Visitors to the Opal 1 student accommodation block in Dundee camped out in the reception area in the early hours of Friday after security staff refused them entry to their friends’ rooms.
The company which operates the new block mainly housing Abertay University students has been accused of being “Valentine’s kill-joys” after it decreed no visitors are to be admitted.
Students in the block say staff there are treating them like prisoners following the ban, which Opal 1 Dundee said was required to prevent “unacceptable behaviour by students and visitors.”
The problem flared up on Thursday night when security staff began telling residents they could not take visitors into their rooms. That action resulted in several of the visitors camping down in the reception area in sleeping bags in the early hours of the morning as they had nowhere else to go.
First-year Abertay student Dario Pagani (20) said he overheard security staff telling a fellow resident he could not take his visitor in on Thursday evening. Having gone out for the night, he and his fellow residents Graeme McBurnie (19) and Sean Haren (19) returned around 3am to be told by staff they could not take their visiting friend, 18-year-old Amy Weild, past the security door.
He noticed around a dozen people in the reception area, lying around in sleeping bags while residents argued with staff.Police”They said Amy couldn’t go through but we said we were taking her anyway and opened the door with our key fob,” he said. “They said they would get the police, so I gave them my number and told them to get the police to come to my room, but they never did.
“What were they wanting us to do leave an 18-year-old girl out in the streets at three o’clock in the morning?
“A woman at reception called Jo said it was in the interests of security as there had been an incident with a lift in block D, but that’s not our block. She told us she was the landlord and there were no exceptions. Everybody was banned from bringing visitors in for a week.
“I told them my girlfriend Sophie is coming through for Valentine’s weekend and she’s bought her train ticket and booked a restaurant for a meal, but they said she wouldn’t get in. It’s ridiculous. Our parents are paying about £100 a week for these rooms, which is a lot more than other people pay in most other places, but if they turned up they couldn’t get in to see us.’Prison'”The block looks like a prison and they’re treating us like prisoners. We asked when they had made the decision and they said they had sent an email out, half an hour before. But it was Thursday night and people were already out by the time they sent the email.
“You can’t just put a blanket ban on people bringing their guests back to their rooms. Nobody knew there had been any trouble until they told us.”
Another resident, Rebecca Brown (18) from Edinburgh, said her mum had been refused entry to the complex that evening.
“She had to plead with them and eventually the security guy let her in but told her it was only for an hour,” she said. “It was like they were doing you a favour, but we pay £95 for our rooms.”ComplainOther problems highlighted are a light fitting which went on fire, cupboard doors missing and mouldy walls in one room.
“The staff are really off-hand when we complain about stuff that’s needing fixed,” Rebecca said. “They say put it in the complaints box and we’ll see to it, but when?”
In the email sent to the students, Opal’s Dundee management said they intended meeting with a forum of students to discuss “the recent unacceptable behaviour of some residents and guests.”
Another letter sent to the students on Friday said, “Over the past few weeks some students’ and visitors’ behaviour has been unacceptable, to the point where criminal damage has incurred. Loud music, parties, verbal abuse to other students, drugs on site have also been reported.”
The letter went on to say the action was due to previous events in D block last week and said it would be reviewed in the next few days.
Opal Property Management were asked for a comment but did not respond.