ALLOTMENT gardeners are being urged to keep their sheds and plots safe from arson, and to mark their tools to deter thieves.

In the next three months the York Allotments Against Crime (YAAC) campaign will see police and fire and rescue officers at allotment sites all over the city, marking tools to protect them from theft and giving people fire safety and prevention tips.

Inspector Lee Pointon, of York Police, said: "Marking your property is one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from being a victim of crime, and last year’s tool marking events in York were a great success.

"When a criminal spots the permanent unique number on one of the thousands of items we have already marked, they will know straight away that it is too hot to handle. If the worst happened and something was stolen, marked property is far harder to sell on, and we are much more likely to be able to return it to you if we recover it."

The city council is working with police and the fire service to put on the YAAC events, which will take place on:

Sunday, May 8 at Bustardthorpe Allotments*; Sunday, May 15 at Howe Hill Allotments; Sunday, May 22 at Holgate Allotments*; Wednesday, May 22 at Strensall Allotments; Sunday, May 29 at Bootham Allotments*; Sunday, June 5 at Hob Moor Allotments; Sunday, June 5 Low Moor Allotments*; Sunday, June 12 at Fulford Allotments; Wednesday, June 15 at Wigginton Road/Terrace Allotments; Sunday, June 19 at Green Lane Allotments*; Sunday, June 26 at Glen Allotments; Sunday, July 10 at Hempland Allotments*; Sunday, July 10 at New Lane Allotments; Sunday, July 17 at Scarcroft and Hospital Fields Allotments*; Sunday, July 24 at Carr Allotments.

North Yorkshire Police will be at all events and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service will be at those marked with an asterisk. Advice is available from 10am until 2pm except for the Wednesday sessions at Strensall and Wigginton Road Terrace, which take place from 4.30pm to 7pm.

Similar events last year saw 15,000 tools marked with permanent "dot peen" markings, and councillors and police alike are urging gardeners to take up the opportunity of having their valuables marked this year.