Farmer sorry for huge sugar beet pile left at road

A county council has said it is "glad to see" that a huge pile of sugar beet that was left on the side of a road has been removed.

Thousands of the plant crop was found blocking the cycleway on Old Norwich Road in Ipswich on Tuesday.

John Latham, of Blakenham Farms, has admitted storing the sugar beet on the roadside and has apologised.

Suffolk County Council said the product was removed on Wednesday.

A council spokesperson said: "We are glad to see the sugar beet has now been removed from the highway.

"We thank residents for reporting this to us and to those responsible for its safe arrival in Bury."

The crop was transported to the British Sugar factory in Bury St Edmunds.

Mr Latham told the East Anglian Daily Times that he temporarily stored the produce at the roadside as his land was too wet for lorries to access.

He said he previously used the layby several years ago but added: "In hindsight, I should have contacted the council and I apologise for that."

According to a 2024-25 contract between British Sugar and the National Farmers Union, the crop is worth £40 per tonne.

A British Sugar spokeswoman said: "Safety and health is at the heart of all our operations and we do remind all our growers, contractors and hauliers of the importance of respecting local communities and highways in our campaign handbook, which is issued prior to the harvest each year.

"We expect them to adhere to these guidelines."

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