A shoplifter on the Immediate Justice scheme helped Weedon FLAG fill and lay two tonnes of sandbags at the New Croft garages, where floodwater runs to homes.

Two tonnes of sandbags now line the New Croft garages in Weedon Bec, a spot where floodwater has run down onto neighbouring roads and homes. Some of the filling and lifting was done by a man caught shoplifting, as his punishment.

The man, in his 50s, was referred by Northamptonshire Police to the Immediate Justice programme run by Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone, which requires offenders to complete visible repairs in the community. He was given to the Weedon Flood Liaison Action Group (FLAG) and worked alongside its volunteers to fill the bags and put them in place, the commissioner’s office said in a release on Tuesday.

The sandbags are meant to reduce the effects of low-level flooding at the garages, and are one part of a wider flood response in the village.

A long row of filled white sandbags stacked three high against a low wall on a concrete garage forecourt
Sandbags stacked against a wall at the New Croft garages. Photo: supplied by the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

Who asked for the help

The idea came from Weedon’s two West Northamptonshire Council ward members for Woodford and Weedon, Councillor Charlie Hastie and Councillor Rupert Frost, who encouraged FLAG to use the Immediate Justice Team for the job.

Cllr Hastie, who is also the council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, said: “This is a great example of different organisations working together to deliver a positive outcome for our communities.

“By supporting Weedon FLAG to strengthen local flood defences, the Immediate Justice programme has not only helped protect residents and properties from future flooding but also ensured that offenders make a meaningful contribution to the places they have impacted.

“We’d like to thank everyone involved for helping make a real difference in Weedon Bec.”

What the flood group says

Steve Edwards, coordinator of Weedon FLAG, said: “The Team were efficient, enthusiastic and productive, and the work they completed will be of genuine benefit to our community.

“Immediate Justice has meant that our local people have seen a positive and useful outcome from the work undertaken and I am grateful that the Team was able to help us.”

A narrow path between a concrete panel fence and a planted border, with a line of filled sandbags laid along the foot of the fence
Sandbags laid along the foot of a fence beside a narrow path in Weedon Bec. Photo: supplied by the Office of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

How the scheme works

Immediate Justice gives offenders visible repair work in the community; in this case, the commissioner says, it took the place of a trip through the courts. Her office says the programme has now cleaned up, repaired or helped at more than 80 public areas and community spaces across the county, through more than 3,000 hours of work assigned to offenders.

Danielle Stone said: “Immediate Justice makes sure that offenders carry out meaningful, visible reparative work that directly benefits communities like Weedon.

“Those who commit crimes should pay the penalty. By going through my Immediate Justice programme, this offender has avoided going through the court system and has instead directly supported residents in Northamptonshire.”

What it means for you

If you live near the New Croft garages, the sandbags there are now a first line of defence against the kind of low-level flooding that has reached nearby roads and homes before. They are part of a wider village flood response coordinated with Weedon FLAG, so the group is the local contact for flood concerns in Weedon Bec.

The full release is on the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s website.