Apples carpet the floor of an orchard after Storm Ophelia

Picking apples can be a painstaking job lasting several weeks. But at this orchard, nature has done the farmers’ work for them in one night.

Tens of thousands of the fruit were blown from the trees by a devastating storm. But as luck would have it, the windfalls did not end up bruised and useless – because the orchard was flooded as a result of the bad weather.

Instead, the apples’ fall was cushioned and they were gently and neatly deposited on the ground, in perfect condition, as the waters receded. The owners of the orchard, in Clonmel, County Tipperary, Ireland, had been fearing the worst as the powerful remnants of Hurricane Ophelia battered the British Isles.

But instead of a scene of devastation, farmers were surprised to find the trees still standing and the fruit that usually has to be picked lying neatly on the ground in a massive and evenly-spread pile. Only a fraction of the crop remained on the branches to be picked by hand.

The apples ripen late in the year and are used to make Bulmers Irish cider. The C&C Group, which owns the brand, said it has secured extra storage and increasing processing capacity to ensure the apples are not wasted. It said: ‘C&C is actively working with Irish growers to ensure the highest quality crop for pressing and production.’

The storm, with winds of up to 100mph, caused widespread damage in several areas of the British Isles. Three people were killed in the Irish Republic. Winds around the edges of the storm dragged dust from the Sahara across many parts of the UK, turning the sky yellow.

But as luck would have it, the windfalls did not end up bruised and useless – because the orchard was flooded as a result of the bad weather

Instead, the apples’ fall was cushioned and they were gently and neatly deposited on the ground, in perfect condition, as the waters receded