SHOPPERS are to reap a heatwave bonus — bargain strawberries and cherries.
The extra sunshine has provided an unexpected late growth spurt for the fruit, leaving farmers with a glut.
The cost of supermarket strawberries is set to plummet after a huge harvest this summer
They have had to sell them for less than usual — with supermarkets keen to pass on the savings to families struggling with the cost of living crisis.
Tesco says it is offering 1kg boxes of strawberries at more than 750 of its stores for £4.
Kilo boxes of cherries will be sold for a knockdown £5 at 850 stores.
The heatwave, on the back of a mild and settled spring, led to growers in Kent, Norfolk, Lancashire, Scotland and Herefordshire reporting bumper crops.
Alastair Brooks, managing director of Langdon Manor Farm near Faversham, Kent, was able to shift his extra tons of fruit through Tesco.
He said: “We have an abundance of healthy, perfectly ripe, extra sweet strawberries.”
Tesco’s Laura Mitchell said: “British shoppers are going through a tough time at the moment, and if there’s something that can put a big smile on faces right now, it’s being able to buy sweet, lush, British strawberries for less than normal.”