Emergency response after fire hydrants 'vandalised' in Glasgow
The utility firm stated this is due to fire hydrant misuse in the area.
Scottish Water confirmed its teams are working alongside local authorities to resolve the issue as 'quickly as possible'.
Residents are being advised that their water pressure and supply will begin to return to normal once the hydrants have been fully closed and are working correctly.
Anyone who notices brown or white (milky) water during this time is urged to run their cold kitchen tap at a reduced flow until the water clears.
READ NEXT: Tributes paid to teenager, 15, who died in Glasgow river
Residents are also being asked to avoid using other taps or appliances until the issue is resolved.
A statement published to [[Scottish Water]]'s X [formerly Twitter] account reads: 'Customers in the G5 postcode, Hutchesontown area.
'Due to fire hydrant misuse, customers may be experiencing a loss of supply. We are working alongside local authorities to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.'
The incident has prompted an urgent warning from Scottish Water regarding vandalising fire hydrants.
READ NEXT: Man in court after 'incident' onboard Glasgow-bound flight
Tampering with fire hydrants is said to cause various issues.
These include disrupting water service and reducing pressure, causing localised flooding, creating dangerous high-pressure surges, and delaying emergency responses – firefighters rely on hydrants to save lives.
The company noted that only authorised personnel are allowed to operate hydrants and that vandalism is a criminal offence and could result in fines of up to £5000.
Anyone who witnesses hydrant misuse is asked to contact 101 or pass on information anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers.
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Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Inside Britain's deadliest gang: Meet the mobsters who gun down rivals, firebomb homes and attack innocent children on our streets
Scotland has been embroiled in a savage gangland feud with warring clans fighting over control of the drugs market in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The bloodshed has even spilled across the continent with two mobsters executed while enjoying a holiday in Spain. One gang, calling themselves Tamo Junto (TMJ), has claimed responsibility for a series of shootings, fire bombings and attacks on children. The crew share sick boasts of their horrific crimes on social media with videos on TikTok. Speaking after a 12-year-old was seriously assaulted at a house in Glasgow, one of the crew bragged to the Daily Mail: 'F*** 'em mate, it's called caught in the crossfire of war.' He added: 'You're talking like innocent people are being attacked n hurt which is not true at all.' Thankfully, the child survived. But sadly for Scotland, this gang war has shown no signs of stopping. Tamo Junto's leader is a football hooligan who fled Scotland for Dubai with the threat of drug charges hanging over him. What he offers his crew is a shot at the big time. But Tamo Junto hoods unleashed hell on the streets when their boss Ross 'Miami' McGill, also known as Mr Big, ordered them to kill his rivals: the Richardson clan in Edinburgh and the Daniel clan in Glasgow. McGill felt he had been disrespected. He had just brokered a £500,000 cocaine deal in February this year when he realised the cash used was fake. A former gangster told the Daily Mail: 'When you disrespect someone, they have no choice but to kill you.' McGill had the same thought, and he wasted little time. On March 6, masked thugs threw Molotov cocktails through the windows of the Belle Cheveux beauty salon in Edinburgh, which is run by Stephanie Dignan, the girlfriend of rival kingpin Mark Richardson. McGill's Tamo Junto lieutenants claimed responsibility and said their mission was to 'exterminate' the Richardsons and Daniels. Scores of gangland attacks have followed and the Lyons clan, who are the Daniels' arch-rivals and fellow Kinahan Cartel allies, have joined Miami's call to arms. A revenge plot even saw the war spread to the gangster hub of the Costa Del Sol, where Lyons bosses Eddie Lyons Jr, 46, and Ross Monaghan, 43, were gunned down in a mafia-style execution. In one post, the group said 'this is what happens to rats' with an image of the Scottish Scarface Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel, who had his face almost sliced off with a meat cleaver by a rival gangster Spanish police have said the suspected killer was a member of the Daniels clan. But despite the rift between the warring factions, a TikTok account loyal to the Daniels and Richardsons refused to 'grass' on Tamo Junto by revealing their rivals' identities. Instead, they too bragged about the revenge attacks carried out in Scotland and Spain. Speaking about the two Lyons bosses' murders, the rival account said: 'Let's laugh at Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons [three crying with laughter emojis]. 'F*** Ross, f*** Eddie and f*** the Lyons, f*** Ross McGill and f*** TMJ.' The police has stepped up its investigations into the mobsters and arrested at least 50 people so far. However, this is a war between gangsters who live by a mafia code of silence. A source close to the Daniel crime family told the Mail this wave of tit-for-tat violence has no end in sight. Speaking to our reporter in the heart of the clan's territory, he furrowed his brow, smirked and simply said: 'It'll never change.' WHAT IS HAPPENING? Scotland is being torn apart by a violent gang war. Machete attacks, firebombs and shootings are the new normal on the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh. In February, Dubai-based gangster Ross 'Miami' McGill, also known as Mr Big, was allegedly swindled out of £500,000 of cocaine by associates of jailed Edinburgh kingpin Mark Richardson when they paid for the drugs with counterfeit cash. Before this year, McGill was not considered a major mobster. He was a former Rangers hooligan who had posed with Steven Gerrard and fled Scotland around four years ago, supposedly afraid he would be arrested on drug charges. Lyons gangsters Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, (left) and Ross Monaghan, 43, (right) were shot dead by a masked gunman while they were watching the Champions League final at Monaghans Irish pub in Fuengirola, Spain on May 31 The shooting took place in front of terrified locals and tourists at the popular Costa del Sol bar The two gangsters' families shared loving tributes to their murdered gangland relatives Lyons associate Liam Boyle, 44, (centre) was seen arriving at the gangland funerals in a silver Mercedes limousine Since then, he has capitalised on the jailing of key drug bosses such as Glasgow's Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson as well as Richardson to take control of much of Scotland's cocaine supply. McGill allegedly put £100,000 bounties on the heads of the Richardsons and their Glasgow allies the Daniel family, which is run by the Scottish Scarface Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel. McGill teamed up with the Daniels' arch-enemy, the Lyons mob, also from Glasgow and allied with the infamous Irish Kinahan Cartel, and told his gang of secretive thugs Tamo Junto (TMJ) to wage a fierce gang war to 'eradicate' the Richardsons and the Daniels. Since March 2, there have been dozens of firebombs, machete attacks — and even a double murder. TIKTOK TARGETS A little more than a month after the first firebomb in this deadly gang war, a mysterious post appeared on TikTok. It was a warning to all members of the Daniels and Richardsons. 'Every associate, every business will be targeted,' it said. 'Leave Scotland immediately.' It was released by an account calling itself Tamo Junto (TMJ) with a profile picture of a skull painted with the Scottish flag over the top of a pair of crossed automatic guns in place of bones. The people running these accounts appear to have strong knowledge of the gangland underworld and the key - and lower level - mobsters involved. For months, TikTok accounts claiming to represent TMJ and their rivals have posted death threats to the Daniels and Richardsons, boasts about injuring their rivals and videos of firebombings. After the Daily Mail pointed out these accounts to TikTok, the social media giant banned them, although new ones were created within hours. The people running the accounts bragged to the Mail about murdering and maiming their gangland enemies - and even tried to justify hurting children. The account calls its rivals 'rats' and has included the hashtags '#gangster' and '#tmjdisorder' in its posts It recently issued another warning to its rivals, stating: 'We are coming for you' It all started in February, when the drug deal that started this war took place and Ross McGill was allegedly duped out of £500k worth of cocaine. Then, on February 26, at 39 minutes past midnight, the Tamo Junto TikTok account was created. Four days later, the attacks started. Whether or not the owners of the account are actually the gangsters part of the vicious crew is difficult to verify. But the Mail believes the Tamo Junto TikTok is run by a trio of well-known gangsters with a history of carrying out firebombing attacks long before this war started. On April 10, the account posted: 'Keep it going lads keep the heat on these rats who have stolen that stuff no f… giving [sic]. 'Like it says ever[y]one who's got or had problems with these two dirty rotten mobs should come together n stick together I'm right up for that ma boy as nothing more than my hate for both these mobs. 'I'm loving seeing them on the run being hit in pocket n everything being put on fire. Yass don't stop keeping the heat on lads.' Then on April 15, they said: 'Exterminate the Daniel virus. To be continued...' On April 29, TMJ posted a video of a firebombing with a caption of: 'Let's get this stage two rocking n rolling lads, up the TMJ, gets [these] rats gone forever'. On May 20, it praised a machete attack on two men, one of whom is believed to be a top-ranking Daniels family member, as a 'fine day' and 'a little bit of justice'. Just days before, on May 14, the account posted a news report about the firebombing of the ex-wife of slain Daniels enforcer Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll, adding it was 'just what we love to see'. It is understood a young boy was in the house at the time but he was not injured. On June 11, the group posted a video with two suspected rival gangsters with targets on their heads in the latest death threat posted on TikTok. At the time of writing, TMJ has published 63 TikToks, including death threats against all of the Daniels and Richardsons, who they call a 'virus' and 'rats' that need to be 'gone forever'. Their videos have been watched more than 1.6 million times. MESSAGES FROM THE MOB When the Daily Mail approached the TMJ account, they were initially suspicious our reporter could be a 'mole' for jailed mob boss Mark Richardson. However, they soon became chatty and almost childlike in their enthusiasm for their account. 'No one knows who's behind the TMJ2025 account, it's cool,' they said. 'Stay faceless n fearless n do our talking on the streets.' However, after being challenged on the gangland feud bringing violence to the streets, the suspected gangsters snapped back. The TMJ account said: 'You're talking like innocent people are being attacked n hurt which is not true at all.' On April 12, a 12-year-old and a 72-year-old were seriously assaulted at a house in Glasgow. When we put this to Tamo Junto, they said the child was simply 'caught in the crossfire of war'. They said: 'Listen that was a Daniels house who has been hiding her son in da house with young kids. 'Them Daniels aw beast b******s. F*** em mate, it's called caught in the crossfire of war.' This beauty salon in Glasgow was targeted by a firebomb in April. Police discovered a cannabis farm in an unconnected neighbouring house Yet despite the fierce rivalry between the gangs in this gangland war, the mafia code of silence remains strong. When the Mail approached a rival TikTok account claiming to be connected to the Richardsons and Daniels about Tamo Junto, the suspected gangster running the account, which was called ' - a sarcastic dig at Ross 'Miami/Mr Big' McGill - refused to reveal his rivals' identities. Although he said Tamo Junto were 'w********s [and] grasses', he said he wouldn't give up their names. Talking about slain Lyons gang bosses Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons Jr, who were killed in a Costa del Sol bar on May 31, he added: 'F*** Ross Monaghan and f*** Eddie Lyons Jr. F*** them all. I ain't no grass. 'Let's laugh at Ross Monaghan and Eddie Lyons [three crying with laughter emojis]. 'F*** Ross, f*** Eddie and f*** the Lyons, f*** Ross McGill and f*** TMJ.' WILL INNOCENT PEOPLE BE HURT? This cavalier attitude to the law could heighten the danger to innocent members of the public. A former Glasgow police detective, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Daily Mail: 'People are just collateral damage if you get in the way. That's just how cold and callous [mobsters] are. 'If it all goes horribly wrong with [the Daniels and Richardsons] and there's a vacuum, someone is going to fill it. 'Where there's money to be made, there will be serious and organised crime. If a vacuum is created, there could be a power struggle.' Explaining the gangsters' mindsets, former international drug smuggler turned Harley Street addiction counsellor Mark Dempster said: 'You get people whose egos are fragile. 'It's no different to when you have mafia - when you disrespect someone, they have no choice but to kill you. It's all about feeding the egos for the people in power. 'No matter how much any [crime] family gets, they want more. It's the same process of expanding their empire. They have got to commit violence.' He added: 'They get put on a pedestal. Young people want to be involved and think violence will go unpunished. '[Gangsters] drive nice cars, they have nice girlfriends and there appears to be no justice.' Dempster said the shameless flaunting of their wealth 'continues the same dysfunction for the next generation'. A source close to the Daniel crime family agreed. He told the Daily Mail that the existence of gang crime in Glasgow would 'never change'. Another reformed Scottish gangster said: 'We've got kids ourselves now and don't want them to grow up in this environment. 'I'm not on social media but I don't agree with it. We'd rather our kids join the army and die fighting for their country rather than live a bad lifestyle of crime the gangster way. 'You don't want your kids to be bad . You want your kids to go to university or do the opposite. 'Because you have got money sometimes the kids can live off that and end up bad cause they don't want to work themselves.' His wife added: 'I don't agree with young kids thinking this is a superstar lifestyle. It's not all glamorous.' Nevertheless, many join these gangs to enjoy a life of fast cars, beautiful women and sunny holidays. The Mail recently visited the gangster hub of Marbella on the Costa Del Sol. There, a British gangster in the region said: 'It's a good place to meet people. It's like a permanent convention for guys in the game. 'You go to a pub or a bar and you never know what sort of gig could fall in your lap. 'As long as you know when to keep your mouth shut, it's a fun place to be. It's the gangster life - get a tan, find a girl, make some money.' He added: 'You'll find loads of gangs in Marbella. Obviously, there was the Fuengirola shooting not far away as well. 'Even so, the ladies love it too. You just have to make sure you're not caught out, like if your missus is staying when certain women are about.' TikTok's community guidelines prohibit violent threats, promotion of violence, incitement to violence, or promotion of criminal activities that may harm people, animals or property. As a result of the Daily Mail's investigation, the social media platform banned both accounts, TMJ2025 and for violating TikTok's community guidelines. Despite TikTok's ban, at least one new account appearing to be run by the same people was created just hours later. THE KEY PLAYERS Ross 'Miami' McGill AKA Mr Big The man at the centre of the violent gang war is believed to be Ross McGill, a Rangers football hooligan who headed up the team's ultras group the Union Bears. He quit as the Union Bears 'lead capo' in 2021 and was treated to a personal goodbye from then-manager Steven Gerrard. It is believed he fled to Spain in 2022 as a court date approached in Scotland for allegations he was involved in serious organised crime and drug dealing. He then moved to Dubai, where Lyons gang boss Steven Lyons and members of the Kinahan Cartel also live. It is thought he was joined in Spain and Dubai by his girlfriend, Olivia Newall, whose cousin Lloyd Cross is the right-hand man of Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson. Both Cross and Iceman were jailed last year for their part in a £100m cocaine smuggling plot. Cross is close friends with McGill, grew up less than a mile away from him in Glasgow and was also part of the Union Bears. Tamo Junto (TMJ) Tamo Junto is McGill's secretive violent gang. TMJ for short, the gang's name means 'We are together' in Portuguese, although it remains unclear why the name was chosen. They have claimed responsibility for a string of firebombings, shootings and machete attacks in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Ross McGill's gangsters in Scotland have filmed themselves setting homes on fire in their campaign of violence In Edinburgh, one home's window had a visible bullet hole (pictured) after an attack in March. Police Scotland have arrested at least 50 people in connection with the violence in Glasgow and Edinburgh The gang's alleged TikTok account has published calls to 'eradicate' the Daniels and Richardsons and has published death threats against specific gangsters. It is believed the account is run by three criminals with experience of firebombings before this gangland war broke out, however it has not been possible to verify that the people behind the account are the same as the thugs wreaking havoc on the streets as they have said. Steven Lyons The suspected head of the Lyons gang, Steven is the son of former mob boss Eddie Lyons Sr. Despite his connections to the gang, he has never been convicted of a serious crime. He fled Scotland to Spain in 2006 after he was shot at his uncle's garage in Glasgow. His 21-year-old cousin Michael was shot dead in the same attack. Steven Lyons (pictured) is now the boss of the Lyons gang after two senior members were gunned down in Spain These days it is thought he spends some time in Spain and some in Dubai, where he rubs shoulders with the Kinahans. His family's feud with the Daniels dates back to 2001, when a stash of cocaine was allegedly stolen from the Daniels and sold to the Lyons. However, this latest feud is far more violent and sustained than the conflict between the two clans has been in the last 25 years. Mark Richardson Mark Richardson is the head of the Richardson clan. He is currently in solitary confinement at HMP Low Moss and has been in jail since his imprisonment in 2018 for having a Glock handgun and being part of a 65-mph police car chase in north Glasgow. He is still thought to be running his infamous gang smuggling cocaine and heroin into Scotland. Bonzo's Edinburgh-based associate, mob boss Mark Richardson (pictured), has also been targeted. A former police detective told the Daily Mail that if the Daniels and Richardsons are wiped out a more widespread gang war could take hold in Scotland His friends and family have been targeted by TMJ. On March 6, his girlfriend Stephanie Dignan's beauty salon Belle Cheveux in Edinburgh was torched. Then on May 6, his brother Dale Richardson's house was reportedly firebombed and on May 23, his friend David McMillan, 54, was allegedly slashed with a machete. Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel, the Scottish Scarface Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel is the boss of the Daniel family. He was scarred for life after Lyons gangsters tried to slice his face off with a meat cleaver and machete while he was unconscious at the wheel of his car following a 100mph car chase in 2017. Kingpin Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel (pictured), who was scarred in a grisly attack by rival gangsters armed with a meat cleaver, is being targeted in the gang war Read More EXCLUSIVE Gangsters' molls at the heart of two of the world's most notorious crime families unmasked When emergency workers found him, they thought he had been shot because of the severity of his wounds. He is believed to have initially gone into hiding after a firebomb attack on his home on April 14 and an attack on his mother's house on April 18. However, despite the threats made against him and his family, he is now thought to have returned to protect his business interests and his fellow gang members from TMJ. Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson AKA the Scottish Tony Soprano Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson, who has been dubbed the Scottish Tony Soprano, was finally brought to justice in 2024 following a long criminal career of global drug smuggling and brutal violence. The 59-year-old was jailed for 20 years in October after a five-year police operation involving cocaine smuggled under bananas from South America sent to a Glasgow fruit market, a Kent drugs factory and an Amsterdam brothel. Stevenson had spent decades as one of the UK's most notorious gangland figures and in 2001 was charged with the murder of his former close friend and the best man at his wedding Tony McGovern before the case was later dropped. Notorious crime boss Jamie 'Iceman' Stevenson, who has been dubbed the Scottish Tony Soprano, with wife Caroline The cocaine Stevenson tried to import was hidden in boxes of bananas bound for a fruit market in Glasgow Stevenson's gang had tried to import almost a ton of cocaine, valued at roughly £100million The gangster originally rose up through the Glasgow underworld in the 1990s and became close friends with McGovern, whose family ran the so-called McGovernment mob in the north of the city. Iceman and five of his associates are now behind bars after being snared as part of the joint Police Scotland and National Crime Agency (NCA) probe, Operation Pepperoni. They were snared after officials smashed the encrypted EncroChat phone network, revealing scores of messages relating to the smuggling plot. Sentencing him, Judge Lord Ericht said Stevenson had 'directed a complex operation for the importation and supply of cocaine' and 'played a leading role in manufacturing street valium', with 13.5 million pills seized by police. The Kinahan Cartel The Kinahan Cartel, also known as the Kinahan Organised Crime Group (KOCG) is one of the most infamous gangs in the world. Originally from Dublin, they are part of the ongoing gangland feud with fellow Dublin gangsters the Hutch Family (also known as the Hutch Organised Crime Group and HOCG) that has claimed 19 lives since 2015. Christy 'The Dapper Don' Kinahan Snr (pictured) was born in Dublin's north inner city but while in prison in the 1980s he worked on learning languages and business. Upon his release, he relocated to the continent where he established links to European, Asian and South America. He worked in the shadows, creating one of the most ruthless drugs networks in the continent Daniel Kinahan (pictured) is a suspected crime boss and boxing promoter who once represented 'The Gypsy King' Tyson Fury Daniel Kinahan, Christy 'The Dapper Don' Kinahan Snr and Christy Jnr are all wanted, with US rewards totalling $15million Read More EXCLUSIVE Gangster guide to Dubai: Criminals from England who call it home - and tricks they use to live it up These days, leading figures from the Kinahan Cartel live in Dubai. Law enforcement authorities in the US have put $5million bounties on the heads of Kinahan godfather Christy 'The Dapper Don' Kinahan Sr as well as on the heads of his sons Christopher 'Mano' Kinahan Jr and Daniel 'Chess' Kinahan. They are allied with gangs across the world, including the Lyons mob in Glasgow. It is understood Ross Monaghan approached Daniel Kinahan to set up a partnership between the two families. Police Scotland has arrested at least 50 people in connection with the current gang war so far and Chief Constable Jo Farrell has called to make Scotland a 'hostile environment' for gangsters. Officers have dubbed their investigation into the ongoing gang war in Scotland Operation Portalegde. Police Scotland's Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry said: 'I want to be clear that violence will not be tolerated, and we will not stop until we bring those responsible to justice. 'We are still following positive lines of enquiry, and this arrest highlights our continued resolve to target organised crime. 'The support of our communities remains vital, and I want to again express my sincere thanks to the public for their continued help and information so far. 'If you know anything that could assist our ongoing investigation, please do the right thing and speak to us.' Anyone who can assist their enquiries is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Major Scots motorway closed after horror crash as emergency crews race to scene
Commuters have been urged to avoid the area and use an alternative route MOTORWAY SMASH Major Scots motorway closed after horror crash as emergency crews race to scene A SECTION of a busy Scottish motorway is currently closed after a horror crash, sparking traffic chaos. Emergency crews raced to the scene on the M74 in Glasgow at around 9am this morning. 2 The crash happened on the M74 just after Junction 1 Credit: GOOGLE MAPS The crash happened after Junction 1 at the Kingston Interchange, heading northbound. It is currently unknown if anyone has been injured as a result of the incident. However, a section of the motorway just after the junction is currently closed to drivers as police deal with the incident. Traffic Scotland has warned that motorists are being diverted off the M74 at Junction 1. Commuters have been urged to avoid the area and use an alternative route. Police are currently at the scene of the crash. Drivers have been warned to expect delays and allow extra time for their journey. Posting X, formerly known as Twitter this morning, Traffic Scotland wrote: "M74 is currently closed northbound after Junction 1 due to a road traffic collision. "Police are on scene and traffic is being diverted off at Junction 1." It added: "Motorists are advised to use an alternate route and should allow extra time for their journey." Armed police swarm 'disturbance' on Scots street as man and woman charged Amey SW Trunk Roads also took to social media to warn drivers of the crash. It posted on X: "M74 J1 northbound remains closed due to RTC. Please use alternative route." Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.
The National
a day ago
- The National
Scotland's child protection system described as 'racially biased'
The claim by Black and migrant-led organisations in Scotland – Passion4Fusion and Project Esperanza – is backed by research launched in recent months. It highlights claims that the child protection system is not providing families with enough support to stay together when they are struggling and is too quick to remove them. These organisations said they had supported dozens of Black and racialised families who felt they had been culturally misunderstood or treated unfairly by the system over the last two years. Passion4Fusion said most of the cases of 76 families they had worked with over two years displayed 'elements' of racial bias from child protection. Many of the parents were migrants, sometimes unfamiliar with Scottish laws and customs. In some cases support organisations had worked on, they claim parents did not know that smacking was illegal, or had different attitudes to leaving children alone, but had their children taken into care without the opportunity to modify their parenting. READ MORE: Police remove pro-Palestine protesters from John Swinney's Edinburgh Fringe show In others, the hostile immigration system was impacting parental mental health, according to the Scottish Refugee Council and Glasgow-based Women's Integration Network, but this was not understood by social workers and appropriate support was not offered. Scottish policy dictates that children and parents should get the support they need to stay together, as long as it is considered safe for them to do so. Most recent Scottish social work statistics record 828 Black and ethnic minority children as being in care as of July 31, 2024. But there are a further 1297 – 11% of those in care – where no ethnicity was recorded. In England, it is a legal requirement to record ethnicity but in Scotland, it is not. The Ferret has been investigating claims that there are systemic issues with the child protection system in terms of racial and cultural issues for migrant families as part of a cross-border investigation with Scottish-based Migrant Women Press, as well as journalists in Romania and Italy. Today, both Scottish publications ran the story of Nina, a mother originally from Southeast Africa, who had five children taken into care. We have changed her name to protect the identities of her children. Following more than two months in immigration detention when her asylum claim was refused, concerns were raised about her mental wellbeing, leading to two of her children being taken into care under a voluntary agreement. Two further children and her new baby were later taken into care following historic concerns about her parenting. But three of her children were later returned following an assessment that noted that cultural misunderstandings about her behaviour had played a part in several issues of concern. Assessors acknowledged previous 'concerns about her parenting'. However, they also wrote that 'behaviours when taken in the context of Nina's nationality and culture are immediately less alarming' and said an understanding of them would have allowed for 'intervention in a culturally sensitive manner'. Her oldest daughter, now in her mid-twenties and living and working in England, remembers the relief of that decision to return her to her mother's care. 'If there hadn't been that assessment, everything could have been different,' she said. 'To me, it explained – she is not an evil mother. She was just trying to look after kids in the way that was normal in her culture.' However, two of Nina's children taken into care remained there, their relationship with their mother having broken down. They went on to be permanently fostered, which meant Nina lost her parental rights. The fostered daughter has constantly refused to have contact with her mother. Her fostered son took his own life as a young teen while in permanent foster care, where he had been for many years. Previous work by The Ferret has found that since 2021, 11 young people in the care system have completed suicide, the most common cause of death in this group. Nina and her lawyer are calling for a Fatal Accident Inquiry so that her questions about the circumstances of his death can be answered. The Crown Office confirmed that it is still investigating and no decision will be taken until that concludes. But Nina claims social work discriminated against her. She said: 'Once my life was a normal life. They took my kids. And now I am sitting here and my son is dead. I feel like he was kidnapped by social services, like there is no accountability. What went wrong? What was happening that nobody could see? Those are the questions I want answered.' The Ferret and Migrant Women Press tried to get figures for the number of migrant children taken into care in Scotland over the last five years. Only nine local authorities provided figures, with six claiming no children had been taken into care. West Lothian's figures were the highest provided with a total of 42 migrant children taken into care over five years, including 12 children from Nigeria, eight from Poland and eight from Romania and Slovakia. Two were taken into care at birth. Though some cases were 'ongoing', none of those children had been adopted. Five councils, including Edinburgh, refused to give details due to the small number of children involved, which they argued could identify them. But 11 out of the 32 local authorities – more than a third – said they were unable to provide the information without looking through individual files, or did not record data on whether children taken into care had migrant parents or not. 'While information on nationality and ethnicity may be provided on a voluntary basis, where this is the case, it is often only contained in observational notes and may not be provided at all,' admitted Glasgow City Council, one of the authorities which did not hold figures. Concerns about the disproportionate intervention of social work in Black families are long-running and widespread. In 2021, the BBC reported on the case of a Nigerian victim of trafficking, living in an Italian migrant shelter, who was threatened with having her son taken into care. Those running the shelter were apparently concerned by her so-called 'African' ways of bringing up her son, which included carrying him on her back and encouraging him to eat by putting food in his mouth. The 2023 Indian film Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway documented the real-life story of Anurup Bhattacharya and Sagarika Chakraborty, an Indian immigrant couple whose children were taken away by Norwegian authorities in 2011. Other cases have been documented in Germany and Sweden. Conversely, concerns have previously been raised that fears of being perceived as racist have stopped social workers stepping in to prevent abuse. The murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbié (below) from the Ivory Coast 25 years ago, by her great aunt and her boyfriend, is said to be instrumental in current social work practice. But some claim that case has led to prejudice. Helene Rodger, project director and co-founder of Passion4Fusion, said: 'A lot of the families we support come to the attention of social services due to physical chastisement'. She doesn't excuse it, but said this needs to be seen in context especially for new Scots. 'In a lot of African countries, it is quite normal for it to be used as a form of discipline not harm,' Rodger added. 'We were parented like that. In Scotland, it's only been illegal since 2020. Often it's teachers or neighbours who contact social services.' She claimed migrants should be given clearer information so they know it is against the law to smack their children, with social workers trained to better understand the different cultural contexts. Black social workers and foster carers should be recruited, she claimed. As part of its report, They Took My Child Too – launched at the Scottish Parliament in May – Passion4Fusion surveyed more than 100 parents, community members and professionals with experience of the social work system. Almost three-quarters believed that there was a 'culture gap' for families and social work, while 93% 'agreed or strongly agreed' that more culturally sensitive child protection services would improve the welfare of Black and brown children. Esther Muchena, manager of Scottish Refugee Council's Family Rights Service, said involvement with child protection has sometimes been caused by different cultural norms where parents might leave a child at home alone, unaware of the laws. 'That is the type of behaviour that can be corrected,' Muchena said. 'In our experience working with women accessing our services, the issues are never about the woman not being capable enough. The root issue in our cases is usually because of the pressures of navigating a complex asylum process, which can cause poor parental mental health. Women in this position have to fight to survive while keeping their families together.' Victoria Nyanga-Ndiaye, founder of Project Esperanza, shares that view. The Edinburgh-based charity is currently working with over 40 migrant families with child protection involvement, though not all of them have children in care. The majority of the families she is supporting have come to the attention of social work as a result of perceptions of neglect, she said. She supports international students struggling to balance study with work and childcare, along with families with no recourse to public funds, due to their immigration status, who are struggling to cope. But the social workers, who should be there to help, often simply do not understand the cultural issues, are misinformed, under-trained and under-resourced to best help these families, Nyanga-Ndiaye said. 'I think the system is actually designed that way,' she added. 'It's designed for hardship.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said:'[[Scottish Government]] guidance on child protection in Scotland makes clear that cultural respect and understanding must be consistently applied in all child care and protection practices. 'The guidance sets out that professionals should learn about the culture or faith of the child and family and seek advice if necessary. They should also be culturally sensitive while keeping focus on the child's experience and potential harm.'
