04/08/2010 01:39 PM
The danger of leaving security fencing in a state of disrepair has been underscored after a night of allotment attacks.
The prize-winning Whitehill Allotments in Illingworth, Halifax, have suffered from a string of vandal attacks on its plots, according to the Halifax Courier.
A group broke in and went on a spree, leaving faeces and graffiti in their wake.
Huts were covered in petrol, vegetable plots were upturned and polytunnel worth some £600 was ripped to bits, to the despair of allotment users.
The group are believed to have gained access to the allotment thanks to broken security fencing at the bottom of the site.
It has been in that state for four weeks, awaiting repair by the local council. Gardeners had been forced to wrap thistles around the broken fence as a security measure.
Gardener Judith Walker, who keeps a plot at the site, told the news provider the break-ins were happening regularly.
"People just want something done. It's happening too often," she said.
Barry Collins, the local Labour MP, said the incident was "heartbreaking" and that security must be stepped up.
"The people who are breaking into this allotment are not just causing problems for the members of the community who've worked hard to set it up but for the young children who treasure it.
"I think the council, over the coming months, needs to perhaps look at whether there's any way we can improve the overall security on the site."
Last month a detainee managed to break free from a prison in the US after exploiting broken security fencing.
The prize-winning Whitehill Allotments in Illingworth, Halifax, have suffered from a string of vandal attacks on its plots, according to the Halifax Courier.
A group broke in and went on a spree, leaving faeces and graffiti in their wake.
Huts were covered in petrol, vegetable plots were upturned and polytunnel worth some £600 was ripped to bits, to the despair of allotment users.
The group are believed to have gained access to the allotment thanks to broken security fencing at the bottom of the site.
It has been in that state for four weeks, awaiting repair by the local council. Gardeners had been forced to wrap thistles around the broken fence as a security measure.
Gardener Judith Walker, who keeps a plot at the site, told the news provider the break-ins were happening regularly.
"People just want something done. It's happening too often," she said.
Barry Collins, the local Labour MP, said the incident was "heartbreaking" and that security must be stepped up.
"The people who are breaking into this allotment are not just causing problems for the members of the community who've worked hard to set it up but for the young children who treasure it.
"I think the council, over the coming months, needs to perhaps look at whether there's any way we can improve the overall security on the site."
Last month a detainee managed to break free from a prison in the US after exploiting broken security fencing.
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