Credit crunch misery has reached a low point at Leominster where thieves are resorting to stealing cabbages from the town’s allotments.
One pensioner claimed her patch on the Ginhall Lane site suffers from “mindless idiots” who uproot vegetables and scatter them around, and from others snatching their weekly greens. The Leominster woman, who did not want to be named, told the Journal she has lost tools, vegetables and equipment, but more recently a large 6ft by 8ft shed has been removed from her allotment.
“Every time you go up there you don’t know what you’re going to find.” she said. “I’ve found a lock bashed off my shed, and I’ve repaired bolts but after that they kept coming – I’ve had 12 incidents involving my allotment.
“Some are mindless idiots who chuck vegetables around, others nick tools for money, but then you get this lot – the theft of a large shed which I believe was done to order.” Claiming that security was “not good” at the site, she said a gas bottle worth £70 was removed from her shed two months ago, and a two-ring cooker was “bashed and buckled” in a previous incident. “I’ve paid up to keep my allotment until April next year, but this gets me down. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
She continued: “Since we’ve had these allotments, lots of things have been taken out of sheds, plus vegetables being stolen as well.
“I’m hardest hit because of where my allotment is, but now I’ve had the whole damned shed stolen. It beggar’s belief.”
She believed employing a night watchman at the out of town site was one solution.
She added: “The police are aware of what’s happened, and will do what they can”
The site, run by Leominster Town Council, has come in for strong praise from allotment holder Eric Vernon.
“I can’t fault the way the allotments are run, and you can’t insure against theft which is a countrywide problem,” he said. “I can’t think of any more they can do.” He believed some allotment holders failed to lock the gate behind them.
“There have been incidents of theft and the police have been down, but the gate is the big problem. No matter what is done, if some don’t lock the gate there’s a problem.
“I’ve had a few onions stolen – it’s always been part of allotmenteering, though it’s more prolific these days because of these economic times. It certainly won’t put me off – I really enjoy the allotment!”
In a statement, the town council said that sheds have been broken into and produce stolen in the past few weeks.
“Matters became much worse when a shed was physically removed from the allotments,” said a spokes-man. “The town council takes these matters very seriously.”
Warnings have been given to allotment holders about taking responsibility for locking the gate on leaving the site, he said. “Unfortunately these warnings have not always been heeded.”