The spring heatwave has led to an early strawberry harvest at a Kent farm.

The summer fruit has started cropping two weeks earlier than usual at Hugh Lowe Farms in Mereworth and is already being sold in supermarkets and farm shops, and served in restaurants and hotels.

"We are lucky here at Hugh Lowe Farms that we farm some of the earliest fruiting slopes in the country, so our strawberries are always among the first to hit the shelves," said farm owner Marion Regan.

"However, this year has proved to be an exceptional one, thanks to sunnier than usual months in March and April.

"If the weather stays as it is, and there are no indications of any major changes in this warm and sunny trend, then this could prove to be a bumper year."

The strawberries were also served to children at Mereworth Primary School's Royal Wedding Street party. Now the farm, sole supplier to the official caterers at Wimbledon for the past 20 years, is gearing up for another bumper fortnight at the world's premier grass court tournament.

Hugh Lowe Farms is a family-owned farming company established more than 115 years ago. It is now one of the largest soft fruit businesses in the UK, employing 41 full-time staff and 450 seasonal workers