Bosses at Dundee High School have hit out after two youths were seen climbing scaffolding on one of its city centre buildings.
The scaffolding was put up on the old Post Office building on Euclid Street, which is owned by the school, while work was being done on the site.
But a passer-by watched as the pair – thought to be in their teens – broke through protective fencing and started climbing towards the roof on Saturday afternoon.
The witness says the youngsters were lucky not to have been killed.
The incident happened just hours before the former Robertson’s building went on fire on nearby Barrack Street – which police say was started deliberately – though there has been no suggestion that the incidents are linked.
Witness feared youth could have been killed
The man who witnessed the incident said: “It was crazy, absolutely crazy.
“One of them was on the roof, I couldn’t believe it.
“It was about 3.30pm on Saturday I saw this.
“It was two kids and they were climbing up the ladder.
“There was fencing around it but they got through them and onto the ladder.
“They were hanging about on the ladder and then one of them climbed up and went onto the roof, threw something off the roof and then started to come down again.
“They were just mucking about but the boy on the roof could have been killed, quite easily.”
Two windows damaged
A spokesperson for Dundee High School – which has put the former Post Office building on the market for £500,000 – said: “Scaffolding was in place to allow contractors access to the roof of the former Post Office building to complete work that they were carrying out.
“The scaffolding was organised by the contractors and 2m-high barriers placed around it to prevent unauthorised access.
“It is extremely concerning that anyone would risk injury to themselves and others by scaling 2m-tall barriers and accessing a structure that is clearly off-limits to the public.
“In addition, we suspect that they have smashed two of the building’s elevation windows.
“We will be making Tayside police aware of this incident.”
The scaffolding has since been removed following the completion of the work.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said : “Officers are following positive lines of enquiry after reports of youths climbing on scaffolding and vandalism to windows at a school in Dundee.”
