Security concerns raised following fire at Edinburgh park

Critics have accused Edinburgh City Council of failing to secure the enclosure after receiving multiple warnings from both residents of the area and Hutchison Vale Football Club who let the facilities.

Emails have been shared with the Evening News that show a dialogue between Hutchison Vale club leader Tam Smith and Edinburgh Leisure weeks before the fire broke out.

Edinburgh Leisure manages the facility but the maintenance of the enclosure is entrusted to Edinburgh Council ground staff.

In an exchange on May 5, Mr Smith said that he had arranged for a blacksmith to secure the premises the previous day.

But the blacksmith was turned away by a uniformed official who stated that he would be denied entry due to lockdown guidelines.

Mr Smith said: “We had to notify the relevant authorities after thousands of pounds of damage to our property was caused by anti-social behaviour in the enclosure.

“In early May we organised for a blacksmith to come and secure the premises and he had everything with him to secure the holes in the fence to the enclosure – but he was sent away.

“I had seen kids running across the rooftops when I was driving by on April 29. I warned Edinburgh Leisure and the council that something bad was going to happen if we were not allowed to secure our premises.

“Then of course a fire breaks out and a man could have lost his life. It is all well being reactive to things but they have to start being proactive in stopping incidents like the fire where a man almost died.”

On May 14 a Hutchison Vale equipment shed was smashed onto its side.

Edinburgh Leisure asked Hutchison Vale if they could repair the container several days after their blacksmith was denied entry.

A local resident said that they had informed Police Scotland of anti-social behaviour taking place in the ground on May 29.

They added that they were hardly surprised when they saw that youths had allegedly started a fire and noted that things could have been so much worse.

According to witnesses the blaze was believed to have been started deliberately in a container that is used to store athletics equipment. Local youths are believed to have started it.

Shortly after the fire broke out a local resident rushed to the scene to pull a man to safety from flames and billowing black smoke. A council spokesperson said:

“At the time in question, Hutchison Vale were asked to refrain from carrying out any work at the enclosure as everyone was to adhere to the government’s lockdown guidelines. Investigations into the fire are ongoing.”

The council also state that they are now working towards securing the premises after the fire that broke out on June 1.