Heavy hail storms last week have caused significant damage to apple crops in the south east.

Hail stones the size of marbles were reported as falling in Canterbury and other areas of Kent, with the promise of further bad weather on the way this week.

Worldwide Fruit’s Steve Maxwell said that a number of growers had been suffering ever since the last bank holiday with hail, with further storms expected to hit. He added that growers are still assessing the severity of the situation.

Outgoing Bramley Campaign chairman Ian Mitchell said that he had heard reports of severe damage, adding that while his own farm had not been majorly affected, there is no complacency.

“When margins are tight there is always a danger of getting clobbered,” he told Commercial Grower. “Hail is one of the worst things you can get as if the fruit gets cut it gets rotten. We would like to factor in a bit of a safety margin into prices.”