Firebug fears
Concerns rasied about fire flats
A Rutherglen man says he is “surprised” no one has been killed following a spate of fires and anti-social behaviour at flats in the town.
The man called on local authorities to make three blocks of flats at 116, 126 and 136 Main Street more secure after residents fled a fire last Monday.
A Rutherglen man says he is “surprised” no one has been killed following a spate of fires and anti-social behaviour at flats in the town.
The man, who did not want to be named, called on local authorities to make three blocks of flats at 116, 126 and 136 Main Street more secure after residents fled a fire last Monday.
Three householders ran from 136 Main Street and one woman was pulled from a window after goods in the common close were set on fire.
But a man living on Main Street says the fire was not an isolated incident.
He said: “Either around three or four years ago in the evening I started to smell smoke in our flat.
“As I opened our door to investigate loads of dark, thick grey smoke started to pour into the flat. It turned out that someone had broken into our close and poured something like WD40 all over the PVC windows and bikes locked up in the close and burnt them.
“The fire was put out before it spread, like the fire at 136... but we were very lucky that time.”
The man said the fires had been accompanied by people breaking into the closes after drinking in nearby pubs, with some people trying to pass through the ground floor as a shortcut home.
He says teenage vandals have also broken windows on several occasions and been abusive towards residents who have confronted them about their behaviour.
He said: “In all honesty, I’m surprised no fatal or serious injuries have occurred from all these incidents.
“It’s getting beyond a joke. Rutherglen - especially this bit of it - is meant to be a fairly decent area. Recently it seems more like a war zone.
“The police and council should be doing more to make this area safer for the people who live there.
“To begin with I think the council should immediately be securing these three closes front and back with hardened security doors and locks, not wooden frames and plastic windows.”
Daniel Lowe, executive director of housing at South Lanarkshire Council, said 13 of the 18 flats across the blocks are privately owned, but said officers would liaise with owners about the potential for installing metal security doors.
Stating the controlled entry system in all three blocks was currently operational, Mr Lowe added: “The council will continue to work closely with Police Scotland in relation to incidents of anti-social behaviour within the vicinity of Main Street. However, we were not aware of any pattern of ongoing anti-social behaviour or vandalism within these blocks.
“The council would assure residents that we will take action against anyone found to be responsible for vandalism or antisocial behaviour and encourage residents to report any incidents to the council on 0800-389-1105 or Police Scotland on 101.
“To provide residents with further reassurance, arrangements have been made for the Community Wardens to patrol the area”.