SIR,

Please can I appeal to the youth of the town who are vandalising our allotments, to consider what they are doing.

1. Breaking glass and throwing it in the field is a danger to animals, children and people who walk/ play and enjoy our lovely countryside.

2. Smashing up sheds and burning or stealing from them is silly. Nobody leaves anything of value any more because we have got used to you doing it.

3. Vandalising crops is such a waste. If you're desperate come and ask, anyone will share in a crisis – we'd rather give fruit and veg to anyone needy but it seems that is not the problem.

Perhaps it's jealousy or drunkenness but it is stupid and I would rather think that if we appeal to a person's better nature, it could stop.

Just consider the work that goes into keeping an allotment – not all are tidy and productive (we wish they were) but we get fed up also and the last thing I would want is for the council to close them down because it's become too much of a hassle to maintain public safety.

Let us know if you have any good ideas on how we can solve this problem.

(Name and address supplied)