ALLOTMENT holder Nick Thomas was left stunned when he found out his shed had been stolen from his plot.
The 51-year-old was working when police officers called him to let him know his entire shed in Nortenham Allotments, off Evesham Road in Bishop's Cleeve, had been taken.
Thieves entered the allotments during the night, driving a vehicle which destroyed a concrete post at the entrance of the allotments during the theft.
They emptied the shed before making away with the entire wooden structure.
Mr Thomas had only been a solo allotment holder for a year, having previously shared a plot with a friend.
Having lived in the village since 2006, he said he never expected something like this to happen in Bishop's Cleeve.
Mr Thomas added: "I was really shocked when I heard about it, and I've only had an allotment for about a year.
"I'm not sure how much the thieves will get for the shed, it shouldn't be too much, I think only about £40 to £50.
"It was one of the better sheds in the allotments, but I still can't believe they have taken the entire shed.
"I didn't have much in it, just normal gardening stuff like spades and forks, I did not have any electrical tools or anything expensive in it. Maybe that's why they left the stuff there. I'm not sure how they even got the shed out.
"The police phoned up and I couldn't believe it."
The self-employed gardener, who works in property maintenance, found his gardening tools strewn across the plot after the theft. It happened between 11pm on Tuesday June 18 and 5am on June 19.
To add salt to the wounds, the thieves poured disinfectant creosol on Mr Thomas' nearby vegetables.
"I had been growing broccoli, sprouts and other cabbage plants, but they are now all ruined," he said.
"I'm not going to give up, but what can you do?
"There is nothing, but we cannot just give in."
Detectives are keen to hear from anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area at the time.
Information can be given to Gloucestershire police by calling 101 and quoting incident number 40 of June 19.
OPINION, P8
