An unauthorised Travellers’ camp has appeared at a prime Perth business estate, prompting another review of security.
Several caravans have set up inside the city’s multi-million-pound Food and Drink Park.
Travellers first began arriving at the Inveralmond site in early 2017, when they were threatened with eviction.
But despite prolonged negotiations, a number of legal challenges and repeated attempts to upgrade security, council bosses have been unable to keep caravans off the site.
This time, a metal fence with a no entry sign at the entrance to the site was found damaged and a large concrete block placed across the road was moved.
Last year, Travellers were blamed for shifting a stone barrier to get inside but it later emerged the block was moved to allow for construction crews.
No one at the camp was willing to speak, but previously a member of the Travelling community told The Courier the business park had become a preferred site because there was nowhere else in Perth for them to go.
He said it was in a traditional area where Travellers had stopped for many years, stretching back to before the Second World War.
The council said the cost of clearing up at the site over the past year was nearly £3,300.
Conservative councillor Angus Forbes, convener of the authority’s environment and infrastructure committee, said: “The damage to the entrance of the food and drink park is very disappointing. I know officers are arranging to repair the entrance gates, and I am sure this will be undertaken as quickly as possible.
“Overall security for the site is also being reviewed to avoid this happening again in the future.”
A council spokeswoman added: “We are monitoring the situation at Perth Food and Drink Park and will manage this in accordance with our temporary encampment policy.
“Arrangements are being made to repair the entrance gates. Future security requirements are being reviewed.”
Two years ago, the council ditched long-standing plans to set up a dedicated halting site for Travellers.
Council officers spent five years searching for a suitable site for caravan convoys. The aim was to offer Travellers a dedicated stop-off point with access to facilities, while cutting down on illegal camps popping up around the region.
The proposal was part of a strategy drawn up with the help of NHS Tayside and Police Scotland to “meet the future needs” of the travelling community.
The local authority confirmed in 2017 that it had dropped plans to establish a new site, instead putting the earmarked £46,000 into improving existing camps.
