'We can't get straw': thatchers under pressure
Thatchers say they're facing a shortage of straw, putting them out of work for months at a time
'We can't get straw': thatchers under pressure
Chris Pike (R) and Chris Fellows (L) said home owners are facing long delays
Thatchers say they are dealing with a worsening shortage of straw that is leaving them out of work for months at a time.
The traditional craft helps maintain some of Oxfordshire's most recognisable homes, but thatchers say it is becoming harder and harder to find enough suitable material.
Chris Pike of Thame Thatch said the shortage of straw is affecting not only his own work but also the homes waiting to be thatched: "We're just into a new harvest but by April we'll run out of straw again."
Historic England, the government advisory body, said it understood the difficulties and had been "engaging closely with the sector on these issues over recent years".
"The longer this goes on and you're waiting for straw, roofs are getting dilapidated and then it causes problems underneath where the roof starts leaking and damaging the cottage itself," Pike said.
Chris Fellows, owner of Thame Thatch, said he is concerned about what this could mean for the industry in the future: "It's the materials, the straw and obtaining it…obviously the weather's changing.
"The dry summers and springs are killing it, the crop just isn't growing…you've got farmers who are a third down on their yield and that's a huge concern."
Fellows said they have little choice but to wait for straw to become available, which can lead to long delays for home owners: "A lot of cottages are listed so you can't use any different materials and that's the thing that's becoming a struggle, trying to get through the year with the straw you've got."
Speaking about the house they are currently working on in Postcombe, Fellows said the owners had been waiting "well over two years."
"We have enough to complete it now because the new harvest is out but then everyone jumps on the straw which causes it to run out again."
Pike said the shortage is causing thatchers to miss out on work altogether: "I know thatcher's who had three of four months off."
Fellows said it is frustrating because the demand remains: "We're in Thame so we're rich with thatch around here and we have loads of cottages booked in, we just can't get the straw."
A Historic England spokesperson said that wherever possible, it "supports the continued use of authentic thatching materials and traditional techniques on listed buildings".
"We understand that periodic shortages of thatching straw can make sourcing traditional material extremely challenging, and we have been engaging closely with the sector on these issues over recent years."
"Where detailed evidence shows that the usual thatching straw is genuinely unavailable, ... appropriate alternative thatch materials may be temporarily acceptable to ensure the historic buildings most in need can be repaired and protected.
"Our guidance, ongoing research and support to the sector aim to safeguard the craft, support traditional materials, skills, growers and thatchers, and help keep historic buildings weather-tight while work continues to strengthen the long-term resilience of thatching material supply."