Honesty box thieves take 200 bags of potatoes

More than 200 bags of potatoes have been taken from the farm near Boston

A Lincolnshire farmer said he had been left feeling “sick” after hundreds of pounds worth of potatoes have been stolen from his honesty stall.

John Hardy, 71, has a stand at the bottom of his farm at Anton’s Gowt, near Boston, for the public to buy potatoes in exchange for putting £2 in a box.

He said 218 bags of potatoes have been taken with no cash put in the honesty box.

Mr Hardy said people need to have “more of a conscience on them” and taking them without paying is “disgusting”.

He set up the stall five years ago and said he has always suffered some losses, but not on the scale he has encountered in recent months.

Mr Hardy said he may be reluctantly forced to shut the stall for good, if things do not change.

“I just hope people will see sense because I really don’t want to pack this job up,” he said.

“I’m afraid in this day and age we get people like this everywhere.

“It’s very frustrating that this is the culture we live in where people aren’t as honest and good as they used to be.

“It’s not a nice feeling doing all this work only for people to take them.”

Farmer John Hardy said he had been left "sick" by the thefts

Local resident Josephine Allen, 43, has created an online appeal to help Mr Hardy recuperate some of his losses.

Ms Allen describes the people stealing from Mr Hardy as “low lives” and she does not want to see the end of the traditional way of selling farm produce.

“I want to restore a bit of faith in humanity by supporting our British farmers, instead they’re getting stolen from," she said.

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