Safety Issues on Fort Street Bridge Reported

Earlier this week I alerted the City Engineer to the holes that have appeared in the infill panels on the east side of the Fort Street bridge over the railway. Whether this is a Council or NetworkRail responsibility I think it needs to be tackled sooner rather than later.

Signs of damage and deterioration like this, either from wear and tear or vandalism need attention before they become a more expensive eyesore.

Unfortunately minor damage like this, if not attended to, becomes a target for further vandalism.

Swift Action by City Council to Remove Damaged Bike Rack and Order Replacement

On Monday I reported to the City Council that one of the bike racks on the pavement in central Broughty Ferry had been damaged over the weekend. On Wednesday, Council staff confirmed that that the damaged bike rack on Brook Street outside Greggs has now been uplifted and an order has been raised for its replacement. 

As yet there is no information regarding timescale for the delivery and installation of the replacement but I have been assured I will be updated when this information becomes available. 

I think that is a prompt and very satisfactory response from the Council

I have not however yet been contacted by Police Scotland since ringing in my report on Monday about this vandalism and asking that the CCT footage was examined to identify and apprehend the culprits.

More Vandalism in The Ferry

Outside Greggs on Brook Street, one of the bike racks fixed to the pavement is damaged and appears to have been deliberately vandalised. As you can see it is bent over and unusable. On closer inspection, one end of the stainless steel rail has been severed at ground level by what appears to have be repeated bending over and back until the metal snapped.

Unfortunately, this is another example of deliberate and sickening property damage. This not only undermines the appearance of our main street but also diverts cash from vital Council services to pay for needless repairs and replacements.
I have informed the Transportation Department and Roads' Maintenance Partnership to ask that the broken rack is removed immediately and subsequently replaced. I have also informed Tayside Division, Police Scotland. As this happened in direct line of sight from the CCTV camera, I hope the perpetrators will be easily identified and apprehended.
This deliberate damage of public property follows a spate of spray painting of unsightly graffiti tags in numerous locations in Barnhill including garage doors which happened on Thursday night and through to the small hours of Friday morning.

Police Appeal for Help to Track Down Vandals That Spray Painted Property in Broughty Ferry

Police Scotland, Tayside Division is looking for the public's help in trying to track down the vandals who spray painted graffiti on a number of cars, garages, walls and phones boxes in the Broughty Ferry area of Dundee.

The vandalisms happened sometime between 10pm on Thursday, September 26 and 6am on Friday, September 27.

The green-coloured paint was sprayed on property in Montague Street, Strathmore Street, Hamilton Street, Abercromby Street, Fettercairn Drive and Guthrie Street.

Vandalism is unacceptable no matter what form it takes. It creates unnecessary expense for individuals and organisations. Where offences are reported to Tayside Division it will carry out appropriate enquiries and where offenders are identified they will be robustly dealt with. 

Police Scotland urges people not to tolerate vandalism but to report them immediately.

Anyone who can assist Police Scotland with their inquiries should get in touch with Tayside Division on 101 or speak to any police officer.

Alternatively information can be passed anonymously via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Condemnation of Repeated Damage to Bus Shelter on Balgillo Road

I was appalled to be informed that that another glass panel had been smashed on the Bus Shelter on Balgillo Road near the junction with Elcho Drive on Wednesday. Infuriatingly, this was only the day after a contractor had replaced four panels at the same Bus Shelter. Since August this makes three cases of broken glass panels at this bus shelter. 

I am sure residents will join me in condemning this series of deliberate acts of criminal damage which is wasting public money. It is also diverting council cash from funding transport improvements such as the demand for a bus shelter further up Balgillo Road at the stop close to the junction with Marlee Road.

I appeal to residents to keep an eye out for and to report any suspicious behaviour to the Police. I think the residents who live on the north side of Elie Avenue are probably in the best position to keep a watchful eye out as their homes face the Balgillo Road and this bus shelter; so let's have some neighbourhood watch!

Council Contractors Repair Damage to Fort Street Bridge Panels and Hole in the Sea Wall

Just before Christmas I noticed that some of the panels on the parapet of the Fort Street bridge had been damaged. Unfortunately, the shape of the holes suggested that the panels had been kicked in. I alerted the Council about this. I was therefore delighted to see that work people were on the bridge on Thursday replacing the broken panels and then repainting the side of the bridge.

It was also good to see that work had also been been completed last week on the repairs to the sea wall between Douglas Terrace and the Broughty Lifeboat shed. Just after new year, I had noticed a significant breach in the sea wall while out on a walk to the paper shop to buy my copy of the the Evening Telegraph and so I contacted the City Engineer.

Congratulations are due to the Council for acting promptly to inspect both the bridge and the sea wall and then instructing contractors to carry out repairs promptly. 

While no one can begrudge having to pay for repairing the sea wall and protecting the road and homes close to the beach, it is regrettable that we are having to use council tax to repair public property like the bridge panels that were damaged by mindless acts of vandalism.

Ferry Juvenile Crime Wave Summit on Wednesday 7 December

Tag on a BT Box in Strathmore Avenue

Tayside Police, Tayside Fire and Rescue, Dundee Community Wardens as well as Ferry Councillors, have all recently received numerous complaints from members of the public about graffiti, vandalism, fire setting and littering by young people in the Ferry. The unusual intensity of these incidents has led to the Team Leader of the Community Safety Wardens to convene an inter-agency "Summit" on Wednesday 7 December at Blackness Fire Station.


There seem to be a gang of young people who are regularly out on our streets defacing public and private property with spray paint. The repetitive appearance of their 'signature' painted tags suggest that many of the acts of vandalism have been perpetrated by a small number of young people. There has also been a number of deliberately started fires and many examples of inconsiderate behaviours such as deliberately littering the streets and damaging public property such as street signs. 


For the folk on the receiving end of this juvenile delinquency, this has been a very tiresome time. For Council clean up squads, it is also a discouraging picture because as fast as they remove or paint over graffiti, the tags appear again like a virus. There are clearly questions about a lack of parental supervision when it is alleged that some of the vandals are surprisingly young.


I hope the agencies at the meeting on Wednesday afternoon are able to plan and then coordinate effective and lasting responses against the perpetrators.

Residents Overlooked by Snow Clearing Suffer Vandalism to Their Cars

Residents in Carbane Drive in the Ferry have found their patience severely tested over the last week. They have found it almost impossible to drive in or out of their cul-de-sac because of accumulated snow and ice and an absence of a grit bin. On Sunday morning, they were still waiting for a snow plough to come down Wemyss Gardens and clear their way out to Balgillo Road. As a result, some residents had taken to parking their cars overnight on Balgillo Road. On Sunday morning, these residents were very annoyed to find that cars parked on Balgillo Road had been vandalised with wiper blades and aerials broken off.

One of the residents of Carbane Drive said,
"I am sure you can understand my frustration and anger - if grit had been delivered to the bottom as well as the top of the hill my car would have been safe and I would not be out of pocket. I would have been cheaper buying the grit myself rather than paying repairs. Unless of course I can deduct the cost of the repairs from a future council tax bill?"

Councillor Laurie Bidwell said:
"The perpetrators of this vandalism are mean and mindless. That residents vehicles became vulnerable to attack because of a lack of a grit bin and snow clearing near their owners' homes leads to questions about why it took so long for the Council to clear access to Carbane Drive. Thankfully, I understand that Carnbane Drive was gritted on Sunday afternoon. I shall expect that the request I made last week for the provision of an additional grit bin for Carbane Drive is now actioned so that these residents can help themselves to keep traffic moving in and out of their road when it snows again."

Mayhem at Castle Green Play Area

I was appalled to learn about the damage done to the children's play area at Castle Green late on Saturday evening. The fires set to the climbing and balancing structures was no accident but a deliberate and dangerous act of vandalism. Until replacement equipment can be installed, many young children will be deprived of the opportunity of playing on the equipment that has been destroyed.

Ironically, the City Council was considering a report on Monday evening about the next stage in the development of the Masterplan for Castle Green. It is a matter of regret that money from future improvements will need to be diverted to pay for the replacement of the damaged equipment in our award winning play area.

The littering on the beach over the weekend is, I think, another matter altogether. Residents of Broughty Ferry are proud of their Green Flag beach and are pleased that it is a popular place for recreation. We are not pleased however when visitors of any age leave behind their litter for others to clear up.

I have asked that both of these issues can be discussed at The Ferry Local Community Planning Partnership meeting on Monday 7 June.