Coronavirus – information on allotments

All allotment Tenants should be aware of the following COVID-19 Emergency Measure rules which have been updated by the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners Ltd: www.nsalg.org.uk/news/covid19-information.

If these rules are not adhered to then the Council may have no option but to close the allotment sites.

Currently it is still permitted to visit your plot, ideally on your own, to take daily exercise.  However, it is vitally important that you follow the advice about social distancing and hygiene.

It is essential that anyone attending the allotment takes care to stay the appropriate distance from others, avoid body contact and use sanitiser to keep your hands clean.  Do not wash hands or use detergents in the water tanks.

It is also important that any plot-holders over 70 years and those with underlying health conditions follow the guidance issued by the government

Tenants should take the following precautionary measures:

• Keep hand sanitiser in your shed and wash your hands regularly
• Use hand sanitiser before opening and closing any gate locks
• Observe “Social Distancing” with each other 2-3 metres if you are not from the same household
• Do not share tools
• Minimise the contact with each other for example no handshakes
• Do not wash your hands in water troughs
• We recommend that all communal facilities are closed
• If you have livestock on the site and must visit twice a day, take a photograph of your livestock.  You may eventually have to use a government form to leave the house and provide photographic proof of where you are going.
• If you display any symptoms of coronavirus and live alone, please stay at home and self-isolate for 7 days.  If you live with someone who shows signs of coronavirus then you must self-isolate for 14 days.

At this time, allotment inspections have been cancelled.

Please see the below message regarding bonfires:

After what was a long wet winter we have now seen an upturn in the weather and there has been very little rain over the last few weeks, so gardens, open spaces and heathland is drying up rapidly.  At this time of year it is usual to see an increase in wildfires.  Dorset and Wilts Fire and Rescue (DWFRS) are therefore asking the public not to undertake prescribed or controlled burns unless it is absolutely necessary.  For information and advice, please see their website DWFRS. Many people will now be spending more time tidying up their gardens, but with the closure of council tips and the suspension of garden waste collection services, there may be a temptation to have bonfire instead.  Bonfires can very quickly get out of control and DWFRS has seen an increase in calls as a result. Not only that, bonfires can cause a nuisance to neighbours, especially for those who are at present unable to go outside of the perimeters of their property, so the only opportunity they have for fresh air is within the confines of their garden, so please consider your neighbours and whether it is really necessary to have a bonfire. Both Dorset and BCP Councils have produced advice on their websites for dealing with garden waste whilst the kerbside collections are suspended. Please click the below link to see the advice for relevant advice for the Weymouth area: Dorset Council advice