Tayside’s longest-serving councillor has warned a “tale of two cities” is emerging in Dundee.
Strathmartine councillor Ian Borthwick was speaking out after shocking images emerged of a drug addict passed out in a close in the Brackens area of the city, which Mr Borthwick has represented for decades.
While he lauded Dundee’s ongoing waterfront development and the ground-breaking medical research being carried out in the city, Mr Borthwick said he fears these successes are diverting attention away from “corrosive” problems elsewhere.
He said: “It’s great that things are happening in Dundee but it is becoming a tale of two cities.
“On one hand we are really proud of all the achievements in Dundee but on the other hand we have these problems that will inevitably undermine efforts to bring the city up.”
Residents in the Brackens area have complained for years about the anti-social behaviour of some drug addicts living in the area.
One even took photos of one addict passed out in the stairwell of his close, with drug paraphernalia lying at his feet.
Earlier this month, student Lauren Rankine posted a picture on Twitter of a man passed out in the entrance to her Seagate flat.
He demanded £80 as payment when she tried to get past and into her home.
Mr Borthwick said problems associated with drug abuse are now a blight across large swathes of the city.
He added: “What disturbs me about this latest incident is that it is in my ward and it used to be a really nice area.
“I knew the residents and it was really respectable but we have now seen a marked deterioration in the area and others like it in the city.”
He added: “I think there is inadequate discretion being exercised when they consider where to house people with drug problems – there is very little regard for the people who live there.
“I recognise this is a problem throughout the city but I have serious questions about whether we have the right strategies to combat this.”
Dundee City Council has said it is speaking to residents in the Brackens area about the situation.
Police said there is a joint partnership approach to tackling anti-social behaviour.
