A major farm owner has started working on the first of three proposed cold stores at its sites across Kent.

AC Goatham & Son runs 27 farms across the county, producing some 200 million apples and 50m pears last year alone.

Now it hopes to have completed the construction of a new 12 chamber cold store at its Howt Green Farm near Sittingbourne by the end of the summer.

Further cold stores are planned for Elmstone Farm, near Wingham, outside Canterbury, and Swanton Farm, Bredgar, subject to planning approval.

It is also splashing out over the coming 12 months on new facilities for seasonal workers and to house machinery at a number of farm locations.

Managing director Ross Goatham said: “There is an industry wide lack of modern cold storage facilities here in Kent. We are continuing to invest for our future to ensure we can supply the British public with the best quality apples and pears for longer each season.

“To support the planting of our new orchards, we need to have this infrastructure in place to store the fruit once harvested. It makes sense to build or improve facilities at our individual farms around the county, to help reduce vehicle movements during the harvest period and crucially to get the field heat out of the fruit as soon as possible. This will help to ensure that the fruit stores for longer, so it will be available for longer in British supermarkets for consumers.

“All businesses need to invest to build a successful future. Despite the challenges which Brexit will bring for our industry, we are very confident that with this investment, the British top fruit sector is well placed for a sustainable future.”