Flood hits Severnside

Jeremy Chamberlayne has witnessed many floods since he started farming on the banks of the River Severn in 1968, but never anything like this.

The waters started rising on Friday (20 July) and carried on until Sunday. At that point his Ashleworth Court Farm, to the north of Gloucester, was under water and his 2000 pigs in danger of drowning.

“Fortunately we have another sow house higher up in the village and we spent all day carrying, dragging and swimming the pigs to safety,” he told Farmers Weekly. Losses were kept to about 50 piglets.

But further downstream Mr Chamberlayne reckons 200 acres of crops will be a write-off.

“I estimate we will have lost about £100,000 in total,” he said.