The UK’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has identified new plant viruses with the potential to cause widespread damage to the English wine industry.

The viruses that have been recognised for the first time are capable of reducing grape yields, delaying fruit ripening resulting in overly-acidic grapes and, at worst, wiping out entire crops. They were discovered by the RHS at its gardens in Surrey and also at the National Fruit Collection in Kent.

The diseases identified include the rupestris stem pitting-associated virus, fleck virus and leafroll-associated virus 1 as well as a virus that causes degeneration transmitted by soil-dwelling nematodes, according to the Head of Plant Health at the RHS.

He urged commercial vineyards to be aware of the risk and to only use plants certified as being virus-free.

While no cases of the unnamed diseases have been confirmed at any commercial vineyards, experts said it is likely they could have spread further and warned producers to be wary.