Artist 'sparks spate of burglaries' with second home exhibition

An artist who created an exhibition featuring dozens of photographs of second homes has been ordered to remove it after it was blamed for sparking a spate of burglaries. Oliver Udy, 26, a photographer, took pictures of 40 properties and put them in a montage for an exhibit called "Suspected Second Homes". The images were of houses in an area of Cornwall where at least one in ten properties is a second home.

Mr Uddy, who is also a part-time teacher, put his work on public display but he has now been told to remove it by police after several residents complained. Officers say there has been a sudden rise in burglaries in the area and fear thieves were using his pictures to identify homes which lay empty most of the year. Mr Uddy, of Penryn in Cornwall, has been told the art is not illegal but could lead to him being sued if a homeowner is targeted because of his pictures.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall police said the project was "foolish" and led home owners to fear their property had been "advertised" to crooks. He said: "Advertising to potential criminals that places are unoccupied can be seen as an invitation to burgle. From a crime prevention and public safety perspective, this sort of photo-journalistic essay can only be seen as foolish."



But Mr Uddy denies that his exhibition encouraged burglars. He said: "There were complaints made the exhibition was encouraging burglars, but I don't think that is true. Obviously burglars use any kind of information they can find to identify their targets. But the point is, I don't even know if these buildings are empty. I am just guessing - there is no evidence.

"People who own second homes are contributing to the death of the community. There is no doubt that they are also pushing up the property prices. It would be naive for someone who has a second home not to realise that there is a lot of anger about this."

The exhibition was displayed on a wall reserved for displays by local artists on the King Harry Ferry, which spans the River Fal near Falmouth, Cornwall. It featured 40 Polaroid images of homes in Feock, Portscatho, Penwith, Fowey and Roseland. Police say putting the photographs in the public domain is not a criminal offence - but could see Mr Uddy become the subject of a civil action.

Oliver's website. Oliver's blog.