One Of Britain's First Pick Your Own Farms Forced To Close,

because of crippling health and safety rules and rising insurance premiums, apart from eating to many strawberries I did not figure this type of farm to be much of a risk, "Not so!" say health and safety, Boddington’s Berries, which produces 200-tons of fruit each season, was told the farm had to install walkways and bridges between each row of strawberries, cordon off potholes in the fields and install handrails near open ditches, yes you read that right! "Walkways between each row of strawberries!" for me one of the few things that were great about having kids was to take them to a pick-your-own farm, only one way in and out, there was no way the farmer was going to let them out with out paying, so off to the pub! but seriously, Phil Boddington, 45, who owns the farm in Mevagissey, Cornwall, said: ‘When we tell people why we stopped doing pick-your- own, there is a lot of eye-rolling, ‘To us it’s a pick-your-own farm but to the insurers and the health and safety people it’s a strawberry factory, ‘The insurers want us to cotton wool the place by adding walkways and bridges, and making restricted zones with cordons, ‘They even wanted us to put handrails in, it is a sad day when a pick-your- own farm is closing because of heath and safety fears.’ if it goes like this in other places it is goodbye for quick one down the pub for future dad's!