Kitchen Garden Forum

Allotment holders in Somerset village of West Monkton near Taunton have received letters insisting that they insure themselves against personal injury claims of up to £5 million.

According to the Parish Council Clerk “We live in a health and safety age... If someone trips over a bucket on an allotment, the allotment holder is liable”. The Council claim the town hall was following advice from their insurer who said they would be advising all councils to urge allotment holders to take out public liability insurance at about £400 per year per plot. The above was reported in the Daily Express Monday, 11 June 2007 page 16 under the title Terrifying Perils of a Humble Allotment written by Daily Express writer Dominic Utton.

On a happier note please find a picture of my rose growing on the outside wall of my house but don’t get too close otherwise I suppose I will be liable to be sued for any scratches from the thorns.


Barney[

Dear Barney, if i ever have to insure my allotment, i would make sure they had to pay out some large claims.
As i have three plots, would that mean i would have to insure the three plots seperately do you think.

Your rose is so much better then Jenny's.

Dear Old Herbaceous

On your first point, yes according to the Newspaper report it is £400 per year per plot. (I have also got 3 allotments).

On your second point I’m saying nothing.

(It is an organic rose, however)

Best wishes
Barney

Like all politicians your local authority should not be trusted if mine is anything to go by. I treat everything they say and do with suspicion.
I believe local councils are bringing in many of these rules in the hope that plot holders just give up with their plots and then your local authority will sell the land to developers. My local council continue to hold back plots despite the fact there is a huge waiting list. They have not been shy in letting people know that they would very much like to build on the land.

Rich.

Isn't there a thread already running on this somewhere? If the allotment association joins NSALG the cost is a little more realistic.
My rose is seriously piqued by your slur Herby and I'll be taking another photo of it in the morning as it's now looking even better than the first one I posted. So there!

Our association is taking out PL insurance and it will cost me £2.80 for £5m cover. It is on another thread somewhere...

I told my rose about Weed's, dare I say, rather Weedy effort and it's decided to pull out the stops and have a big show off.

Yes, that is a beautiful rose Jenny. If I make sure to regularly dead head mine, it blooms throughout the summer, does yours as well?

Barney

Dear Jenny, alright i have to admit your rose is truly beautiful, and does look even better than your first photo.

It's amazing what can be achieved with artificial fertilizer, and insecticide.

to you Herby. Seriously, I advise people who're having problems with aphids, blackspot etc. on their roses to stop feeding them. I find this makes them more susceptible.
Barney, no, it won't go right through the summer, but I get a second, smaller flush later in the year. I have to say your rose is beautiful too. Interesting that you have a red and I have a white one. I used to live in York too!

Yes, I read that report in the press. I'm beginning to think that most of the officials who now govern us would be better off on the funny farm. Whatever happened to the concept of people accepting reasonable risk as part of their lives? (Won't rant on. It's not good for my blood pressure).