Neighbours’ fury after killjoy council installs £6k ‘prison’ fence to stop kids playing football on grass outside homes
A KILLJOY council has been slammed for forking out £6,000 on a “prison fence” to stop kids playing football.
Baffled locals have hit out at the “eyesore” after the X-shaped fencing appeared around a grass space in West Dunbartonshire.
The council claim they received complaints about damage to property caused by ball games – but residents have accused officials of being heavy-handed.
And they have given the fencing the nickname “Barlinnie” after the notorious prison that once held Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi.
Grandmother-of-six Diane White said: “It’s just awful, I have grandchildren and they all think it’s awful too.
A lot of the time, me and my friends would always play football here but now we can’t play as far up because of the fence
Charlie Quinn, eight
“Someone is going to get hurt, one of the kids will try and climb that and they will fall and hit the other fence.
“I think it’s actually more dangerous.
“It does look like a prison, all you need is the guards to stand at either side.”
While eight-year-old Charlie Quinn said: “I just don’t really like it.
“A lot of the time, me and my friends would always play football here but now we can’t play as far up because of the fence.
“I don’t like it at all.”
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A petition has now been launched objecting to the fencing – with some locals saying it has ruined the view from their windows.
A spokesman for West Dunbartonshire Council said: “The low level fences were introduced in consultation with residents following a number of complaints about damage to property caused by ball games on the grassed area.
“The design was chosen to discourage use of the location as a play area, and encourage the use of existing full-size pitches nearby.”
