A dangerous and derelict former care home in Blairgowrie was boarded up by Perth and Kinross Council after a school child and cop were injured.
A police officer and a youngster were hurt after entering the ruined Rosemount Care Home on Perth Road.
Police Scotland issued the alert for parents to warn their children after a spate of “vandalism and anti-social behaviour” at the site.
And a community officer told residents that another officer was hospitalised after being injured dealing with an incident at the site.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said the young person was injured on May 3 “as a direct result” of them entering the one-time care facility, which had a capacity for just over 50 residents prior to its closure by then operator Four Seasons Health Care in 2017.
In a further statement, the Police Scotland representative said: “The building is extremely dangerous – with broken glass, sanitary ware, exposed nails, cabling and unstable flooring.
“A youth was recently injured having entered the building.”
The care home was boarded up just days after a group of residents attended the most recent meeting of Blairgowrie and Rattray Community Council to raise concerns.
Speaking at the meeting one local resident said: “We are constantly chasing people off the care home site.
“I have had glass thrown at me, rubble thrown at me, fire extinguishers thrown at me.
“It’s happening almost every single day, groups of 16 to 20 people – aged from about 12 to 18 or 20 years old – it is not a little issue.”
Police Scotland community officer Ryan Tarbet was at the meeting and said: “Rosemount Care Home has been an issue in the background for quite a while now but the issue is becoming more persistent. We’re getting countless calls.
“Nothing too serious has happened yet but it’s just a matter of time.
“A police officer was injured on the site and hospitalised and a school pupil was quite seriously injured last week, which is bad enough – but it could have been so much worse.”
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service watch commander Paul Smith, who is based in Blairgowrie, said: “The building is our main concern – furniture has been pulled out, there’s quite a lot of wood against the building.
“Our big concern is that we could not commit firefighters to going into a building like that if there was a fire unless there were reports of a child being in there.
“There is only one way in and one way out and obviously we would be putting local firefighters at risk.”
PKC’s safer communities warden Jill Liversedge told those gathered: “We monitor the site and can be contacted directly if people have any concerns.
“We come across children in the area quite regularly and they know how dangerous the building is and that is not putting them off.
“I think the ones that are using it regularly will continue to do so until it is secured. We could possibly look at adding the site to the list for the mobile CCTV unit.”
Blairgowrie and Glens Conservative councillor Bob Brawn commented after the meeting: “The main concern would be the outbreak of a fire which would be difficult to control and would present a significant danger should firefighters have to make an entry.
"All attempts to make contact with the owner have failed and therefore the council have stepped in.”
Metal and plywood sheets were used to secure the site.
