Residents’ lives ‘ threatened’ as fly- tip fire set near gas main
Councillor made plea day before blaze
RESIDENTS in a Paisley block of flats are “fearing for thei r l ives” after callous firebugs set a flytip on fire and ruptured a gas pipe right outside their homes.
A pile of dumped furniture which included a sofa and a chair was set alight behind 15 George Street just before 5.30am on Tuesday.
Police have confirmed the blaze is being treated as deliberate and insisted it could’ve had “very serious consequences”.
Councillor Carolann Davidson said she has reported fly- tipping in this spot on multiple occasions since the middle of last month and has been particularly concerned given the items were propped up against exposed gas pipes.
As another pile of household items behind 9 George Street had already been set alight earlier this year – which led to the evacuation of residents in Wardrop Street – she feared it was only a matter of time before the same happened again.
“I am absolutely devastated with what the residents of this square are having to put up with, ” said the Paisley East and Central councillor.
“To be woken with the area covered with fire wardens tackling a huge blaze at your doorstep is horrendous.
“I had such a bad feeling when I saw how close to the gas pipes this flammable tipping was. I contacted officers for a third time on Monday and asked for the fly- tipping to be removed immediately. I sent the photos I took and emphasised the danger with the proximity of the gas pipes.
“Unfortunately it wasn’t removed and my worst fears came true. The residents are in constant fear of this happening. The gas pipe is clearly damaged and the whole block could have gone up in flames.
“Something serious has to be done to tackle this problem, as it is a threat to the lives of my constituents.” Councillor Davidson said she has asked numerous times for CCTV to be installed at the location in addition to some already in place near number 9, but the council said it is not something they are considering.
A council spokesman said: “Fly- tipping is illegal, costly to remove and damages our local environment. We share the frustration we know residents feel when irresponsible people dump rubbish in public areas.
“We have previously uplifted items from this street. We will continue to work with our partners in the police and fire service to deal with any issues accordingly and will take enforcement action if we catch people in the act.
“There is already public- space CCTV covering this street. The request for additional CCTV in the back court was already considered and it was decided that other monitoring and enforcement measures would be more appropriate.”
The fire service confirmed crews consulted with gas engineers at the scene and said no one was hurt.
Inspector Tracy Harkins, from Paisley’s community policing team, said: “If anyone saw or heard anything suspicious in the George Street area of Paisley around 5.20am on Tuesday then we would urge you to come forward to police.
“This was a reckless act which could have resulted in very serious consequences.”