A TYNEDALE Farm famous for its fresh strawberries is celebrating its first pick of the year.

Brocksbushes Farm, near Corbridge, said its earliest crop of strawberries had been hand-picked and were now ready to eat.

However the farm, which attracts hundreds of visitors to its pick your own fields, has told potential pickers they are not open to the public at the moment.

Farmers have urged the British public to eat strawberries after cancelled summer events raised fears of a glut.

The trade body British Summer Fruits said that it would double its marketing and public relations spend in 2020 to encourage the public to eat more strawberries.

Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers Union, said she was in discussions with the government about the potential oversupply of homegrown fruits.

However Brocksbushes is yet to experience any excess supply.

“It’s not affected us too much as it’s still early days with out strawberries,” a spokeswoman said.

“The ones that have been ready have been flying out..”

The UK produced 132,000 tonnes of strawberries in 2018, according to data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Punnets of strawberries are now available to buy in the Brocksbushes Farm Shop, and can also be ordered online for contactless collection or delivery.

The farm fhop is open daily from 9.30am with strict social distancing measures in place.

Delivery is available to postcodes throughout the North-East, free of charge for orders over £50.