Allotments in the News

Fire crews in Hartlepool managed to prevent a potentially massive explosion on an allotment site where a shed was set on fire by arsonists in a long running series of fires. In the latest incident, on Saturday, firemen had to tackle flames in a shed at Thornhill Allotments in Hartlepool. By swiftly cooling down gas cylinders that were stored inside the shed the explosion was averted. Now, fire chiefs want to make a more general warning about the dangers of keeping gas cylinders on allotments even though they are used for gas heaters in sheds. The problem is bad enough if there is one cylinder, but where people have stockpiled three or four of them, they can act as missiles, projecting themselves through the wooden walls at great speed. Fire crew manager Paul Bellerby said: 'This is one of the hazards we face when we attend these incidents'.


THE first allotment site to be built in York since 1918 has won an O2 It's Your Community Award. There is a waiting list of more than ten years for some allotment sites in York, so, in Wheldrake, the village inhabitants have taken matters into their own hands and are establishing a self-managed, sustainable allotment site. Council approval and support has been won for fifty-nine new plots, one of which is to be used by the village school. The £1,000 cheque was granted in recognition of the hard work that has allowed residents to create a community-focused site and the money allows residents to start essential work – putting up rabbit proof fencing in time for spring planting.

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