Allotment holders frustrated by veg theft

ALLOTMENT holders in Wargrave are calling for better protection of their crops after deer have eaten their vegetables.

They have reported to the parish council that an increasing number of deer have made their way into the allotments in Victoria Road.

Parish clerk Melanie Quinn has said that the suggestion of culling the animal was turned down after it was deemed impractical.

Other options put forward have included installing 300m fencing around the site, which would be 6ft high.

An allotment holder wrote to the council to say it was “extremely disheartening” to come to the allotment and see the damage done.

They wrote: “The deer have eaten or destroyed most of my newly planted sweetcorn and damaged the runner beans.

“Is there anything that can be done to limit the damage caused by deer destroying the plants in the allotments?

“As far as I can gather, this has been a problem for several years, yet nothing effective has been put in place to stop the deer eating the plants.

“It is extremely disheartening to come into the allotments and see the damage done by the deer, especially after all the hard work put into the allotment bed.”

Miss Quinn told a council meeting that deer numbers have increased. “While culling has been suggested, it was discounted as impractical,” she said.

Councillor Dick Bush raised concerns over the effectiveness of the proposed fencing.

He said: “I’ve got a neighbour in Crazies Hill who has her allotment fenced and the deer still got in and they couldn’t get out.”

Councillor Marion Pope said the deer are coming from across the A4 and have been spotted on the bowling green at Wargrave Bowling Club.

She said: “We’ve always had deer up here. If you try to grow sweetcorn, then you just don’t [get to] see them.

“It is a problem. You can see them coming and passing the field. They got to the bowling green and that’s quite a high hedge.

“If you put fencing around the whole of the allotments it’s still not going to stop them.”