The arsonists struck at the Wesleyan Road Allotments in the early hours of Monday morning, causing devastation at the site.
Speaking to The Peterborough Telegraph Mick Coulson, site manager at the Wesleyan Road Allotments, said: “There were three areas where fires were started, and three others where we believe they were going to start fire, as there were pallets and timber set up where it wasn’t before.
“Sheds, poly-tunnels, green houses and equipment and crops have been destroyed. The fire also spilled into gardens neighbouring the allotments.
“We still have to look exactly how much the damage will cost, but it is always heartbreaking to see the damage caused.”
The arson attack is just the latest incident at Peterborough allotments, with 35 break-ins over the past 18 months.
Mick said: “This is one of the worst we have had.
“There were a series of break-ins in May. There were incidents on three consecutive nights, when thousands of pounds worth of expensive equipment was taken, and we have had a fire which destroyed our community room.
“I don’t know what else we can do to improve security.
“We rely on site members to report things, and we have a certain amount of CCTV coverage, but without more electrical cables being laid, I don’t know how much more we can do. “We still don’t know how they got in - the fire brigade had to cut off the locks to get in.
“There has always been an element of theft at allotments, but it has been worse recently.
“But allotment people are resilient and we will bounce back.”
The fire crews were called at 3.30am on Monday to the fire.
Crews arrived to find three large seats of fire at an allotment, which involved fencing backing onto houses and a number of sheds.
Firefighters used four hose reels to extinguish the fire, before returning to their stations by 5.30am.
The cause of the fire was deliberate. Anyone with information about the incident should contact police by visiting www.cambs.police.uk to submit an online report or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
