Flooding update

See here for an update on what’s been going on to resolve the flooding situation.

https://burydellallotments.wordpress.com/events/floods-2020/flooding-update-6-dec/

Flooding update

See here for more information about the flooding situation, including links to Affinity Water’s report and an interesting report by Winston Bothwell, one of our plotholders.

The main Floods 2020 page has also been updated.

Flooding news!

https://burydellallotments.wordpress.com/events/floods-2020/flooding-update-6-october/

Flooding update

Please see Flooding update 2 October 2020 on the outcomes of a meeting with the Council and other organisations on 1 October.

Plotholder meeting update 6 Sept

See below for a link to a report of this morning’s meeting on site. Great to see so many people turn out!

 

https://burydellallotments.wordpress.com/events/floods-2020/plotholder-meeting-6-sept-2020/

 

Flood update – please read

Dear all

Some of you have been asking for more information about what is happening about the floods. I have put together a webpage below which you should find interesting and hopefully bring you up to date. This is a fast-moving situation, so apologies for lack of detailed information thus far.

https://burydellallotments.wordpress.com/events/floods-2020/

Please also come to the site on Sunday 6 September 11am for a further update, socially distanced of course. This will not be our usual Sunday coffee, but a chance for you to hear about where we are with the floods.

Herts Advertiser story about the flood

Here is a link to the Herts Advertiser piece about the flood. We will update you further as things progress.

 

https://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/weather-2-19950/st-albans-allotment-devastated-by-flooding-1-6799578

Flooding update

Following an emergency committee meeting this evening we would like to make the following points:

Harvesting produce from your plot must be at your own risk. Until a test of the water has been carried out (and we have instructed the Council and the Environment Agency to do this asap) we have no idea how polluted or otherwise the flood water is. As it has come from a field grazed by animals, it could be contaminated by fertilisers, almost certainly animal waste and other waste from drains and sewage from the surrounding area in addition to other contaminants which could move into plant material and potentially contain harmful bacteria, viruses and chemicals. It could make you ill if you eat these vegetables. Green leafy vegetables take up contaminants more readily and we would advise you not to eat these at all. However contaminants will be diluted to a lower level in water.

Having spoken to people who have entered the site we would like to point out that the water is moving fast and causing disturbance in the soil leading to unexpected ‘sink holes’ which are highly dangerous and could put you at considerable risk. Please do not enter the site solo but take someone with you.

Your committee have instructed the Council, as our landlord, to act on our behalf. In addition we have been in touch with Affinity Water, the Environment Agency and others to enable us to take this forward, but as yet we have no answers. We will ensure we keep you in the loop.

Protect our site!

Updates on

• COVID-19
• Site security
• Flooding

COVID-19

Please do remember to use gloves or hand sanitiser when you open or close the site gate. The pandemic is still very much with us, and we want to make sure that all plotholders feel safe on site. We hope to hold a social distancing event on site on the first Sunday in November and will keep you posted.

Site security

The Committee met on Monday 27 July and discussed at length the recent site break-in we have had for some time. We agreed that it would be impossible to fully protect our site but that there were some sensible things that could be done to minimise the risk of break-in or loss. We have received some helpful advice from the police to share with you (below), and we will also be working with the Council to improve our external fencing.

• Possibly the most important piece of advice is not to leave anything of value on your plot, whether in a locked shed or not. If you do, you should keep it out of sight and be aware that this is at your own risk.
• If you prefer to lock your shed to prevent sheds being damaged, invest in a decent lock and fitting. A padlock with a concealed shackle means the lock is less likely to be cut but the padlock is only as good as the fitting it is attached to. You might also consider purchasing a shed alarm, which may deter any intruders, although if could give the impression there were items of particular value stored.
• Mark up your tools either with an engraving or an ultra-violet pen to identify them as your own. Herts Police sometimes run tool-marking days so keep an eye out on the Herts Police website/Facebook page etc. This is good for any power tools, lawnmowers, strimmers etc or just anything of value. It helps identify them if they get stolen. It also applies to anything within your home such as tools, electricals etc.
• Register your valuables (from your shed or home) on immobilise.com. This is a free UK property register site and again, it helps identify them if they get stolen or try to be sold on. Take photographs of your valuable items, including any distinguishing features, marks, dents etc.
• Go on sites SoldSecure and SecuredByDesign which offer a range of high security products which are approved. These include padlocks, cameras and other home security products.

Flooding

As you will all know, some plots on the site were flooded recently. We have been investigating, thanks to Damien and Barbara, how the flood was caused. A communication has been received from Affinity Water, as it was thought that the flood might have been caused by work on the river Ver. We will keep you informed as we know more. Clearly it is not a problem in the summer months but we do not want the same thing to happen in the Winter!

 

Good news -and bad news

Best plot winners

Dennis from Ayletts spent 2 hours on the site on Monday 6 July. He was more than impressed by the quality of growing and the site generally so found it tough to make the decisions. We are grateful to Ayletts for continuing to support us during this challenging time, and for donating vouchers as prizes. The result….
Best Plot.              Plot 7.        Vivienne and her daughter Eve
Runner up.            Plot 20      Winston Bothwell

Best Newcomer.   Plot. 10      Denise Smith
Runner up.             Plot 35\35a.      Klaus and his bees!

Well done to you winners and runners-up – fantastic achievement and well deserved!

Financial accounts

The annual audited accounts are available. Normally we would present these at the AGM but as we do not know at present when that can happen, we would instead encourage you to let Chris Feakes chrisfeakes99@gmail.com know if you would like a copy.

Break-in at the site

We are really sorry to report that there has been a major incursion into our site – thanks to Fabrizio for calling it in. Barbara has emailed everyone and the police have been informed. Gates and shed doors of some plots were left open and in some cases locks were broken. Please check your sheds and plots, and if anything is missing or there has been damage, call the police on 101. Barbara’s email also contains the crime number. Please also let Pat know on her new email address pat8168@yahoo.com. We have been lucky over the years to only have had such a few such occurrences, but even so, it is really upsetting. The Committee will be discussing what we can do at our next meeting on 27 July.