Prospects of a dry weekend mean Carl Juhl hopes to make a start on his oilseed rape at Little Farms, Saffron Walden, Essex, on Saturday (25 July).

“It doesn’t look too bad,” he said. “My neighbour might just be about to nibble at some rape today.”

Mr Juhl had 200ha (500 acres) of Castille and Catana oilseed rape to cut, which would be followed by wheat and spring barley.

Although the first wheats looked well, the second wheats had suffered during the dry spell in May, he added.

The Met Office was forecasting sunshine and showers tomorrow (23 July) and Friday, becoming drier over the weekend before a return to further unsettled weather next week.

“The south-eastern quarter of England is likely to have the best of any drier and sunnier conditions, especially during the middle part of the week,” said a Met Office spokesman.