An investigation has been launched amid allegations Travellers in Dundee are trying to steal electricity from street lighting.
At least half a dozen lamp-posts along Jack Martin Way in Fintry have been ripped open, with wires severed in what appears to be an attempt to steal power.
However, according to council officials such efforts would have proved fruitless as the lights are not connected to a power source.
The extent of the vandalism emerged when the Travellers moved further along the road, leaving behind a trail of discarded litter.
The group have been allowed to use the site after Dundee City Council said it was the preferred location for them to camp, as the council’s official Traveller site at Tealing is already being used by another group.
Councillor Brian Gordon, who represents the north-east of the city, said the Travellers on Jack Martin Way should be checked by council officials more often to ensure they are sticking to the rules.
Mr Gordon said: “Any kind of illegal activity is abusing the goodwill of the council. The council should be checking on them, and it should not be without visual checks.
“I am calling on the council to act and I have made it clear that the Travellers should not be staying there.”
Photographs appear to show the Travellers attempting to take power from the street lights something that is causing outrage in the local area.
Ronald Neave, chairman of Fintry Community Council, said that more pressure should be put on the Travellers over the incident.
“If someone else was trying to do that they would be prosecuted,” he said. “They should be looking to prosecute the Travellers too.
“What they’ve done is clearly illegal they’ve forced their way in and the gate at the end of the road has been damaged.
“I do feel the council need to look at the issue differently. The feeling in the community is they really shouldn’t be there.”
A council spokesman said: “These street lighting columns were installed when the area was being developed as an industrial estate.
“Because it is a dead end and the land around that part of Jack Martin Way has not been built on, the columns were never connected.
“We are aware of the latest incident and are taking appropriate action.”
A police spokeswoman said there had been no reports of vandalism or electricity theft at the site in the last two weeks.