A Fife councillor believes a Russian spy may have been living in his attic during the Cold War after discovering a series of Soviet propaganda posters.
Rosyth councillor Pat Callaghan discovered the fascinating find in a small secret office hidden in the loft of his new house in Dunfermline while looking over the property with his two sons and his joiner, Jay Davies.
He believes whoever used the tiny space could have been spying on military operations at Pitreavie Castle during the Cold War.
Mr Callaghan said: “We’re renovating the house and were upstairs having a good look about at what needed to be done. Both my sons found a wee hatch and said: ‘Have a look at this.’
“I shone a torch up and there were all these Russian propaganda posters.
“It’s a wee office on top of the attic and it’s just big enough for a table and an adult, and I think there’s a connection point for a shortwave radio as well.
“It was purposely secluded and covered by a false floor and made to look like part of the attic.
“Whoever did it went to a lot of trouble and we had to use a ladder to get up there.”
Mr Callaghan estimated there are about “seven or eight” posters on the wall and admitted he “burst out laughing” when he saw them.
He added: “I put two and two together. We’re sitting up on Townhill and Pitreavie Castle is down there, the radio reception would have been brilliant.
“You could pick up anything you wanted to up here.
“You never in a million years imagine you’ll find something like this.
“The posters definitely came from Russia and show Russian youth in the emergence of the Russian dream. The only thing we can read on it is ‘1975’.
“It was somebody very keen on Russia and Stalin and Lenin and he’s obviously imported the posters.”
Pitreavie Castle was previously the Nato North Atlantic Area headquarters.