By Jennifer Cosgrove

The condition of a Charleston construction site has been branded “serious” after residents discovered it in disrepair at the weekend.

People walking past the new Margaret Blackwood Housing Association development in South Road on Saturday found steel fences to the site had been dismantled, with some left lying on the ground and on pavements, while traffic cones and other building paraphernalia were also left scattered.

One local man was so enraged by what he encountered, he sent photographs to The Courier.

He said, “It is taken for granted that residents are having to put up with a little inconvenience while building work progresses on the new development, but South Road has become a dangerous area to negotiate.

“It is, to me, a serious breach of the health and safety of pedestrians wanting to pass the site or catch a bus, as the stop is in the middle of this area.

“I also saw a young mother pushing a child in a pushchair and she was having to negotiate around the obstacles in order to stay clear of the busy South Road.”

The man went on to say the pictures were taken at 2pm on Saturday, after builders left the site for the weekend.

Acts of vandalism and poor weather reportedly caused delays to the new Charleston housing development over Christmas time but the Margaret Blackwood Housing Association has since said work is going well.

The site borders the north side of South Road at its junction with Buttars Loan and construction is on schedule for completion in a few months.

A number of locals were unhappy when fencing went up around the site last year, blocking a well-used route from the estate to shops and bus stops, and protested about the barriers.

A councillor for Lochee, Lord Provost John Letford said last night he would be looking into the matter.

“It raises the question what we do if a situation like this arises at the weekend when there are no workers on site and how soon we can get in touch with the developer,” he said.

“It is not appropriate if the site has been left like this over the weekend.”

Mr Letford added he did not believe the site would have been left in such a state by the developer, saying he suspected it was the work of vandals.