Vandalism at allotments in Godalming and Witley have prompted police to issue advice on preventing thefts and discouraging intruders.

Waverley Beat Officer Chris Skillicorn-Aston said: "Damage to and theft from allotments can be a really emotive crime. Allotments often form natural communities as people get to know each other and it can be upsetting and infuriating to see the time, care and commitment taken destroyed by vandals."

But he said that officers couldn't keep a close eye on allotments across the borough all the time, and the chances of a police officer coming across a vandal in the act was "slim".

And the force is now urging people to step up security around the plots as well as ensuring they never leave anything valuable there.

"Sometimes it's mindless vandalism, sometimes it's theft, but whatever the motive there are steps that you can take to make your allotment less attractive to criminals," PC Skillicorn-Aston added.

Among the tips on the Waverley Beat Facebook page tenants are advised to get to know their neighbours, put up a secure perimeter fence, and install motion-sensor lighting. CCTV and secure bolts on sheds are also suggested.

"Be assured that we're out there patrolling rural areas late at night, it's a lot of ground to cover and by making allotments and other vulnerable locations tougher targets we can make a real impact on the opportunity for this kind of crime," he added.

The allotments are owned by Godalming Town Council. Town Clerk Andy Jeffrey said: "Although we haven't been informed of the detail, if somebody has taken it upon themselves to damage other people's property and undo their hard work, the town council find such behaviour abhorrent."