ONE of the traditional Westcountry summer's simple pleasures is under threat from health and safety rules which have already forced the closure of pick-your-own fields at one of the region's best-known fruit farms.

For more than 40 years, the Boddington family has thrown open the gates of their farm near Mevagissey, Mid-Cornwall, for the public to pluck succulent strawberries fresh from the plant.

But after being told to install safety features including handrails on drainage ditches and to cordon off potholes in the field in case errant pickers fall in, the family has decided it cannot afford to let people on to the farm.

There are fears that similar scenes could be played out at farms across the South West, according to industry figures, as insurers raise premiums in case of claims from people injured while picking.

Phil Boddington, whose grandfather set up the farm 60 years ago and whose father helped pioneer pick-your-own in Cornwall, said it was a sad day.

"Unfortunately, it is seen to be a risk to let the public onto what's deemed to be a strawberry factory in the eyes of the insurers and the health and safety people," he said. "It's just a sign of the times. When we tell people why we stopped doing pick-your-own, there is a lot of eye-rolling."

He added: "It doesn't sit well with the family."

The 20-acre farm at Tregoney Hill produces 200 tonnes of fruit each year, and is famous for its high-quality strawberries, which are used to produce award-winning jam.

For the last three generations, the family has welcomed pick-your-own customers.

Mr Boddington said that, during those decades, just two people had been injured in the fields while gathering fruit.

However, last year, one of them, an elderly woman, filed a claim against the farm's insurance for injuries she suffered after a fall. The claim is currently being processed, but Mr Boddington said it had caused their insurance premiums to more than double.

The family was told that if it wanted to continue with the pick-your-own element of their business, they would have to make "radical" and expensive alterations.

"It would have involved 'cotton wooling' walkways and bridges, handrails for open ditches, taping off areas and cordoning off areas," he said.

"With that claim, our insurance premium more than doubled, and it was already in the thousands of pounds, and that was just for pick-your-own."

Mr Boddington said the alterations would have cost more than any turnover generated.

In an aside to customers on the farm's website, he said: "Added to this the cost of insuring you all, just in case you injure yourselves whilst here, has also rocketed to more than the turnover."

Mr Boddington said the popularity of pick-your-own seemed to have dwindled in recent years and the family had decided to concentrate on its core business of producing berries for their own jam.

"It's a pity," he said. "It's fulfilling to see a family go into a field and pick their own fruit. We have every sympathy with the person who had the accident in the fields, but the fact remains that it has increased our insurance premiums and made the health and safety guy look at the field."

Ian Johnson, regional spokesman for the National Farmers' Union, said issues like public liability insurance and risk assessments were an everyday fact of life for modern farmers.

"It's a very sad and unfortunate incident at Boddington's, which I'm sure they regret as much as anyone, that after such a long time of letting people enjoy coming to pick fruit, they won't be able to do that any more. We live in a very litigious age."

Jim Dart, of Darts Farm, near Exeter, which sells home-grown and reared produce as well as having pick-your-own fruit fields, said it was a worry for most farms.

"The situation has not arisen for us, but it does send shivers down your spine," he said. "If someone came along and had a fall, you are in danger because a member of the public could take you to court.

"When people come on to the farm they are walking along farm tracks and hopefully it is all safe, but accidents can happen."