The chairman of a Dundee youth centre has praised the work of local businesses to repair thousands of pounds worth of damage to a fence.
The charity-run Dundee Sea Cadets Centre on East Camperdown Street had been left counting the costs of an incident at their entrance. Repairs are valued at £2000 after it is alleged a truck reversed into the fence.
The damage left volunteers unable to open the gate, stopping access to the driveway and harbour.
However, chairman of the Dundee Sea Cadets David Samson said local businesses had rallied around the centre, and had rushed to get the unit up and running again.
He believes they will be able to open for competitions this weekend because of the help offered.
He said: “The port authorities provided us with wire mesh right away to hold the fence up, and the Cosgrove scrap merchant gave us over some metal to help hold the fence in place.
“Fenwick Blacksmiths have taken away the old fence, and are working on it, but there’s still a big gap there right now. They’ve told me that we should have a new gate fitted by the end of today, and I’m fairly confident that we will be able to run the safety boat training exams this weekend.
“I still have no idea how much this could set us back.”
Around 50 children from Dundee regularly take part in the sea cadets events. Others travel from Perth and Arbroath to sit exams and take part in competitions.
David believes the fence was smashed by one of the lorry’s that regularly park near the unit during the night, and is shocked that the driver has made no effort to get in touch.
He said: “It’s unbelievable that someone would do this, I won’t tell you the words I used when I first saw the damage as I don’t think they’d be suitable for print.
“There has been no contact with the centre, and no insurance details were passed on to us.”