Hundreds of homeowners and businesses in Yorkshire are now facing a large clean-up operation after the worst September storms in three decades.

As well as wrecking family homes and disrupting local businesses, the floodwater could also have a devastating effect on the region's farmers.

Waterlogged fields have forced farmers to postpone the planting of next year's harvest, leading to talk of low yields and prices hikes next year.

The rainswept summer hit harvests hard, and farmers now fear the recent deluge could lead to a second consecutive year of misery.

Former National Farmers' Union vice-president Paul Temple, a beef and arable farmer near Driffield, said: "The concern is we have already had a very disappointing harvest and are now facing difficulties establishing crops for next year.

"At this point we would be drilling for wheat and barley, oil seed rape should have done three weeks ago but it too is late."

Copyright Press Association 2012