Thieves and vandals are being warned to stay away from allotments in Bishop Auckland after a security scheme was launched.
All five allotments sites in the town are now signed up to Allotment Watch, which will see gardeners given SmartWater to mark their valuables, and extra vigilance encouraged. John Raw, neighbourhood watch co-ordinator for Durham Police in Wear Valley, said the scheme has proved successful during a trial at Tindale and Murphy Crescent allotments.
The last theft at Tindale was in June when a flock of show chickens was stolen, but allotment chairman David Adlam said the plots had also been targeted by vandals. Pumpkins were smashed at the allotments, which has a plot for adults with learning disabilities from the nearby Auckland Gate Day Centre.
Thanks to funding from Bishop Auckland Town Council and the Safer Neighbourhoods Partnership, the scheme has been rolled out to allotments at Pollards, Edge Hill and South Church, with more than 350 plots covered by the scheme.
Alan Anderson, chairman of the council’s allotments committee, said: “We want allotment holders to enjoy their plots without fearing that their tools will be stolen or their crops damaged.”