Greenhouse damage/politics at the allotment

When I was at the allotment today I noticed some glass on the floor. Had a little look round but couldn't see a visible broken pane so thought no more of it. Wondered if we hadn't cleared up enough from the last break.

Friend rings me up just now. Yes, confirmed, we DO have another pane broken but this time she thinks the wine bottle is intact. Right, said I, we can ask the police to do fingerprint testing. They wouldn't on the others because the bottles were broken. And this one was done from the path adjoining the plot of the very people we suspect.

We now have 5 broken panes!

Annoyingly the council know of these people and how nasty they are but won't act against them.

They have now introduced a complaints procedure meaning that if two plot-holders have a fall out, if the situation isn't resolved, BOTH parties are evicted from the site. We on the committee think this is unfair and extreme, but can only hope that if either of these nasty b******s picks on someone not their own size again, that they actually do get told to go. Trouble is they are clever. We can just hope that one day they will get their just desserts.

My raised bed plot is next door to theirs (and they have another one at the end of the site, thank heavens) so I would rather keep out of their way. However, I DO have stuff in the greenhouse which can be affected if we end up having no glass left in it. My friend seems to think it's because we now have a padlock on the door.

It is assumed that their thinking is, if they can't have access to it, no-one can, but they have no need for a greenhouse. They have two very large plots with all the greenhouses and sheds they desire.

They are now causing trouble with the community payback team, accusing them of doing more work for certain people, but ignoring the needs of others. One elderly black man was mentioned and the team moved about 20 barrow-loads of manure from the pile at the front entrance, to his plot. One of the nasty pair said to the team supervisor that this man was ignored, so the super said, to the black man, we've already given you some manure, to which he replied, he could always do with more! It's all gone now, anyway.

So what have the nasty pair been doing? Emailing complaints constantly to the council, and we hear that the council officer is considering pulling the team off the site!

We have a new girl on the site, who is well endowed (!): bear with, it is relevant. And the team had helped her on her plot, doing some digging. The np had (allegedly) said to someone 'you have to have bit t**s to get help around here!'

The two men ( a gay couple, living together) used to run the committee - and the site - and one year were ousted at the AGM. That's when all the troubles started, because they'd been toppled from their positions of power.

Why can't they stop having tantrums, grow their fruit and veg - like the rest of us - and just leave us alone? They are out and out trouble makers, known to the council, and many plot holders have had run ins with them, but don't follow through with complaints, presumably cos they're scared.

What the heck do we do????? (Sorry, probably a rhetorical question. I don't know what the answer is.)

Re: Greenhouse damage/politics at the allotment

Sounds all too familiar to be honest and we eventually just gave our plot up, our problems started just before my husband got a job so we had a reason to give it up anyway but may have tried to stay on if the site wasn't so hostile. It only takes one couple and you really do have to wonder why you bother we found. (we were not even the targets we just didn't like seeing other people being targeted).

Re: Greenhouse damage/politics at the allotment

Janet it sounds a nightmare

I would try to avoid the trouble makers and just be polite when meeting them.

Re: Greenhouse damage/politics at the allotment

Problem is Meg, I have access to the greenhouse and it is my plants and seedlings being targeted. We will eventually have no glass left if it carries on.

I will try and call the police again tomorrow. We were promised the local neighbourhood team to come out but not heard from them. Sounds about right!

Re: Greenhouse damage/politics at the allotment

Sorry Jazzi, I must have lost the plot here ,why do they want to be in your greenhouse or is this a communal greenhouse?
we had an allotment and I was secretary of the site. I know city councils work differently, we had a "trouble" maker, similar to yours, he used to dump rubbish as well on your plot.
we also had a lot of plot holders, that didn't attend their plots for half the year, they probably thought, like a lot of people do that once you planted your stuff it would merrily grow away by itself! consequently our site was a mess with masses of weeds growing. so we decided to do something, after lots of meeting with our council (and I mean lots) we got the "rules" changed, and our committee rules.
so now any trouble makers (especially causing damage) 3 strikes and your off the site! also anyone not attending their plot and have amassed a plot ful of weeds instead of veggies, again 3strikes and your out, of course this excludes if person is ill, and if he can he had to let us know and we'd get a team together and sort the plot, failing that a letter would be sent to see why he wasn't attending his plot. its sounds rather strict, and a lot of plot holders complained at every plot and AGM ! but eventually , they had to "fall in" in the end our site of 103 plots were a site to behold and we won the best plot in the city!
I must admit getting rid of both parties concerned on your site is very unjust.
It takes time,and a lot of "polite" letters to the council and meetings, but suggest it at your next meeting.
don't allow these trouble causers to spoil the site for anyone else, allotments are supposed to be communal tranquil places where the whole family can go.
P

Re: Greenhouse damage/politics at the allotment

and I forgot, our site gets broken into on a regular basis, we had all the sites rotovators (which you could hire)in a big shipping container, peeps used an acetaline torch to cut all round the bolt and did the same to fence to take them out!

were the police bothered? no, not even with council railings, all neatly laid on the floor!
we found the police were no help/interested whatsoever.

Re: Greenhouse damage/politics at the allotment

OMG, that's something I'd better point out to the committee tomorrow! We had our metal container broken into a year ago, and our three lawnmowers stolen. No damage to fence or gate so we suspected a key holder. We have replacement, new mowers, and at the moment only use one which is padlocked to something when the shop is closed. The other two are still with the sellers, unmade, till we get our storage sorted.

We are considering something, but don't know whether to site it in an area out in the open, or inside a spare storage brick building, which has to be cleared. So if would be thieves could use that acetylene torch method, we need to think more.

The greenhouse is communal, for users of the raised beds/ plots for disabled people, which are at the front of the site near the entrance. I have a raised bed, and a tiny strip of ground.

At the moment, there are many vacant plots, cos the council won't pull their fingers out and let them. I'm the only one using the g/h, but this friend did 'squat' for a time, using it to grow stuff for friends and charities. And the Chair told her if she continued using it we would have to let everyone on the site use it. His wife then started shouting at him, saying nobody was using it, where's the harm? And swearing at him!

Re: Greenhouse damage/politics at the allotment

What a carry on Jazzi. The way things are going you'll be spending your recent windfall on new glass panes. I don't understand people like this, it spoils things for everyone.

Re: Greenhouse damage/politics at the allotment

No consolation I know but it seems that Eric Pickles signed-off over 60 allotments last year to be used for house building.

In previous years it's only been in single figures so something's going on all over the country regarding allotments and to me it sounds like it's orchestrated in some cases.

I don't have an allotment but some time in the future I thought maybe I could have a small plot if we end up with a very small garden - if we can ever downsize.

From what I see locally and from a neighbour who's got allotments it still seems pretty healthy around Milton Keynes but for how long I do not know! stevmk2

Re: Greenhouse damage/politics at the allotment

well, Jazzy, not wanting to put the mockers on it, when the police finally decided to give the site a visit, they said it was because of the container (very large and stuckout a mile) being all padlocked up etc. that it just invited thieves! it was very much in the open. you cant win really. they gonna get in anyway, if they want to.

I'm not being funny/critical, but just some advice. something else we put in the rules was zero tolerance behaviour (think thats right) wedidn't take any abuse from anyone, if anyone didn't like what the committee did/says they had to put it in writing for the next meeting (we had one every month for the plot holders, so complaints/ect were seen to quickly.
the only way we found out to get things done was to keep pestering the council, its in their interest moneywise to get the plots,filled. we have waiting lists and plots are filled as soon as someone leaves., so they do not get overgrown.
I wish you well Jazzi you and your committee have to get tough, you wont be popular, but we found in the end a majority of people were behind us. and of course if peeps dont like and they can do better there's always the next AGM to put themselves forward.
good luck, and I hope you get that greenhouse sorted.
as a thought, will plotholders donate some of their glass? get a notice up and see!
P.