Emergency works are underway to establish a water irrigation system to fields in Apse Heath, where crops are beginning to fail as the hot and extremely dry weather continues to affect the Isle of Wight.
Apse Manor Road has been closed in both directions to allow local contractors to dig up the road and establish a water connection to deliver thousands of litres of water to the parched fields.
Over the past few days fields, hedgerows and grass verges have been rapidly turning to a shade of brown as plants and shrubbery die off under the intense summer sun.
The heatwave has continued to dominate the South for several weeks now mixed in with a prolonged period of dry weather.
Local weather forecasters IW Met Service say that the Isle of Wight won’t see any significant rainfall for at least the next 7 days – this could lead to more problems for farmers across the Island.
Motorists are being diverted via Ventnor Road, Whiteley Bank and Canteen Road.
