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Somerset: Tonnes of apples wash up after Storm Ciarán

Matilda Temperely Lots of apples in floodwater in the corner of a fieldMatilda Temperely
The storm has left a carpet of fruit

Two tonnes of apples have washed into the corner of an orchard after recent stormy weather blew them off the trees.

Somerset Cider Brandy, based near Martock, said it is now giving them away after high winds and floods in Storm Ciarán caused the unusual sight.

Matilda Temperely, from the cider farm, said: "We won't be able to pick these apples with our harvesting machine as it's a bit soggy.

"There's a couple of tonnes of apple that people can help themselves to."

Matilda Temperely Lots of apples in floodwater in the corner of a fieldMatilda Temperely
The company said there is a "nice mix of bittersweets"

Ms Temperley said the loss will not impact their full harvest as they have "got a lot of apples in our fields".

"There's about 300 tonnes of apples in the rest of our orchards," she said.

Somerset Cider Brandy is based at Pass Vale Farm in Burrow Hill on the Somerset levels and has pressed cider for hundreds of years.

It also runs the popular Cider Bus at Glastonbury Festival every year.

Matilda Temperely Flooded orchardMatilda Temperely
The orchards were badly flooded during Storm Ciarán

In a post on its Facebook page, it welcomed people to come and collect any of the washed up apples.

Ms Temperely said: "We still have one orchard field that is fully underwater, which at the moment, you can only access with a canoe.

"The storm has caused a very strange sight but we have to expect more of this type of weather especially with climate change."

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