British Gardeners Banned From Using Barbed Wire Because It Might Hurt Vandals

British gardeners have been told they can't used barbed wire to stop vandals, because the precious snowflakes might hurt themselves.

Many British home owners have an allotment garden, sort of a community garden, where they can grow vegetables. But in Southampton, members of the Muddy Bottom East Allotment have dealt with damage as often as three times a week, including smashed sheds and water taps left running. So the allotment gardeners lobbied the council to install barbed wire to prevent further destruction.

The Southampton council said no, because they were afraid the criminals might sue if they were injured in the course of causing damage to other people's property.

So instead of trying to catch the little miscreants, the Southampton City Council wants to mollycoddle them and keep them from getting boo-boos on their widdle fingers. It sounds like the MBEA isn't the only place where the vegetables are running free. In this case, they're running the Southampton Council.

Mervyn Hobden told the Daily Mirror, "The fences are easy to climb. We asked for four lines of barbed wire to put on the top, but the council said they have a liability towards the trespasser."

"Some of the sheds cost £500," said Hobden. "And we have to pay to repair them. Some people have packed in because of the vandals."

The Southampton Council owes it to the tax-paying members of the Muddy Bottom East Allotment to keep their gardens safe and secure. And I think the MBEA should explore suing the Southampton City Council for the costs of the damages, since they did not do what they needed to to provide a safe and secure place for people to grow vegetables.

Otherwise they'll be out on the streets, running local governments.

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