take whatever rain he could get as both his arable crops and his fodder grass were gasping for water.

Many farms suffered a bad harvest last year because of the relatively high rainfall, and are now facing the same pressure thanks to the sun.

A cider maker in the county said the warm weather was making his apples sweeter and making alcohol levels "a bit higher".

The Met Office said provisional figures showed 2025 had had the sunniest April since records began in 1910.

There were 47% more sunshine hours than the long-term meteorological average.

At Pear Tree Farm in Aldwincle near Thrapston in Northamptonshire, Tim Hankins was celebrating a small downpour on Sunday night.

"We'll take whatever we can get. We desperately, desperately need wet weather," he said.

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