Allotment owners ‘devastated’ over theft of chickens
ANIMALS ARE TARGETED IN ‘WELL-PLANNED’ CRIME
A GROUP of allotment owners are “devastated” after the theft of a flock of chickens.
The 14 chickens were stolen from the Brentham Allotments, in Lynwood Road, Ealing, on Saturday September 25 between 7.30pm and 8pm.
They were taken just after it had got dark and owners of the chickens have said it must have been an “organised, well planned theft”.
The chickens are owned by a cooperative community group who tend to them and share an allotment space.
Just after the last person left the allotment on Saturday they were taken.
One owner said she knew they had been taken shortly after the last person left because their chicken coop had been cleaned that day and unusually the pen had no mess on the inside come morning.
Owners of the chickens believe the perpetrators have done it before because it would be a difficult task to take 14 chickens without leaving one or making noise.
Nada Geraldine, a member of the community allotment, spoke on the chicken theft.
She said: “Unfortunately, last night our chicken coop on the Brentham allotments was broken into and all of our 14 hens are gone.
“I don’t know why they were stolen, maybe someone was desperate for eggs. They can’t even be eaten.
“The lock to the chicken pen was broken with a crowbar.
“Chickens and hens are hard to steal – they make a lot of noise and there were 14 of them. They must have done it before, it can’t have been the first time. It makes you think what type of people these are.
“Where is there a red line in the criminal world? If they can do this then what else are they going to do?
“We are all devastated. If anyone has any information that may help us please get in contact.”
The chickens are not actually suitable to be used for meat, so if someone stole them for dinner they will soon be disappointed.
To add an even stranger twist, the chickens only cost £10 to £15 each.
On the allotments website, the community talked of previous trouble, a recent statement regarding safety on the allotment said: “Brentham has a history of security problems we are trying to control.
“These include fly-tipping in the car park, theft from sheds, overnight sleeping by rough sleepers and vandalism.”