What's theft like from your allotments?

Posted by FencePaling@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 26 comments

The local community garden here (Aus, Tas) has pretty regular thieving, people taking produce from plot holders, whole plants, and sometimes petty vandalism.

I'm wondering what allotments are like in the UK? Is theft pretty common? Vandalism? Or are people generally respectful?

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Dry_Respect_842@reddit

in US i had plot at local community garden. they had two arrested the year before for theft and other issues.

or that was the story. turns out it was a lot worse than that since the two who were stealing. got a surprise when one of the victims pulled a gun on one the thieves. a fight ensued and one thieves ended up in hospital after he was shot.

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fezzuk@reddit

I'm not saying it's right but if kids go scrimping from my plot I think it's a right of passage,and I can't pretend I was innocent when I was young. I would rather they would ask mind.

As long as it's not mindless destruction

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Horror-Kumquat@reddit

We have the occasional problem at our site, though we've personally never had anything stolen or vandalised. There was a serious issue a few years ago when sheds were being broken into and even set on fire, but that turned out to be targeted attacks by an individual with a grudge.

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simonk1905@reddit

Mostly in my area (Surrey) it is the badgers that do all the thieving.

So much so that no one in our local allotments can grow sweetcorn. They bloody love it.

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da316@reddit

the squirrels have to be stopped imo

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AdeptCauliflower1667@reddit

Those theaving furry bastards, they look cute but they will eat every single one of your hazelnuts.

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da316@reddit

grew walnuts for years. never got a single one. bastards indeed.

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schemmenti@reddit

Pretty high. Nobody has locks on their sheds because it just encourages them to break the doors down. Everyone just has to bring anything worthwhile, even stuff like shovels, back and forth in the car. The most common thing is this time of year is that people will steal pumpkins to sell down the pub.

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WhyAmIHereTho_@reddit

I live in a pretty dodgy area and it's been terrible. Mum's had hers for over 15 years, in the last 4-5 there has been a group of people come in and start to steal things from pretty much everyone's lot. Mum never kept anything down there but the cheeky gits stole her water tank of all things.
Veg, tools, water tanks, watering cans- you name it, it has been stolen. Everyone that has a allotement are on a group chat together, and someone set up a trail cam and managed to catch the theifs on camera. 3 young guys. Council did shit all tho. It probably doesnt really help the alloments are kinda in the town center.

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pluk78@reddit

I have a plot on the edge of a small town, generally a pleasant low crime area. I dont know of any theft of produce or plotholder equipment in the 4 years I've been there. Earlier this year someone tried to break into the communal store building and caused a bit of damage, but after looking at the pile of muddy hoes and barrows left woth nothing. Fortunately they didn't go into the area where the committee owned lawnmowers and rotavators are stored.

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AudioLlama@reddit

My dad's had a depressing amount of vandalism and theft in his allotments. In the centre of Hartlepool, so a fairly rough town, so there's plenty of wee shits about who think it's fun to damage greenhouses and cut up polytunnels. It must be incredibly disheartening and soul destroying to have your hard work destroyed.

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Eggtastico@reddit

None as far as I am aware. Some do help themselves to others surplus without asking.. theres a uk allotment reddit, you may be better asking there

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Davutto@reddit

My dad has a serious problem with blackbirds stealing his fruit

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ilikedixiechicken@reddit

In 30 years, not once have I had an issue with people stealing, destroying, making a mess or just being a dick at my local allotment.

In fairness, I’ve never had an allotment.

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PipkinsHartley@reddit

I live in a rural area. Thefts were generally few and far between but when they happened it seemed to be an organised gang. They'd hit all the sites in the area, smash the sheds and take power tools, mowers etc We found a load of lower value items dumped in a ditch.

Plot holders also seemed almost keen to moan about local 'kids' pulling up plants and opening gates. It didn't take a very great brain to connect those incidents to adjacent hoof prints and excited videos of deer sightings ....

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AverageCheap4990@reddit

Never happened to me but someone burnt said me pray flags my dad had in his, which was just weird.

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Fun-Brush5136@reddit

I looked up the burglary stats near me and they all seem to be at the allotments, which is a shame but also reassuring that they aren't in any of the houses

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Main-Issue4366@reddit

my dad's allotment is on private land and it's in the middle of nowhere so none

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stevebehindthescreen@reddit

Thieves make good fertilizer, so I've heard...

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SnooDonuts6494@reddit

Absolutely zero. In ten years.

Obv, I don't leave anything more valuable than a spade. Which goes in a little shed, with a combi lock.

Nobody has ever stolen anything. For over a decade.

(Manchester)

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pab6407@reddit

Same here near Keighley

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Tim1980UK@reddit

I had an allotment for a few years, and during the winter months there was always a chance that things will get stolen. They would go over there at night and take things from the sheds. I had a few tools go missing and my chicken feeder was stolen! Guessing because it was solid steel. People who do this sort of thing are fucking assholes.

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mcardie@reddit

*arseholes

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FencePaling@reddit (OP)

Yeah ok, sounds like it's pretty universal then! I don't garden for the produce, but the attitude of people thinking it's ok to take what they want is just pathetic.

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Spooky_L@reddit

I don’t think I’ll ever financially recover from this year’s pumpkin thefts, it’s been devastating.