Brazen Travellers have pitched up right under the noses of Angus Council chiefs at the authority’s showpiece HQ.
In a shock move, a small group of caravans pitched up at Angus House on Orchardbank Business Park, within around 100 yards of the authority’s HQ and under the noses of top officials based in the showpiece building.
Their arrival follows a period of relative calm after a spate of illegal encampments which were set up in the area in 2014, leading to the council spending thousands of pounds in clean-up costs and preventative measures designed to discourage groups from stopping in the area.
Ironically, one of the major hotspots during that spell was an area of open ground north of the council campus and a few hundred yards from the latest site.
It is thought the Travellers may have been part of a group moved on by Dundee City Council.
The Courier understands action is now being pursued through the courts to move the group on.
A spokesman for the authority said: “Angus Council is aware of the encampment and will continue to monitor it in accordance with our policy and procedures.”
Angus House sits alongside St Margaret’s House and William Wallace House on the council campus and the car parks there are filled daily by council employees, with a frequent overspill on to the main road through the business park.
A council employee said: “The last time this happened there were many more caravans and vehicles but they were away from the buildings on open land and not sitting right there in the car park.
“I can’t believe they have been bold enough just to drive into the main car park and stop there, and it seems they know that there’s very little that can be done about it.”
Early last year, council leader Iain Gaul described as “bloody annoying” the cash-strapped council having to foot the bill for tidying up after illegal encampments and taking steps to prevent future unauthorised access.
It followed a 2014 summer of discontent which saw large groups of Travellers move in on several parts of the town, including popular Forfar Loch Country Park.
Figures obtained by The Courier revealed that the authority spent more than £43,000 in 2014/15 for legal and property-related costs associated with almost 20 unauthorised encampments.
Dundee saw a series of major encampments set up at various locations last year, prompting calls for the city to look again at how it deals with Traveller groups and casting fresh focus on occupancy rates at the official Balmuir Wood site on the Angus/Dundee border at Tealing.