OVER the weekend, what appears to have been an attempted break in took place at the Plant Pots and Wellies allotment site in The Hides.

A section of the perimeter fence was destroyed after being rammed by a vehicle. Thankfully it appears no further damage was done to the site.

Rowen Saunders, Plant Pots and Wellies Project Manager said “Our dedicated team of volunteers work so hard to provide a wide range of activities for both children and adults with additional needs and their families and carers.

To have this sort of damage happen on our site is shocking, but I am just so grateful to all the volunteers who rallied round to temporarily fix and make the site safe, in the pouring rain and high winds.

“We are so appreciative of all the support we receive both locally and further afield and I would like to send out my thanks to everyone for their ongoing support”

Labour Leader and Netteswell Councillor James Griggs commented: “I was contacted by Rowen about this appalling incident on Saturday morning. Plant Pots and Wellies is one of the many jewels in the Netteswell crown and I was very concerned to hear that the site had been compromised in this way. Volunteers have done a fabulous job in making a temporary repair to the fence in spite of the dreadful weather conditions.

I have made an urgent request to the council and HTS seeking a permanent repair and extension of the metal fencing to provide the security this vital community project deserves. I will also be asking Harlow Police and the Council’s Community Safety Team to investigate as we have potentially identifying details of the vehicle involved.