Plants worth hundreds of pounds uprooted from Tatem Park over the weekend
Witnesses are being asked to come forward with evidence after brazen thieves stole plants worth £450 from Tatem Park in Edmonton.
The raid only came to light when volunteers from Friends of Tatem Park arrived on the morning of Saturday 18 March to continue their gardening efforts.
The thieves were so confident and greedy they returned later on Saturday to pick up what they had left, stripping an entire bed of plants – including camellias and lavender – bare. This had only been planted the week before, using donations from the community and the help of supermarket giant Tesco’s “bags of help” grant scheme.
“The Friends of Tatem Park have worked tirelessly to raise money and have given their own time to help the Council make the park a beautiful haven for the community,” said Enfield Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Daniel Anderson.
“I’d urge anyone with any information about this thoughtless and selfish crime to contact the police. Any help residents can provide, which could help apprehend these despicable characters, would be greatly appreciated.”
Friends of Tatem Park chairman Marc Ellul added: “The support from the wider community has been tremendous.
“We will replace these plants, but they will have to be anchored using devices driven into the soil. Other security measures may also be put in place to make it more difficult to dig up plants and we are seeking advice on this.”
Anyone with information should contact the non-emergency services on 101 or the volunteers at Friends of Tatem Park via their Facebook page.
Enfield Council said it had a fast and effective means of reporting issues with parks on its website.
