A Fife farming family have spoken of their frustration as their property has been repeatedly targeted by vandals over the last year.
The Brownlie family at Inchgall Farm have appealed for help in tracking down those responsible for the damage at their farmstead in Glencraig near Lochgelly, following the latest incident this week which saw a gate separating the community from livestock completely removed.
Monday’s shocking discovery was the final straw for the family, who have put up with wire fences and chains being cut and gates being swung open for more than a year.
Now they feel forced into installing CCTV at the farm and say they will name and shame whoever is responsible for the damage if it happens again.
Julie Ann Brownlie, whose husband and father-in-law run the farm, has hit out at the vandals.
“This has been ongoing for far too long,” she said.
“Someone is going out of their way, taking tools with them, to damage our property and we have been losing time on the farm having to keep fixing the damage this person is causing.
“This is criminal damage.
“Animals or members of the public could be hurt if they were to get out of the field because of this menace.”
Monday’s incident saw bolts on the heavy metal gate unscrewed and removed, with the gate itself lifted off its hinges.
That was an escalation on what has previously happened, as the family have had to replace a chain on the gate at least five times because it was cut. Fencing has also been cut in the past, allowing livestock to make their way to the main road.
The farm’s 40 cows and a bull are safely enclosed in a field beside the gate, but the damage is proving costly and time consuming to rectify.
“What’s the reasoning behind it?” Julie Ann said.
“We can’t see bike tracks so don’t think that’s why, but some person is carrying tools with them to do this.
“It’s not kids either, as my husband was over there during school hours and it had been done during the day.
“It’s just annoying and unexplainable.”
Anyone who may have seen something suspicious in the area should contact Police Scotland on 101.
