Safety barriers have been put up at the site of a former Fife cinema after a five-year-old girl was hit in the face by a falling stone.
The youngster suffered bruising on her eye and the side of her face after being hit by part of a crumbling wall at the old Regal Cinema site in Leslie on Tuesday evening.
The incident was reported to Fife Council, which has now put barriers and tape up in an attempt to keep people away.
Peter Gulline – a councillor for the area – was contacted by a passerby who saw the incident.
He said: “I was informed on Tuesday evening and I spoke with her [the mother] on Wednesday morning.
“She showed me pictures – it’s actually bruised her and it was so sore the poor girl had to take painkillers and couldn’t sleep on her normal side because her face would hurt. I couldn’t believe how bad it was.”
The land is owned by Kirkcaldy businessman David Wilson.
Complaints about state of Leslie site
Last month, residents hit out at fly-tipping on the site, which has been derelict since the old cinema building was demolished in 2013.
Mr Gulline says the council’s options are limited because the land is in private ownership.
He added: “I’ve had complaints from people who walk through Leslie and people who live nearby since I was appointed.
“Nothing can be pushed as I’ve exhausted all the routes in the council.”
When contacted by The Courier, Mr Wilson’s wife Beverley said she was concerned to hear of the girl being injured.
She said: “I can’t comment on something that I wasn’t there to witness.
‘Concerning and upsetting’ incident
“However, surely a piece of rock doesn’t miraculously jump up and hit someone.
“It’s quite concerning and upsetting that a five-year-old would hurt themselves in any circumstance, anyone would be concerned at that. Hopefully the child is OK.
“There was no damage when we purchased the property.
“We don’t live there either, so the damage is not being caused by David – how could it possibly be done by us?”
Mrs Wilson says they are keen to sell the site.
She added: “We would very much like to move it on, whether we develop the site or if someone takes it on. We would absolutely welcome that.”
Efforts to contact owner of site
Garry Nicoll, Fife Council’s service manager for building standards, said: “We visited the site and have tried to contact the owner who is responsible for the site.
“We’ve arranged for barriers to go up around the wall where the masonry is loose.
“We’ll continue to follow this up with the owner so that they can take appropriate action.”
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