POTATO farmers in the North-East and North Yorkshire will be among those hardest-hit by crop losses.

Growers are facing financial disaster because the combination of the autumn's heavy rainfall and the severe frost over the Christmas and New Year period mean that many of the potatoes still in the ground are likely to be ruined.

Mr Robin Bosomworth, who grows 300 acres of potatoes near Thirsk, said about 35pc of his crop was still in the ground.

"Since the frost it looks as though they will be a write-off," he said. "As far as we are concerned, it is going to leave a hole of about £120,000 in our year's work."

Mr Bosomworth, who is the North-East representative on the NFU potato committee, said the full extent of the disaster would not be known for several months, until the potatoes could be taken out of the ground.

The problems in other areas of agriculture meant many farmers did not have any reserves to tide them over.

"Some people will definitely be out of business altogether as a result of this," he said.

Mr Marcus Walker, field officer for the British Potato Council covering North Yorkshire and County Durham, said farmers in this region would be among the worst affected.

"It is fairly catastrophic for individual growers and some people will have lost their crop altogether," said Mr Walker, adding that farmers in the North-East and North Yorkshire tended to grow late-maturing varieties, which would be more seriously affected by wet weather in October.

The last wet autumn, in 1998, was followed by a mild winter, meaning much of the crop could be harvested unharmed. The difference this year was the severe frost, which meant much of the crop would be ruined.

Abundant supplies of potatoes across Europe meant the price to the consumer was unlikely to be affected, he said