Teens in Crieff rooftop craze
Danger warning as kids gather for night on tiles
Strath youths are putting their lives at risk with a dangerous new pastime.
Crieff residents have reported seeing figures walking along the rooftops of East High Street.
It seems the flat roof of the empty Frank Thomson’s shop has become a gathering place for teenagers. They are gaining access from the back of the building, using the horizontal bars of a window as a ladder, and the fire escape, to haul themselves up.
One man told the Herald: “I was on the opposite side of the road at the Pretoria Bar one evening when I saw about half a dozen of them walking along the roof above the frontage of the Polish shop. The police arrived but the kids had gone by then.”
Other locals have also reported seeing youngsters on the roof of the Crieff Hotel.
Neighbours nearby say they fear for the safety of the teenagers but also that it is a frightening experience to hear them clambering about on the roofs. One said it was “horrible” to look out of the window and see someone suddenly appearing on the roof.
She said: “They seem to like to climb up there to drink as it’s
hidden from the public - apart from the several flats that overlook it - and it gets the sun in the evening. Another resident has told me she’s heard them playing music and jumping about on her roof.
“I’m annoyed as I feel it’s encroaching on my privacy but it does make me worried that they’ll fall off too. There’s gravel and loose chips on the roof so it would be very easy to slip.
“I don’t know how strong the roof is either and if there’s several of them up there - the most I’ve seen is about four - then the roof isn’t designed for that. If they went through it and knocked themselves out or worse then I would feel responsible for getting help to them and I don’t want that. It makes me on edge enough to see them up there and I can’t relax in my own home, even after they’ve gone.”
Residents say they have alerted the police about the situation on more than one occasion.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “Police were alerted to reports of youths on a building in High Street on 26 August. When officers arrived there was no trace of the youths. Climbing on roofs poses a genuine danger to anyone and we would like to remind the public not to do so.”