‘Building work has ruined our gardens’

Dundee residents say their gardens have been ruined as a result of work to insulate their homes.

The work on Woodlands Terrace is part of a wider programme being carried out by Dundee City Council and funded by the Scottish Government.

But locals say the project on their street was due to be completed weeks ago and that their homes are being treated “like a building site”.

Charlotte Gibson, 57, said: “The project was supposed to have finished weeks ago. The mess is atrocious.

“My garden ornaments are broken, as are my plants. I want to know if we’ll be compensated to put our gardens right — I’m on benefits and can’t afford to.”

The programme to install external wall insulation, in partnership with SSE, has been completed in various other streets in Dundee, including Woodside Terrace, Arklay Street and Graham Street.

A letter from the council was sent out to households advising them to remove all items from their gardens.

Pensioner Margaret Ramsay said: “It’s a mess but I’m glad it’s being done as the house was cold before.

“I’ve spent about £400 on my garden and my railings, which have been ruined, but I’ve been assured it will be fixed. The workers themselves are very good and polite.”

Another resident added: “We’ve been flooded in the back bedroom, as a rainwater pipe was cut. The builders put it right, but our garden’s been ruined.

“We were asked to take everything out, so I removed the bench and the hanging

‘The mess is

atrocious’

basket. But the bushes have been ripped out as well. The street is being treated like a building site, but these are people’s homes.”

However, a spokeswoman for the city council insisted that the work was on time and would be completed by Friday.

She said: “Work is currently on schedule and is due to be completed by the end of this week.” nvidinova@eveningtelegraph.co.uk

Gardens in Woodlands Terrace are being used to store scaffolding and cladding as the work progresses.