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Vandalism getting 'quite bad again' in Castletown with incidents at public toilets and hall


By Gordon Calder

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VANDALISM in Castletown is getting "quite bad again" with incidents happening at the village toilets and at the historic Traill Hall.

The main door at the 19th century hall, which was gifted to the village and is up for sale, was damaged recently and had to be repaired by the trust which is responsible for the building.

The front door of the Traill Hall had to be repaired after being vandalised.
The front door of the Traill Hall had to be repaired after being vandalised.

On a Friday night last month, a number of eggs were thrown about the toilets on Harbour Road. "They made a hell of a mess of the toilets," said community councillor John Calder, who pointed out that the incident was reported to the police by a member of the public.

Members again expressed their disappointment at the lack of a police presence at the meeting. "What do you do, " asked secretary, Liz Geddes.

It was also pointed out that some young people had climbed on to scaffolding at the old church near the school a few weeks ago but no damage was done. The police were alerted but the offenders were not caught, it was stated.

The property was unoccupied for many years but is being done up and turned into a home.

Thurso and northwest Caithness Highland councillor, Donnie Mackay, said toilets in Thurso had also been subjected to vandalism as had the town's cemetery. "The cemetery of all places. It is just not real, " he said.

Meanwhile, Highland Council has urged people to report vandals to the police after a significant rise in vandalism and fire raising at public toilets across the north, including Thurso, Alness, Strathpeffer and Fort William.

It was stressed that these facilities offer a vital service to many people – delivery drivers, key workers in the NHS and care services as well as council staff – and having to close them to deal with vandalism impacts on many people including locals and visitors.

Debbie Sutton, Highland Council’s amenity services manager urged the public to report acts of vandalism to the police and stressed that such behaviour is criminal and diverts resources away from local authority works and services.

Police Superintendent Maggie Pettigrew said: "We are acutely aware of the disruptive impact anti-social behaviour and associated issues such as vandalism has on a community. Local officers work closely with partners to address these issues and find meaningful long-term solutions to prevent these issues from arising."

She added: "We also work to identify those involved. Vandalism like this is at the very least mindless and has the potential to result in far more serious consequences."


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