Barriers should be installed over the entrance to a Brechin park to prevent unauthorised access, a local community leader has said.
Town residents spoke of their disgust after piles of industrial debris, human waste and black bags stuffed with rubbish were left in the public park when Travellers moved on from the site.
A car was also abandoned at the park.
Walkers, parents and footballers complained as the rubbish was left to fester for a week in the lead-up to the school holidays, including during summer temperatures approaching 22 C on Saturday.
Angus Council said yesterday it had removed ten tonnes of waste from the land.
Community council leader Jill Scott visited the site over the weekend and was dismayed to find it still piled next to the football field.
She said: “Even the fact it sat there for so long is a disgrace.”
“It was awful for those poor people that were living close to it. The rubbish was there for long enough for worries about rats and other vermin.”
The concerns arose after a group of Travellers received an eviction note to leave, although some only went as far as Wards Park, close to the original site.
Mrs Scott said there had been a burnt out caravan left at the park a few years previously and barriers had been mooted to prevent the situation from reoccurring.
“I believe there was common good funding set aside to pay for it,” she said.
“We need to see something done this time. I’m going to chase this up with the council and find out what the situation is.
“There were moveable barriers put in at Edzell Muir and boulders placed in some of the laybys near Forfar, so we could see something similar.
“I would also like to encourage people only to use reputable builders and tradespeople to prevent this kind of situation from developing in the future.”
An Angus Council spokesman said: “Staff from our parks and waste services attended at Brechin Public Park and removed almost ten tonnes of rubble and general waste.
“An abandoned vehicle has also been taken away and the site is now clear.
“To date, the allocation of common good funding to install vehicle barriers at the park has not been confirmed.”
