Dundee council taking legal action after travellers pitch up at two city parks
Dundee City Council is taking legal action after groups of travellers pitched up at two city parks.
At least a dozen caravans have pulled up on an area of grass near the visitor car park at Clatto Country Park.
The caravans cover a large section of the park between the reservoir and the playground.
It is understood the Travellers are the same group who were moved on from Camperdown and Riverside parks earlier this month.
The group were first spotted with a Shetland pony at Camperdown on May 5.
The pony, children, chickens and several dogs are all part of the group now at Clatto.
A second, smaller camp with just three caravans has also appeared near the playground at Finlathen Park off Fountainbleu Drive.
Dundee City Council says it is aware of the encampments and is in the process of taking legal action in both cases.
The local authority says it is also aware of an alleged incident involving the dogs at the Clatto camp.
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: 'The council is aware of this encampment and is progressing legal action. In the meantime, the council's liaison officer has visited the site to offer advice.
'The council is aware of the dog incident and have assisted Police Scotland with this matter.'
Police Scotland was unable to find details of the incident when contacted by The Courier.
According to Shelter Scotland, it is a criminal offence to lodge, occupy or encamp on privately owned land without the consent of the owner.
Dundee City Council runs a purpose-built site for Traveller groups at Balmuir Wood in Tealing, Angus.
However, the site has been barely occupied since 2019 with the local authority set to spend almost £250,000 on upgrades in the coming months.
The Courier recently reported how the unpopularity of Balmuir Wood remains a 'concern' for Angus Council in tackling unauthorised encampments in the area.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Courier
24 minutes ago
- The Courier
Broughty Ferry's Brook Street is thriving. What's the secret?
New data gathered by The Courier reveals that Brook Street in Broughty Ferry boasts a vacancy rate of 4.4% – well below the Dundee city average of 18.7%. As of May 2025, only four out of 94 units on the street were unoccupied. Not only is the area performing well compared to Dundee city centre, but it also shows stronger results when compared to Aberdeen, where the average vacancy rate stands at 19.4%, Perth, where it is 16.9%, and Inverness, where it is 10.7%. All of these statistics are based on DC Thomson high street trackers. The national picture is also positive. According to the most recent data from the Scottish Retail Consortium, gathered in 2023, the average vacancy rate across Scotland stands at 15.7%. Brook Street may be less vacant than Dundee city centre, but it is pretty equally matched when it comes to independent businesses, with 70% (63 of 90) of its occupied units being independent. In 2024, the Courier found that 69.05% of Dundee's occupied units were independent. While Brook Street exceeded the city centre average, it trailed behind streets like Union Street (96%) and Perth Road (88%). So, what is the secret to Brook Street in Broughty Ferry's success when it comes to its low vacancy rate? John Kerr, chairman of the Broughty Ferry Traders' Association – which is responsible for Gala Week and the Christmas lights switch-on – says that the area benefits from its 'historic affluence'. He explains: 'There's good community, great housing, great schooling and there's a beautiful location here. 'It's served very well by the aesthetics of where it is positioned within the north east as well. 'And let's not also forget the fact that within Broughty Ferry and Dundee and the north east itself, we enjoy this beautiful climatic ecosystem, which extends the summer days.' Businessman John, who owns 45 Black Hound Distillery in Douglas with his wife Kerrie, says that Brook Street is also boosted by its easy-to-access location. '[Brook Street] is greatly positioned with regard to housing,' he says. '[There is a] natural sort of relationship of how people migrate from where they live into the town and into Brook Street itself. 'Its relationship with bus routes [and] its relationship with the train station gives fantastic access from – not only the locals and those who can get access to it directly – but incoming footfall from neighbouring places such as Montrose, Arbroath and obviously Dundee and Perth.' Amber Cochrane, who opened real estate business Verdala on Brook Street with Scott Bremner in 2020, thinks much of its success is down to the strong community. She says: 'Broughty Ferry has become a hub, and it's become very centralised, and it's very focused on businesses supporting one another, and it feels very friendly. 'The businesses are all very approachable, and I think that's got quite a big part to do with it.' Amber, who looks after communications at the Traders' Association, believes that plentiful free on-street parking in the area (something that is not so readily available in Dundee city centre) also helps businesses thrive. 'We often have conversations at the Traders' about the ease that parking provides for nipping into shops,' she says. 'Locals can get everything from last-minute panic presents to a full summer BBQ.' The Traders' have commissioned a survey to be conducted by industry experts at Strathclyde University this summer to track the impact of this readily available parking on business success. This comes as Dundee City Council mulls over on-street parking charges. The £18m Broughty Ferry active route has also helped to boost general footfall in the area, Amber says. 'The whole development of the Esplanade, I feel, particularly from the tourism perspective, has really added to Brook Street. The Courier's data reveals that the majority of occupied units on Brook Street are shops (40%), while only 23.3% are food and drink establishments. In contrast, across the city centre's high streets, an average of 29.5% are shops and 37.2% are food and drink venues. Specifically in terms of independent businesses, of all the shops on the Dundee high streets in March 2024, only 56.8% were independent. Meanwhile, in Broughty Ferry, 63.8% of shops were independent. But of the food and drink units, 76.2% were independent in Broughty Ferry, while in Dundee city centre, 83.8% were independent. One independent food and drink venue on Brook Street is The Selkie. Kelly-Anne Fairweather, who owns a restaurant of the same name on Exchange Street in Dundee city centre, opened the Broughty Ferry eatery in 2023. Why did the restaurateur, who also runs nearby Sol Y Sombra on Gray Street, choose Brook Street for her business? 'The unit was empty for eight years before we went into it, ' she says. 'So it was a bit of a gamble. 'But for us, it was about being part of the independent-type vibe. 'And for us, the demographic of who was using that street was quite important. 'It was predominantly women 35 plus who were shopping in Broughty Ferry. 'We know that's our target market – [people with] a little bit more disposable income.' Kelly-Anne also feels that Broughty Ferry attracts people who are looking for an 'experience'. It's not just about spending money. 'It's a sunrise-to-sunset kind of place,' she explains. 'You can go for a coffee at half seven in the morning, whether that's Gracies or whatever. 'And then you can be in the pub, or somewhere like Sol y Sombra, until midnight. 'And then amongst that, it's got everything you need. And Broughty Ferry is always attracting new businesses. Derek McCammon opened his furniture store, The Living Room, on Brook Street in May 2024. How has his first year in business been? 'It has been a lot better than I anticipated it was going to be,' he says. 'The local people have been fantastic: really, really supportive.' Derek adds that Broughty Ferry's reputation as a tourist destination also boosts footfall. 'I've also had quite a lot of customers coming from as far away as Aberdeen, Inverness and Stirlingshire, as well as people who are up on holiday from England. 'So Broughty Ferry is drawing in quite a crowd from all over, which is lovely.' All data is gathered on foot by DC Thomson reporters and analysed by its data team, which means that it may be subject to some human error. Each occupied business was manually checked to determine whether it was an independent business or a chain. Businesses with multiple locations were deemed independent if they were only based in Scotland and/or were specifically registered to Tayside addresses. Otherwise, they had a single location, which again was registered within Scotland.
Edinburgh Live
an hour ago
- Edinburgh Live
Lyons crime family 'footsoldiers' to stand down in Edinburgh feud as police crack down
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Sources close to the notorious Lyons family crime clan have claimed they have taken the decision to step away from the gangland feud erupting across the capital. The move by leader Steven Lyons, 44, comes as officers crackdown on the escalating violent situation, with his footsoldiers now ordered to concentrate on the family's own interests. Reports of arrests in Edinburgh and Glasgow has travelled to Lyons' Dubai home. It has been previously reported the Lyons were supporting Dubai-based Mr Big Ross McGill by feeding him information on their mutual enemies - the Daniel clan. But the underworld source said Stevie Lyons has pulled their support over fears his henchmen could be jailed after cops arrested 41 people in connection with a series of linked incidents across the country since March, the Daily Record reports. He said: "The heat from the police is getting too much for Steven and he wants nothing to do with it anymore. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sentstraight to your messages. "His mob are still very active in the north of Glasgow, while he is in Dubai and he wants to keep it that way so his lads are now under strict orders to keep out of the gang war. "They still have their own feud with the Daniel family and if the opportunity presents itself to target any of them they will take it, but it won't be for Ross McGill." (Image: Police Scotland) Six Lyons family associates, Brian Ferguson, 43, Andrew Gallacher, 46, Robert Pickett, 59, Andrew Sinclair, 38, John Hardie, 41, and Peter Bain, 51, were jailed for a total of 104 years in 2019 after being found guilty of plotting murder bids on five men from the Daniel clan. The source continued: "After losing so many key men , Steven is getting cold feet. "His troops almost wiped out the Daniel clan after they went at them heavily a few years ago, but they were significantly weakened when six of their top men got big sentences. "Since then the Lyons family have had to recruit another younger batch of enforcers and Steven doesn't want to risk any of them getting a big jail sentence, especially for a war McGill is fighting." Steven fled Scotland almost 20 years ago after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt at Applerow Motors garage in Balmore Road, Possil, in 2006. He was wounded in the attack but cousin Michael, 21, was shot dead and the crime lord left Scotland almost immediately afterwards. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox It is believed he initially settled in Spain but is now living in Dubai, where he has built up criminal connections and formed a close friendship with cartel boss Daniel Kinahan. The source said: "Steven is settled in Dubai and is worried the ongoing gang war could jeopardise his life in the United Arab Emirates." He added: "His plan is that he won't ever have to come home. "He has trusted associates who keep all his business and criminal interests going in Scotland and feels like this gang war is bringing too much attention his way and could alert the authorities in Dubai."
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Daily Record
Lyons crime family boss pulls out of gang feud as cops turn up heat
The head of the Lyons family has ordered his men to stand down due to the number of people being arrested by Police Scotland in the last month. A source close to the boss of the notorious Lyons family has confirmed the crime clan have agreed to step back from the gangland feud sweeping Scotland's streets as police crackdown on violence. Kingpin Steven Lyons, 44, has ordered his footsoldiers to concentrate on the family's own interests after reports on arrests across Glasgow and Edinburgh filtered through to his Dubai bolthole. The Record previously reported the Lyons were supporting Dubai-based Mr Big Ross McGill by feeding him information on their mutual enemies - the Daniel clan. But the underworld source said Stevie Lyons has pulled their support over fears his henchmen could be jailed after cops arrested 41 people in connection with a series of linked incidents across the country since March. He said: "The heat from the police is getting too much for Steven and he wants nothing to do with it anymore. "His mob are still very active in the north of Glasgow, while he is in Dubai and he wants to keep it that way so his lads are now under strict orders to keep out of the gang war. "They still have their own feud with the Daniel family and if the opportunity presents itself to target any of them they will take it, but it won't be for Ross McGill." Six Lyons family associates, Brian Ferguson, 43, Andrew Gallacher, 46, Robert Pickett, 59, Andrew Sinclair, 38, John Hardie, 41, and Peter Bain, 51, were jailed for a total of 104 years in 2019 after being found guilty of plotting murder bids on five men from the Daniel clan. The source continued: "After losing so many key men , Steven is getting cold feet. "His troops almost wiped out the Daniel clan after they went at them heavily a few years ago, but they were significantly weakened when six of their top men got big sentences. "Since then the Lyons family have had to recruit another younger batch of enforcers and Steven doesn't want to risk any of them getting a big jail sentence, especially for a war McGill is fighting. Steven fled Scotland almost 20 years ago after narrowly escaping an assassination attempt at Applerow Motors garage in Balmore Road, Possil, in 2006. He was wounded in the attack but cousin Michael, 21, was shot dead and the crime lord left Scotland almost immediately afterwards. It is believed he initially settled in Spain but is now living in Dubai, where he has built up criminal connections and formed a close friendship with cartel boss Daniel Kinahan. The source said:"Steven is settled in Dubai and is worried the ongoing gang war could jeopardise his life in the United Arab Emirates. He added: "His plan is that he won't ever have to come home. "He has trusted associates who keep all his business and criminal interests going in Scotland and feels like this gang war is bringing too much attention his way and could alert the authorities in Dubai." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
