Benjamin Kelsey speaks to food growers in Edmonton on the impact of a spate of thefts

CCTV has been installed by some plot holders (credit Benjamin Kelsey)

Allotment plot holders have spoken out about the impact of thefts after a man was seen on CCTV stealing fruit and vegetables from their patches in Edmonton.

The thefts from the Church Street Allotments (site two), off Cedars Court Road, have been going on for “four years” and have left residents fearful and frustrated, having been forced to fund their own security measures.

The food growers say Enfield Council has told them it cannot fund any security improvements, while continuing to charge rising annual fees and leaving members to cover extra costs themselves.

“It’s really upsetting,” said a member of the allotments committee. “As soon as you grow the plants, the next day you come and they’re gone, been taken out the ground and taken away.

“I reported it last year because there was damage to my crop because […] he doesn’t care what he steps on, he just tramples all over it.”

Nev Khan was pregnant when she first got her plot 16 years ago and grows plants to feed her family. She said: “I lost all my beans, and you can see how many plants have been stepped over. Those beans will not recover because they have just been broken.”

Another local resident Erkan Uzun said safety of the allotments has become a big concern: “Nev makes me take her to her car, she goes then I go home. People don’t feel safe at night, especially the ladies.”

Some plot holders have left the site and got rid of their membership altogether because of the issue.

Erkan has had his plot for less than a year and said his tools have been stolen from his shed, including a professional cultivator that set him back “over £4,000”.

He said: “I came in one morning, the door was broken, stuff was all over the place. The week after that they took the drills, the following month I started losing more tools, my boots, my gloves, everything.

“If I leave one thing here today, it’s gone tomorrow. I don’t leave anything here anymore and I started using my running shoes because they took my boots, what would they do with my boots?

“My cultivator was imported from Italy; I started helping the old people. I think that’s how they saw the machine and they stole it. They’ve even started stealing my timber.”

In response to the thefts, many growers have started installing their own CCTV systems. Erkan’s camera, fitted with an alarm and remote monitoring, cost him about £180 to buy plus a monthly subscription fee of £15.

He added: “Everyone already pays a lot of money, the council probably do have access to lots of cameras, there are speeding cameras everywhere, all they have to do is put one here.”

There are 98 plots in Church Street site two, and the annual price for a Grade A standard plot is currently £184 for Enfield residents, plus £36 for the water charge.

Michael Lefkaditis, another plot holder, installed three CCTV cameras to watch over his plot since his tomatoes went missing, even though they were not ripe. He suspects the thief knows a way to ripen them or sells them as a plant.

The allotments committee member said he reported the issue to the council “from day one” and they said they cannot put measures in place due to the council budget.

“They said they won’t put cameras up, they said we must do it so that’s what a few of us have done.

“That’s extra money on top of what you pay to the council for your allotment, I’m just saying it’s all extra money coming out. All we want is the stealing to stop,” he added.

Nev argued that the council should take more responsibility of the situation. She said: “They can push the police to do something […] it’s council land, they should get involved.”

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said they are investigating the thefts. The Met added: “Officers continue to make enquiries, including examining CCTV footage from the area and speaking with local residents.

“We are liaising directly with the allotment owners to keep them updated on our investigation.”

When asked how the intruder gets in, the allotment committee member said: “The keys, everybody has got keys.”

Nev added that they’re the same keys for all the allotments in the area and anyone can buy them from the key shop. Another plot holder, who wished to remain anonymous, suggested the solution of enforcing a system whereby members must use a fob or card to get into the site, instead of using padlocks with keys.

She said: “If they did something about the locks […] the people here would feel more comfortable, and they wouldn’t mind paying a bit more if it meant they were actively doing things to make this area better.”

Sabri Ozaydin, the council’s cabinet member for climate action and placemaking, said: “We take security on our allotments seriously, but it is difficult to completely stop thefts from allotments, especially when the main gates to allotment sites are left open.

“We are looking into installing CCTV and securing money to improve security, but our budget is limited.”

Despite damage to the hopes of locals, the community spirit remains strong with some leaving produce on help-yourself shelves for neighbours. One grower said: “We are trying to share with people; it’s not like we don’t want to give anybody anything.

“When you have someone stealing, that just means we’ve got less and we can’t give out to the rest of the community.”

Nev added: “If he asked, we would all share.”

Anyone with information is encouraged to call 101, quoting 01/7705615/25, or email: SNTYE-
[email protected]

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