Vandals set fire to allotment sheds (From Barry And District News)

Vandals set fire to allotment sheds

GARDENERS on the Claude Road allotments are sick to death of vandals mindlessly damaging their sheds.

They say their plots are well kept but many are contemplating giving up their life's work because of the constant trouble.

Michael Nott has been using his plot for five or six years. He and his family regularly go up on weekends to tend to their vegetables and to get out in to the fresh air.

But the 45-year-old has had his shed gutted by vandals who set it alight after they broke in.

Father-of-three Michael, of Heritage Drive, is very frustrated. He said: "When this happened, I seriously considered giving my allotment up. My wife persuaded me to carry on. We both enjoy coming up here and we bring the family.

"There is a lot of vandalism happening here all the time. We don't know who is doing it but we are sure they are getting in through a hole in the fence around the plots. The vandals were not happy with just breaking in they had to come back and set fire to the shed. It is lucky I decided not to put chickens in the pen because they would have burned to death."

His son, 15-year-old Daniel, said: "It's terrible what happened. I don't understand why they would do it." The teenager is so keen on gardening that he is deciding whether to take on an allotment with one of his friends.

Another gardener who is equally frustrated is Michael Crump of Cadoxton. He said: "I have had my shed broken into. I know lots of people who don't bother to lock their sheds now because they simply get vandalised. I almost gave up my plot when this was happening all the time. I know there are a lot of people who feel the same way."

The Vale of Glamorgan Council were looking into the matter but had failed to comment before the News went to press.