KIds are 'at risk' (From Barry And District News)

KIds are 'at risk'

A BARRY man has warned that people trespassing on Weston Hill allotments are taking their lives into their own hands.

Roger Thomas, 67, says vandals regularly trash the site - even though they risk life and limb scaling the four-foot fence surrounding the gardens.

The Burlington Street resident told the News: "People have ripped up our strawberries, used our cabbages as footballs.

"They've even ripped apart a scarecrow we bought.

"This kind of thing happens to almost all the people who rent allotments here."

But whilst Mr Jones is furious at vandals, he is also concerned for their safety.

He is warning that children who break into the site for fun may not realise that it contains a number of harmful and dangerous objects.

"There are sharp tools, glass frames and old lemonade and beer bottles full of poisonous weed killers and fertilisers," he explained.

The former soldier says that children could easily be tempted into drinking from the vessels. "My friend's shed was broken into the other day and it was quite obvious whoever it was had sampled some bottles in there.

"They were just lucky the bottles didn't contain anything that was poisonous."

Other allotments in the town have higher walls than those of Weston Hill. Claude Street allotments have palisade fences more than six feet in height.

But the Vale of Glamorgan council says the four-foot fences around his allotments are "adequate for the purpose".

Mr Jones disagrees and says all the allotments in the town should have fences at least six foot in height.

"Young people are naturally adventurous," he said.

"They need to be protected.

"It's not only the damage they cause to others. I am terrified that they are going to get killed.

"We need higher walls and we need parents to warn their children of the dangers of trespassing in allotments."