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Pictured: Forde Abbey gardener Johanna Witts with pumpkins in the Kitchen Garden which have been grown for the annual pumpkin roll.

Pumpkin farmers have begun harvesting their crop in the late summer sunshine.

While many farmers and wholesalers say it has not been a great year for the autumnal fruit, these farms have some squashes ready to be cut.

Forde Abbey in Chard, Somerset, have beaten the odds with a decent crop in their kitchen garden.

Gardener Jo Witts said they were expecting to harvest around 200 pumpkins which will be left to dry out ready for pumpkin rolling in the half term holidays.

At Sopley PYO Farm in Christchurch, Dorset, families have been getting in there early to pick their pumpkins before Halloween.