Rainfall and high temperatures raise the possibility of blight striking, so potato growers need to be extra vigilant and check their crops regularly.

The council is posting regular blight warnings and practical advice about controlling the disease on its website www.poato.org.uk. It has three recorded sites in Suffolk, Shropshire and Fife and has set up a group of agronomists to monitor them.

'Information from each site will be posted regularly including he results of a special forecasting system, Plant-Plus, that will provide detailed information about when blight spores begin to form and spread,' said BPC agronomist Rob Clayton.

Keeping crops disease free in the early part of the season is vital to reduce the number of spores that might be washed down to infect tubers growing in the soil.

Potato dumps also pose a threat to healthy growing crops. 'Additional waste tubers are still coming out of stores,' said Dr Clayton. 'This discarded material, which often includes blighted tubers is forming more potato dumps. Left uncontrolled they act as a reservoir for blight infection.' The BPC advises growers to remain vigilant and burn off dumps as soon as foliage appears as well as treating growing crops with a high degree of care.

'If left uncontrolled, foliar blight alone can account for up to 40 per cent yield loss,' said Dr Clayton. 'If high blight risk occurs in your area, spraying should commence immediately, irrespective of crop growth stage.'

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