Salad basics stop growing and hosepipe use is banned as 30C-plus temperatures continue

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Britain is continuing to feel the effects of the long, hot weather as moor fires keep burning, hosepipe bans are imposed and horticultural crops suffer.

The high temperatures have increased the demand for lettuce – a record 18m heads sold last week, 40% more than in the same period last year – but the salad crop is wilting under the high pressure.

Dieter Lloyd, the spokesperson for British Leafy Salad Growers, said: “When the mercury hits 30C, lettuces can’t grow.”



High temperatures were affecting all farmers in the group’s major salad-growing areas, from Fife and Lancashire, to East Anglia and Sussex.

“We may be seeing some gaps on retailers’ shelves in the next two weeks as the heatwave continues,” Lloyd said.



However, supermarkets may fill the gaps with lettuce from across the Atlantic. Sourcing salad ingredients from southern Europe was not possible because they were also affected by the high temperatures.

Lloyd said it was a similar story for other vegetables, including broccoli and cauliflower.

However, perhaps the gravest consequence of the looming lettuce shortage has been the outbreak of groan-worthy tweets.

The Lincs FM farming programme presenter Sean Dunderdale said: “First crumpets now I’m hearing there might be a lettuce shortage next week. Is it just the tip of the iceberg?”



The Times columnist and Tory peer Daniel Finkelstein quipped: “Wouldn’t have happened if we’d voted Romaine. Even the lettuce leaves.”

Temperatures have been above 30C this week across many parts of the UK, with Glasgow notching up its hottest day on record at 31.9C on Thursday.

The conditions show no sign of abating, with London and Cardiff heading for 29C and 28C respectively on Saturday, although temperatures in Edinburgh and Newcastle were expected to reach just 19C.

Met Office (@metoffice) If you have plans this Saturday afternoon, it is almost universally #sunny across the UK, with temperatures already well into the 20s Celsius (and they'll only rise further later this afternoon...) pic.twitter.com/VejnKvJfsq

Some water companies have asked customers to conserve supplies by not using hosepipes or water sprinklers.

The first hosepipe ban began in Northern Ireland at 6pm on Friday. NI Water’s chief executive, Sara Venning, said: “We are asking customers to take heed of the hosepipe ban and stop non-essential water use – using hoses and sprinklers is causing demand to exceed the capacity to supply.”

Severn Trent Water asked householders to be “careful with their water” and avoid using garden sprinklers or hoses.

Meanwhile, gritters had been deployed in some areas, spreading crushed rock dust on melting asphalt to create a non-stick layer between the roads and vehicles.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A gritter spreads rock dust on the road surface in Cumbria. Photograph: Cumbria county council/PA

Sunday’s temperatures are forecast to be well above average in most areas, particularly central southern England. However, a yellow weather warning for heavy showers and thunderstorms has been issued for south-west England and Wales, and it will be cooler across northern Scotland.

Monday and Tuesday are forecast to be very warm or hot, and sunny in most areas.