PREPARATIONS are well under way for this weekend's potato days in Whitchurch and organisers have sought to clear up any confusion about the event.

A press release issued last week stated that a planned presentation to youngsters of a 'smile' potato had to be cancelled because 'all potato imports from the continent have been banned due to the threat of a killer fungus'.

This prompted DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to issue its own statement saying the information was inaccurate.

It said: "Imports to the UK from the continent have not been banned; there is no new 'killer fungus' to justify such an action and the only recent plant health problems has concerned potato ring rot - this was caused by bacteria, not a fungus, and has not resulted in an import ban."

Graham Burgess, president of the Whitchurch Gardens Association, said the confusion started when they were led to believe by suppliers that importation of potatoes had been banned. "As far as we're concerned sadly the smile potato is not going to be with us for the show because of ring spot bacterium," he said.

"We have sought an alternative and the king and queen of potatoes will give the children the pretty ambo potato, and all the children whose addresses we have will receive a smile potato eventually."

Earlier this week, Graham was busy adding the final touches to the 'chip maze' in the grounds of Whitchurch Silk Mill.

Whitchurch Sports and Social Club kindly loaned the use of their white paint machine while Mike Self and Nick Lucas at Herriard Sawmills Ltd in Basingstoke chipped in with some wood.

More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the events at the weekend, which will feature a variety of activities including the Henry Doubleday Research Association's seed sale at Testbourne Community Centre.

The event runs between 10am and 3pm on both days.