A prominent Perthshire site has been pounced upon by fly-tippers just weeks after it had its recycling centre removed.
Recycling bins for materials such as glass and electronics were removed from the car park of the Scone’s Wheel Inn at the end of March.
Perth and Kinross Council insisted the decision had to be taken quickly, as plans had been approved for developers to convert the disused pub into 51 retirement flats and construction work was to begin imminently.
However, local residents were not warned the service was being removed and are now worried waste at the unsecured site is building up as the car park remains unsecured.
Some of the waste accumulating in the car park is recyclables left by residents who did not know the bins had been moved, while other waist-high piles of general waste have been tipped around the building.
Scone and District Community Council were told the bins will be relocated to the Park and Ride, at the north end of the village, half a mile away.
However, the group are angry that while the bins were removed promptly, there is no sign of any work being undertaken at the site.
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Chairwoman Vanessa Shand said: “We’ve tried to get something done and we’ve brought it to the attention of the council and the developers Juniper. The council don’t own the land though and the developers haven’t moved in yet.
“There are health and safety issues with the site, which we know isn’t being secured. Vermin will start to appear if nothing is done.
“The recycling is being moved to the Park and Ride once the permission goes through, which is definitely good news, but The Wheel Inn can’t be left the way it is.
“There’s a lot of glass building up from people who didn’t realise it’s been removed and the council won’t step in until they see it as a bigger problem.
“It’s been weeks now since the bins were removed and there’s still not been any sign of work.”
The local authority has said it is pursuing the owners of the site but insisted it was their responsibility to maintain its upkeep.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “The council has received reports regarding the rubbish dumped at the former Wheel Inn site and our environmental health team are currently investigating the matter.
“We are pursuing the landowners as it is their responsibility to arrange removal of the waste.
“If anyone witnesses dumping of rubbish on this, or any other site, please let us know via our Customer Service Centre on 01738 476476 or online via our MyPKC portal.”
