Our allotment site in Erdington had a visit during the week. It all started when youths started throwing stones at the plotholders cars from the adjoining park and the usual jeering and jibing. The one young man nearest the fence had to pack up and go home in the end cos he was getting stoned. During the night 3 of the sheds had been tipped right over. I'm glad that we are down the other end but we still feel very intimidated by these yobs. Spent yesterday mornin helping to put some non drying wet paint on the fence (bloomin hard work it was). The bill came and went leaving us a number to phone whenever there was an incident. We are not expecting them to do much. I really think that the local authority should spend more money on looking after the allotments rather than wasting our money on other useless projects.
so sorry to hear about the problems on your site, shirlton..it's a shame someone was hounded off his site, surely that counts as assault..hope the paint does some good :)
Sorry to hear this Shirlton, hope the paint works and someone gets very sticky, that might put them off for a bit....
sorry to hear what happened.
Hope your both OK but I afraid the old bill are a waste of time, >:( they are busy doing other stuff and come around when the culprits are normally gone, in Enfield at the moment there is a high presence of community police I have dealt with them and have a mobile number so we'll see how it goes.
Don't get holdin ya breath Kev.
Dear Shirlton
Don't know your position exactly but there might be some things to try as well as the anti-vandal paint. Plant thorny hedges and encourage their growth against the fence (buckthorn) - Council might provide rooted slips as it is a conservation measure giving shelter to birds and insects etc. If there are houses around set up a plot-watch scheme with your Secretary's contact number, and win support by including a watch for nuisance bonfires; distribute leaflets round about asking for information on the vandals, and get the local press and radio involved. Get local comunity groups and individuals involved in cultivating and so add to support and watchfulness; arrange for regular meetings (three a year?) between your Association and the Council - there must be a relevant committee, use the meetings among other things to press for improved fencing (not just wire mesh); Support Council activities (flowering boxes etc) to win public support, perhaps offer surplus produce to local groups or the public; expand membership of your allotment association to include the waiting list and hold meetings, discussion groups and talks on gardening matters; involve local schools in plot-to-plate schemes as part of their new gardening syllabus requirements - perhaps an after-school club? there may be grants for that, and it increases the number of watchful eyes. Contact ARI for advice and support . Open days? Social group, trips to botanical gardens etc for anyone?
The more outward looking you are the more support and help you will get. But then you probably are and I am teaching grandmother etc.
All the best with it
SHIRLTON: These sorts of stories break my heart - literally :'(
I don't want to BELIEVE that anyone could possibly inflict that sort of misery on anyone. But I suppose it's the same as house burglary, joy-riding in cars etc.
I would never advocate CHOPPING THEIR FINGERS OFF THOUGH (just in case JRP is lurking!)
The people that commit this sort of crime need to be taught the value of positive emotion, recognition of emotions in others and respect for the feelings and property of others.
That's a hefty project to undertake. But I think that's where the penal system in the UK is seriously bum over breast.
We had a meeting this morning and we were all given a police number to ring. Apparently the yobs came back last night and one plot holder phoned them. The why arrived in 10 mins ,which is bloomin marvellous for this area. They cleared the park in 15 mins. We are meeting again in a fortnight (cos of peeps hols). and we are inviting the local councillor to attend and also the allotmentchap from the council. I am going to invite the local paper but I'm not telling anyone. It can be a surprise. We have been told to inform the Bill even for minor incidents so that they can build up a file. I think the only thing we can do is to have an 8ft solid fence put around , One that they cannot lever off with a piece of 3x2 wood and then put razor wire along the top. It's a sad world we live in ain't it when we have to resort to things such as these.
glad the police turned up so promptly, shirlton
this is the sort of fence we had to put up, shirlton..it cost all our grant, £4,500..it's worth it :)
it was the only way to keep the little persons out :o
notice, i'm trying not to swear ;D
What kind of world is it when we have to fence ourselves in against bl**dy yobs and they maraud freely?
So sorry to hear of your troubles Shirlton, hope it's soon sorted.
Well manic thats the sort of fence we already have but the buggers lever the bars off and break the bolts or climb the trees behind the fence and throw from there. They shouted at the plotholders (mostly women). "the higher you buil it up the more we will break it down".They set fire to one of the ladies store pens where she keeps her polythene for ground cover and her canes and odds and sods. A chap who has recently taken on a plot right at the end had ordered some straw, but is now having second thoughts about it in case they fire it. I'm just wating for the day we drive on and ours is trashed or worse still our Bunjy's. The kids would be devastated. Fingers crossed all they have done so far is break the lock on her shed but not taken anything. Kiddies little trikes are in there and their chairs, Perhaps when they saw the littlies stuff they had a pang of conscience (who knows how their twisted minds work)Thank for the support all of ya,
We have the same sort of fence as you Shirltonwe but it is planted all round with prickly bushes and little trees,we have put virginia creeper in and Rugosa roses,there is another fence inside this one about 2 feet further in,I think it was the original one,it is wire and concrete posts,it gives us a bit of no mans land which we dump bricks and stuff in which we dig up, they can't be seen among the foliage. Vandals can't penetrate our bit and a lot or lotties are like ours but some neat folks have 'tidied' theirs so hence the weak spots. I will find you a picture
Behind the compost bin you can see our boundary ,mixed in with the bushes are the two fences as above
we've ran barbed wire around the top and planted rosa rugosa roses around, sold as barbed wire fencing that looks pretty..got me worried about it now, shirlton...hope you get sorted, the little sods !! >:(
Hi
You need to be careful if you use barbed wire as if they cut themselves they can sue you.
Cambourne7
???
we'll have to take the chance :(
Thats the irony of it all eh! them little sods do whatever they like and when we try to protect ourselves we get done if they hurt their poor selves.
I'm sorry to hear about your trouble,
But as cambourne7 said, I would really think twice about putting up razorwire or barbed wire, you are leaving yourself open to a position that might get you into more trouble than they would ever get into. :'(
I bet the little buggers have 'Claims Direct' on speedial >:(
We are having a meeting on Sunday week and a rep from the department is going to attend. lets hope he can help us.
About 4 weeks ago a crowd of travellers arrived and parked on the playing field that is right next to our lottie,they started to leave in ones and twos a few days later,there were 3 caravans left overnight without cars.One was torched at midnight, one about 10 in the morning and the last one at 2 in the afternoon.The last one was very close to the lottie fence we were actually there when it went up and it was scary especially when the tyres exploded. This was in the middle of the afternoon on a playing field.
XX Jeannine
were they all ok, jeannine..it must've been quite scary :o
There were no people thank goodness, they had pulled out leaving the 3 caravans behind,I don't know why.What was incredible was that it was in the middle of the day in a huge playing field and the only way out was via the road that was about 500 yards away,this led onto a busy road,very visible from all angles I just don't know how they dare do it.The chances of being caught were huge.
I hope the ones who did it knew there was no-one in, the other doesn't bear thinking about.
We have had a couple of sheds burned down on our lottie too but not for a year or two, this other thing was the week we went to Barnsdale when the kids were off at half term
XX Jeannine
My greenhouse is quite near the boundary and was targeted twice by school children, with two panes of glass broken. One log flying over when I was only a few feet away - reported it to the police, but not much they could do as I only recognised the school uniform, but would not be able to identify the culprit. At least the damage has been logged by the police. Anyway the greenhouse is now draped in shading netting in a way that stones etc might bounce off and doesn't show so much inviting glass.
I've only just come across this thread Shirl. Horrified by it all. All the best.
Lish x
This is all very sad, but I see no reason why you shouldn't put up a barbed wire fence.
Does anyone have actual examples of vandals successfully claiming damages for hurting themselves on a barbed wire boundary fence?
Quote from: Alishka_Maxwell on June 15, 2007, 12:00:24
I've only just come across this thread Shirl. Horrified by it all. All the best.
Lish x
Oi, Lish, where you been????Super lovely to see you here again ;D ;D ;D
(Sorry Shirl - hijack over ;D)
Quote from: Melbourne12 on June 15, 2007, 17:29:26
This is all very sad, but I see no reason why you shouldn't put up a barbed wire fence.
Does anyone have actual examples of vandals successfully claiming damages for hurting themselves on a barbed wire boundary fence?
It must be the councils which decide about barb wire, our allotment site is completely fenced, provided for by the council and is topped with three rows of barb wire :) And a nice dollop of anti-vandal paint on the gate.
Well we had our meeting today. The rep from the allotments didn't bother to turn up,(when his house was phoned his daughter said that he was on holiday.). I wouldn't mind but he had even phoned the Allotment secretary to arrange the meeting and promised that if for any reason he couldn't attend then his second in command would be there. The policeman who was to attend also got waylaid seeing to a young hooligan on a bike. The only good thing that came out of it was that we have arrranged an AGM for the end of next month to elect a new committee. Hopefully we will get something done if we have a strong front to represent us. How are we supposed to have confidence in those who have the authority over us when they are so ill mannered that they can't even let you know that they won't be attending the meeting that has been arranged.
I know exactly how you feel; I've spent the last four years trying to get a fence put up to replace the wall next to the church car park. People used to sit along thers, play very loud music, and pee up the wall, making life decidedly unpleasant for the family in the church flat. The Council had complaints from a lot of other people, and eventually proposed spending their money (not ours) on replacing the broken wall with a fence that nobody could sit on. After they came up with the idea, it all seemed to be down to me to get things pushed along, and nobody ever seemed to know wnat anyone else was doing. We got theere in the end; it was completed a couple of weeks ago. The people now sit by the shops to make their racket, and still pee up the wall.
We have been hounded from 2 plots by vandals now.
The last time being about 12 years ago.
Really miss having a plot though and have decided it is time to get back on the horse so to speak