‘Cucumber capital’ growers selling up as Brexit and energy crisis hits Britain’s vegetable industry

A flawed government plan for workers adds to problems as growers apply to pull down 60 hectares of greenhouses

Huge areas of one of Britain's biggest salad growing hubs will be replaced with housing estates, as growers give up in despair, and cash in their land.

The Lea Valley, also known as the cucumber capital and Britain's salad bowl, is one of the diamonds of the UK's embattled horticultural sector. The Lea Valley Growers Association (LVGA), seeded through an area running across Greater London, Essex and Hertfordshire, comprises more than 180 hectares (450 acres) of glasshouses, run by 80 growers. The valley should be a jewel in the crown for a country concerned with homegrown industry and food security.