Turf fields used for Wimbledon as soggy as 'jelly'

A farmer who grows turf used at Manchester Utd's Old Trafford ground, Wimbledon and Lord's Cricket Ground says it is "heartbreaking" to see his fields flooded by heavy rainfall.

Simon Hutton, managing director of Tillers' Turf, said heavy downpours in January had left the ground looking like "jelly or a blancmange pudding".

The company grows turf used in sporting surfaces across 2,200 acres (890 hectares) of land near Drinsey Nook in Lincolnshire.

"Every field is affected, some more than others. It's too much to deal with at the moment," Hutton said.

The company said its ability to supply major sporting venues and golf courses would not be affected by the weather.

Hutton said: "We'll suffer with waste, and the heartbreak of it really, we put love, sweat and tears into what we produce.

"To see it flood out and be ruined is definitely heartbreaking.

"Last year it was [as dry as] biscuits, this year it's more like blancmange or jelly. It's very difficult."

In July 2025, the company, which has been providing turf to Lords Cricket Ground since 1998, said hot weather had "burned out" the grass it was growing.

Areas across the UK from Cornwall to County Down have seen their wettest January on record continue with heavy rain in February.

Hutton said the past year or so had been one of extremes, with drought conditions between February and mid-September 2025, and then four months of near continual rain.

"The extremes of weather are very unpredictable for us to deal with, and to plan for," he added.

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