Britain facing a shortage of Jersey Royal potatoes after the driest spring in decades

Jersey farmers warned yesterday that their potato supplies could run out in a matter of weeks.

After witnessing the driest spring in 34 years Britain has been left with a shortage of Jersey Royal potatoes.

The Channel Islands, the only place in the world where Jersey Royals can be grown, received a quarter of the expected rainfall between March and May.

As a result only two thirds of the potatoes grown on the island are sellable and many growers fear they will run out of usable crops within weeks.

William Church, commercial manager of the Jersey Royal Company which grows 75 per cent of produce on the island, said: 'This has been one of the driest springs we have ever had.

'At the moment we are harvesting 30 per cent less this year compared to last year.

'Normally we harvest 35,000 tonnes, which is 75 per cent of all Jersey Royals, but this year I would be surprised if we reached 25,000.'

Due to adverse weather conditions potatoes have been left underdeveloped, rotting in the ground and many of those harvested are unusable.