A woman has told of her anger after thieves stole £7 from an honesty box on a home-grown vegetable stall.
Since the start of lockdown, Leanne Eastick-Biggins, a DT technician at Taverham High School, has had a stall outside her home on Silver Street.
She has been selling vegetables grown at her Mousehold South Allotment and asked customers to pay into an honesty box.
But on Thursday, the 32-year-old noticed money had been stolen from the honesty box while the vegetables had been left untouched.
She said: “I was a bit angry when I discovered the theft but I was disappointed more than anything. It makes you wonder why someone would decide that is an OK thing to do.
“I would have rather they had nicked the vegetables.”
The decision to set up a stall, which has sold rhubarb, green beans and courgettes, had been prompted by the pandemic to create a “sense of community”.
But Ms Eastick-Biggins said that had been ruined by a “handful of people who do silly things”.
Ms Eastick-Biggins added: “With everything going on in lockdown, and with people wanting to be local and support local enterprises, I thought it would be nice to share my locally grown produce with the community.
“It’s just disappointing that someone would steal money. I’d like to think that they needed the cash, but they probably didn’t. I imagine it was just an opportunist.”
But Ms Eastick-Biggins said she had not been deterred by the theft and set up the stall again the following day.
She said: “Rather than set prices for each item which I did previously I am now just asking for donations. That said, I do check the pot more regularly.”
The theft has been reported to Norfolk Police as Ms Eastick-Biggins said she wanted to make officers aware of crime in the area.
She said: “I don’t expect an investigation and it was only a small amount of money. It’s so they know what’s going on and are kept in the loop.”
Ms Eastick-Biggins began renting the allotment three years ago and said: “There’s nothing better than having a Sunday roast with your home-grown vegetables and it tastes better too.”
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