britain's changing climate could one day force an age-old tradition to change.

More rain and less sunshine now mean that many gooseberries - grown for competition - are ripe enough to pick a few weeks before the shows in July.

"It is not about growing the berries any more," said champion grower Peter Riley, 40 (pictured above).

"It is about who is the best at keeping them going for a few weeks until the show."

Field mice

But Gordon Cragg, who has been helping to run the Crown gooseberry show for almost 30 years, said moving the shows would be a logistical nightmare.

"There are eight shows in total and to move one you would have to move them all," he said.

"My personal view would be that people do not want to alter things. It causes a lot of confusion."

Mr Cragg (pictured right) said growers had simply to adapt to the changing climate.

"This is the thing that we're up against these days and we've got to cope with the seasons," he said.

Mr Riley, who grows his gooseberries in Sudlow Lane, now uses polythene to keep the fruits dry. "Years ago that would have been unheard of but now I have to rely on it," he said. "It is so much wetter now and that is affecting the way they grow."

Mr Cragg, 82, uses umbrellas to protect his prize berries from mildew.

"Last year it was a big problem," he said. "This year I'm trying to be more prepared and use repellent."

Mr Riley, a father-of-three who has won coveted awards at gooseberry shows in Peover and Allostock, also blamed field mice for making the job harder.

"They get in and eat about 30 to 40 berries a night," he said. "They chew them off at the roots and always seem to go for the biggest ones."