A record sugar yield of more than 170 tonnes per hectare from a Norfolk crop of beet has been confirmed by British Sugar. The results of the 11 samples for Stalham Farmers' Club's best two acres of sugar beet have revealed that a crop grown at East Ruston for Mary Hannant by Thomas Love's Walcott Farms was the winner. The adjusted yield, to 16pc, was calculated at 170.1 tonnes per hectare, based on 19.25pc sugar content. The dirty weight of the hand-dug beet sampled was 142t, producing a clean weight of 133.9t.

The runner-up was Mr Love's Walcott Farms with a crop at Happisburgh. It had an adjusted weight of 163.9t with average sugars of 18.74pc from a dirty sample of 143.8t. And in third place was the club's former president, Roger Beck, who had an adjusted yield of 158.5t. The crop had an average sugar content of 19.12pc and the dirty weight was 126.1t. In fourth place, John Mitchell, of Repps, with a crop grown near Hicking. It had an adjusted yield of 146t per ha, based on 19.34pc sugar, and an original sample of 121.1t while a near neighbour, John Tallowin, of Willow Farm, Hickling, was fifth with an adjusted yield of 136.3t, based on 19.25pc sugar. Robert Cook's crop at Hempstead was an adjusted 133.6t, based on 18.91pc sugar content.