10:15am Tuesday 17th July 2001
VANDALS have broken the heart of a 92-year-old man whose life is his allotment.
Domenico Peschino, who lives with his family in Inglewood Road, Barnehurst, has tended his allotment on the Orchards site off Mayplace Road, East Barnehurst, for more than 20 years.
But fellow gardeners say he is beginning to lose heart after his allotment shed, containing all his tools, was burnt to the ground for the second time.
Mr Peschino spends most of his days at his allotment either gardening or carving spoons from wood. Two months ago, the allotments were attacked by vandals and his was among half-a-dozen sheds set alight.
Now the allotments have been targeted again, and Mr Peschino's new shed was one of three torched.
Fellow allotment holder Mario Fortuna said: “He still comes to the allotment and everyone lends him bits and pieces to work with but he is very upset.”
The allotments already have padlocked gates and barbed wire on the perimeter fence to keep people out.
A spokesman for Bexley Council, which owns the allotments, said the Orchards site had delegated management, which means it is run by a committee of allotment holders.
He said the council has been working with the police on schemes to try to curb vandalism on allotment sites. These include an Allotment Watch scheme and marking of garden tools.
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