Latest on a Barry allotment where man is facing £50,000 fine

In February, we reported on Simon Martin who built an allotment with his garden waste on a disused playpark in Barry.

In the video below we take a walk round the allotment.

At the time Vale of Glamorgan Council wanted Mr Martin to remove his makeshift allotment, threatening him with a £50,000 fine and the prospect of criminal prosecution for what the council called 'fly-tipping'.

When we returned to the area in June, Mr Martin’s allotment was still there.

The council say a criminal investigation is underway as neighbour Hazel Mitchell, whose property backs onto Mr Martin’s allotment, said she can’t take it anymore, having to cut a path through Mr Martins’ raised beds to get access to the back of her garden.

Watch the video below and take a look as we walk round Simon Martin's makeshift allotment

Hazell Mitchell and son Jacob say life has become a misery because of Simon Martin's allotment (Image: Newsquest)

Ms Mitchell longs for the open area - that used to be an old basketball court - where kids could run and play.

Now, she says it’s too dangerous for them, with an obstacle course of mud mounds tangled with wire, trees and unstable walls all stopping the children running free.

Ms Mitchell said rock walls were unstable and falling down and she’d even seen an infestation of rats.

She explained: “It’s disgusting that he's getting away with it. Every time we move rocks away he moves them back.”

Ms Mitchell says the site is unsafe for kids (Image: Newsquest)

Ms Mitchell has lived there for 20 years and says her sanctuary is gone (Image: Newsquest)

Ms Mitchell, who’s lived in the area for 20 years, says her “sanctuary” is gone.

“This used to be my sanctuary. I used to look after kids here. It is scary now to see them on the rocks. It was safe for kids to play here. Now they cannot go anywhere near it unsupervised.”

The area before Simon Martin built his allotment (Image: Hazel Mitchell)

The area now (Image: Newsquest)

Back in February, Mr Martin, 43, described how he was left in fear after a pair of “burly blokes” came to his door and threatened him if he did not remove the allotment – however that’s trickier than it sounds, with Mr Martin estimating he’s moved over 20  tonnes of garden waste from his back garden off Moxon Street.

He claims he did it to offer fellow residents the chance to grow their own veg during a cost-of-living crisis.

When we approached him for comment recently, he declined an interview.

Simon Martin with his makeshift allotment in February. He declined to comment in our latest interview (Image: Newsquest)

The Vale of Glamorgan Council were threatening Mr Martin with a £50,000 fine, while he previously described run-ins with council enforcement officers.

The council now say, while they hope the dispute can be resolved amicably, there is a criminal investigation underway.

Ms Mitchell with son Jacob in happier times. She says her mental health has been impacted by the allotment (Image: Hazel Mitchell)

The council are looking into criminal prosecution to get the allotment removed (Image: Newsquest)

A spokesperson said: “Mr Martin was warned that his actions could be considered a very serious case of fly tipping.

“Despite follow-up contacts from our enforcement team, no action has been taken to return the area to its previous condition.

“While we still hope this can be resolved informally and amicably, a criminal investigation is now underway and our team will soon be taking a decision on whether to pursue a prosecution.”

What do you think? Is Mr Martin right? Do you live in the area? Has he improved it, or is his makeshift allotment a menace? Let us know by emailing harry.jamshidian@newsquest.co.uk.