A council is urging allotment holders not to lock their sheds in case thieves damage the structures while breaking in. Tenants have been warned that padlocks can lead to thieves forcing their way through doors and windows of the council-owned sheds to steal garden equipment.
Bristol City Council claims its 'Don't Use a Padlock' initiative will save taxpayers' money because fewer sheds will have to be repaired or replaced.
Its guide reads: "Don't padlock your shed; it can save the shed being damaged if someone does try to get into it. If there is a break-in, always inform the police."
But a gardener at Bifield Allotments, in the Stockwood area of the city, whose shed was broken into a few weeks ago, criticised the advice. Terry Nichols, 71, a retired engineering consultant, who has rented a plot at the site for more than 25 years, said: "It beggars belief that the council is telling us to leave our sheds wide open so that anyone can get in them.
"Everyone who has an allotment has been sent a letter. I have never read anything so ridiculous in all my life."
The council policy contradicted that of Avon and Somerset Police, whose advice is to "secure your shed with good-quality hasps and hinges attached with coach bolts and security screws, use good-quality padlocks and a battery-powered shed alarm."
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