EXCLUSIVE: Carnoustie caravan owner admits 'jumping gun' in planning bid which caused rail line closure
A Carnoustie caravan which closed the east coast rail line was being hauled back into a garden in breach of a planning enforcement order at the time.
Its owner has now apologised for 'jumping the gun' in the latest stage of a two-year battle with Angus Council to secure planning permission for it.
On Thursday, rail services between Dundee and Aberdeen were hit after part of a wall fell onto the railway line at Ireland Street.
Services were cancelled or delayed for around two hours.
It happened as householder Tony Lindsay clipped a wall with a JCB while trying to manoeuvre the former Airbnb holiday home back into place.
In March, he accepted defeat in a planning fight which went all the way to the Scottish Government.
The three-bedroom caravan was previously advertised for holiday visitors.
Neighbours and Carnoustie Community Council lodged objections.
They said it was dangerous because of its proximity to the railway.
Mr Lindsay later used it for family members. He tragically lost his son, Anthony, last November.
Scottish Ministers had upheld a council enforcement order first issued in July 2024.
In March, he moved the caravan from his garden to the street outside his home.
And on April 1, Mr Lindsay lodged a fresh planning application to use it as a store.
Angus Council is yet to decide on the latest bid for a certificate of lawful use.
But Mr Lindsay said he was moving the caravan after pressure from the council's roads department to take it off the street.
'I wrongly assumed roads were happy with it being there,' he said.
'It's no longer a caravan, it's been stripped out. I don't have the money to build a shed but I have this.
'I need the caravan for storage and as a family snug.'
He said: 'I do regret jumping the gun.
'I definitely need to apologise to the council.'
Mr Lindsay was told by Network Rail the caravan must not be moved until further safety fencing is put in place.
It now hangs over the pavement at Ireland Street, with barriers around it.
An Angus Council spokesperson said: 'As a result of issues arising yesterday we are now working with the caravan's owner to find a swift, safe and satisfactory solution.'
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