A war of words has broken out in Broughty Ferry over the annexing of parts of gardens at homes for military veterans.
Residents of Strathmore Street are furious after their landlord, Houses for Heroes, put up fences, cutting off some of their gardens to make way for possible building work.
The charity owns the row of homes that are let out to veterans injured in action, and the residents say closing off the gardens is the first part of the planned construction of more homes.
Houses for Heroes insists it has no immediate plan to build there and say the move is a “prudent measure” should they decide to do so “at some point in the future”.
Some residents are resisting the move.
Norma Stirling, whose husband was a Royal Artillery veteran, said: “I’ve just spent more than £2,000 to get my garden done so I could get my car in.
“I got the whole place gravelled over and put up my own fence.
“The other day they came and dumped a load of wood in my neighbour’s garden. They were really upset and the landlords are just taking them over willy nilly.
“But they’re not getting my garden when I’ve just spent all that money on it.”
Another outraged resident said: “They’ll have to bury me here before I’ll let them bulldoze it.”
Other residents claim they have been emotionally blackmailed by Houses for Heroes into handing over their gardens.
However, Charlie Reid, a former sergeant major in The Black Watch, said he was ashamed of his neighbours, adding: “They think that their garden is more important than a veteran, I think that’s despicable.
“These boys coming back from Afghanistan need all the help we can give them. I am happy to pay my rent and help out.”
Peter Minshall of Houses for Heroes Scotland said: “The need to house more disabled veterans was established in 2007, along with a complex funding appeal and building programme for 60 more houses across Scotland.
“This appeal did not, and still does not, include Dundee in any new building on ground we own at Broughty Ferry.
“In parallel, but separate from this activity, was a need to resume part of the large gardens in Broughty Ferry as a prudent measure should at some point in the future this charity need to use its ground for more buildings.”