Vandals smashed hundreds of panes of glass in a nursery greenhouse on the same night a neighbouring derelict building – known to be used by rough sleepers – went up in flames.
Two local boys, aged 14 and 15, have been charged with arson in connection with the blaze on the former Groom Bros nursery site in Pecks Drove West, Spalding, which saw a 45m by 15m shed destroyed. The boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are due to appear at Lincoln Youth Court on July 10.
The blaze, at 10.40pm on Saturday, was in a derelict building understood to be owned by Ashley King Developments.
Fire crews from Spalding, Holbeach, Donington, Crowland and Market Deeping battled it. No-one was hurt.
Fire crews from Spalding, Holbeach, Donington, Crowland and Market Deeping battled it. No-one was hurt.
In a separate incident, 200 panes of glass were smashed in a greenhouse on a neighbouring part of the site rented by Opperman Plants, of Low Fulney.
Business owner Mike Opperman said insurance will cover repairs but the bill is likely to run into tens of thousands and crops of hydrangeas will have to be thrown out. Police are not linking the two incidents.
Mr Opperman said: “It looks like Armageddon down there. From a personal point of view when you work hard to produce crops and people come along and do that sort of thing it’s like a violation.
“It has been getting gradually worse and worse down there and as the site gets more and more damaged it attracts more problems as it looks like nobody cares.”
Mr Opperman said he is getting regular monthly or weekly problems at the site – cabling has been stolen, the irrigation system damaged and there is continual evidence of rough sleepers and drug taking paraphernalia, including needles.
Gordon Scott (73), of Pecks Drove West, said issues from the site spread through the road with people urinating and defecating along there. He has found discarded condoms in front of his home and often has to clear other rubbish.
He said: “The whole place wants tidying up. I’ve had to come out here and wash the road down where a man pulled his trousers down and did his business in the middle of the road.
“I’ve taken bags and bags of rubbish to the tip that has been left out here. It’s a dumping ground.”
Gill Dewhurst, who lives in Clay Lake and walks her dog in the area, said: “The police need to be up here a bit more often. It’s amazing nobody was hurt in the fire.”
South Holland police inspector Gareth Boxall said police and South Holland District Council officers had visited the site on a number of occasions and will continue to monitor it. He said whilst there is evidence of rough sleeping, fears dozens of people were sleeping there were unfounded.
In March 2015, another building on the site that Mr Opperman rented for storage was destroyed by fire. Even then, there was evidence of rough sleeping and drug taking there. A few months before that fire Mr Opperman had alerted police to a stash of stolen property there and the previous year a fuel lorry was used to steal 15,000 litres of gas oil from the site.
