It appears they have previously checked out the premises, making one question if it could have been the ‘white van man’, delivering parcels, the roofers working on the property next door, or mates of the ‘temporary’ posties taken on before Christmas to ease the burden of the regular guys.
The spate of break ins in and around Wivelsfield have been audacious. No amount of security lighting, CCTV cameras and locked gates seem to have been a deterrent. No doubt, within hours the stolen vehicles and equipment have been stowed away in containers and probably heading in the direction of Eastern Europe.
The Government announced late last year its intension to find a site for a new National Park in England. This idea along with the rebranding of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty to National Landscapes fills me with unease and must be questioned and face intense scrutiny.
The very nature of these changes, both of which embrace the word ‘National’, is deeply concerning. The creation of yet another National Park will without doubt include mostly privately owned and managed land. The last National Park introduced on 1st April 2010, was the South Downs National Park by the then Labour Government following much opposition by landowners. 85 per cent of the SDNP is privately owned and managed, a fact not recognised by the SDNP Authority and much of the public, who clearly consider its creation was a green light to take control – land nationalisation by the back door.
The creation of the SDNP surrounded by large, populated towns was a huge mistake. Even those who supported the idea in 2010 recognise the error. Farmers and landowners face daily headaches as the Park Authority wealds unacceptable control and the public believe the land to be a public park which can be used and abused by bikers, rave organisers, dog walkers and vandals.
Will the public now also consider National Landscapes fall into this same category so farmers and landowners will face the same need to defend their territory which has historically been farmed in a manner which has balanced food production and the welfare of livestock, wildlife, and nature, with managed access for the public along defined footpaths not a free for all playground and dog walking paradise.
Unfortunately, increasingly Government and the public have little understanding of the delicate balance between nature, farming, and public access particularly with dogs, and the result is already in too many instances catastrophic for wildlife. I hope it is not already too late for the Government to take all this into account and reconsider both issues.