A gooseberry growing champion has accused a rival of poisoning and killing his prized bushes.
Gooseberries
Terry Price explained that his bushes began looking sickly earlier this year and were all dead within a matter of days.
Price sent some of the plants to a laboratory for testing and discovered that they had been sprayed with a harmful chemical formula that cannot be bought over the counter.
He is convinced that it is an act of sabotage designed to stop him from winning the title for heaviest gooseberry in the Cheshire village of Goostrey.
Goostrey Gooseberry Society secretary Martin de Kretser warned that the saboteur would be banned for life if they are discovered and is hopeful that Price simply made a mistake.
He told The Sun newspaper: "If this was another gooseberry grower they would be banned for life.
"I do hope it was just a mistake in using contaminated compost or accidental spraying with the wrong chemicals.
"It is easily done."