POLICE are to step up patrols after town allotments were targeted by thieves for the second time in a month, leaving two chickens dead.
Plots in Harmire Road, Barnard Castle, were targeted by thieves in the latest raid which happened sometime on Monday, April 1.
Thieves ripped locks off sheds, stealing tools including a rotavator, smashed eggs and killed one chicken, leaving another with a broken wing.
Last month 18 pigeons were stolen from the same town-council owned allotments and a number of Rhode Island red and bantam hens were taken during a raid on plots at the Demesnes.
The latest break-in was discovered by plot holder John Moore, on Tuesday morning. He said he is “deeply upset” by the thieves’ “mindlessness”.
Mr Moore, who has owned his birds for three years, said thieves had killed one of his Bowes Moor blue chickens and left another with a broken wing, forcing him to put the bird out of its suffereing.
He added thieves ripped his gate off its hinges and forced their way into his shed and chicken coop. He said: “They took most of my decent tools and my rotavator and given the amount of sheds that have been broken into they were here for some time. I just don’t understand what motivates someone to do this. They’ve smashed eggs. I would have given them the eggs if they’d asked. It’s just deeply upsetting. Why they have to do this is beyond me. Most of the allotment holders here are pensioners and they can’t afford the hassle this kind of thing causes. We don’t pay a lot for the allotments and in total the council probably gets about £800 a year and we know they can’t afford to install CCTV cameras.
“But we’re surrounded by big businesses here and if one of them could just turn one of their cameras onto the allotments it might deter any further problems, or allow us to catch who is doing this.”
Barnard Castle Police confirmed four allotment holders had reported break-ins but Insp Ed Turner said there may have been more but others which had not been reported.
Insp Turner added: “There have been a few robberies on allotments in both Gainford and Barnard Castle, both at Harmire Road and at the Demesnes, in recent months.
“We have been up to review the situation at the allotments on Harmire Road and we are working with both the allotment holders and Barnard Castle town council to look at ways to improve security at the site. We are asking allotment holders to be vigilant and will be stepping up our patrols to see if we can catch those responsible. Unfortunately it is doubtful that the council will be able to install CCTV due to the cost. However we will be working closely with the council to see what can be done.”
