Leighton Buzzard allotment holders feel 'unsafe' and 'frightened' after spate of break-ins

Leighton Buzzard allotment holders feel "unsafe" and "frightened" following a spate of break-ins over the past ten months.

The LBO was told a gang of male teenagers has been causing devastation to the Weston Avenue site, with crops destroyed, sheds damaged and bleach squirted onto gardeners' property.

The allotment holders are exploring the possibility of 4G cameras, while urging police to take action.

One gardener claimed: "There's no consequences for these kids, just a slap on the wrist. They come and go at any time. A lot of the women that work the allotments; they are on their own. People fear going there. The majority are old people, pensioners.

"You turn up thinking, what if I'm going to find all my work destroyed?

"It's a good three months' work for each crop – and then to see everything vandalised! That's what people are having to contend with."

The allotment holder told the LBO that there have been five break-ins over the past ten months.

During one, it’s claimed the teens "destroyed crops", went along sheds "breaking locks and panels", and took strimmers and loppers – while at a later break-in they smashed windows and framework around doors, and damaged padlocks.

The allotment holder claimed that in November: "They couldn't take all their ill-gotten gains in one trip – and came back the next day to pick up a petrol strimmer. They were 60 metres away from me, and my first thought was, do I confront them? I know that I would be the one who gets in trouble, so I phoned the police.

"But there was no urgency to it; they [the police] came strolling through the gate like it was a Sunday afternoon picnic. The boys jumped over the back fence as the police were coming and were gone."

A fourth break-in happened to the man's shed in January, which had its inside vandalised and bleach tossed on spare clothes, while on February 3 the youths targeted shutters on the association's shed.

The gardener added: "One of the biggest pleasures from life is going to the allotments. It's the community that's there – but that spirit is being eaten into."

Inspector Cray Birch from Bedfordshire Police said: "In response to ongoing criminal incidents taking place at the Weston Avenue allotments, we have put a number of measures in place to deter criminals from the site. This includes increasing police presence in the area and working with occupants to improve security.

"We would ask anyone with any information about criminal activity and anti-social behaviour at the allotments to please get in touch by calling 101 or visiting our website beds.police.uk."