Fortress Fringe: Anti-terror gates erected

SECURITY barriers are being installed in Edinburgh to defend against potential terrorist attacks during next month’s International Festival and Fringe.

Anti-vehicle barriers will be set up at key locations including the Royal Mile, above, to prevent attacks similar to those seen at Westminster Bridge in London.

They will deter the use of vehicles to attack heavily populated areas during the various Edinburgh festivals, the third largest ticketed event in the world behind the World Cup and Olympics and which see an estimated 200,000 visitors crammed into the city centre during August.

Police Scotland say there is no specific intelligence to suggest this year’s festivals are at risk from a terror attack but the UK terrorism threat remains ‘severe’. On its Facebook page the Edinburgh police division shared three photos of what the temporary barriers look like.

Officers posted: ‘It will help to keep people safe while attending events at Edinburgh Castle and the High Street in the event of vehicle-as-a-weapon attacks.’

A City of Edinburgh Council spokesman said: ‘We are helping the police to install a range of anti-terrorism measures similar to those deployed in other major cities.’

Lorry attacks have had devastating consequences across Europe. In July last year, 86 people died when a truck was driven into crowds in Nice.

In December, 12 people died when a lorry was driven into a Berlin Christmas market, while five people died in the Westminster attack.