The UK has been told that chips are likely to be shorter this winter.

That’s the warning from Tim Rooke, chair of the National Farmers Union’s potato forum, who said the widespread drought in August was likely to lead to smaller potatoes being harvested.

Mr Rooke said the summer had been ‘very difficult’ for the industry, with the yield for those who had not been able to irrigate their crops down between 25% - 40%.

So what is the situation on the island?

Stuart Allanson, who grows a large range of fruit and vegetables on his Jurby farm, said that the island had not been so badly hit by the drought: ‘On the potato harvest, we’re into it nicely now, we just want some dry weather to get the harvest finished. But we have irrigation here on our farm and, UK-wide, probably 40% of potato crops don’t.

‘Irrigation is a big expense but are growing other vegetables here, cabbages and things like that that you really do need the rain for. Potatoes are quite resilient but when you are transplanting broccoli and cabbage you need rain with a week.’

He added: ‘But there are other challenges within the industry: the horrendous cost of fertiliser and the availability of it. We don’t have any livestock on the farm. We do, where we can get manure, from other farmers but now they are hanging onto it themselves more.’