Angry residents have blasted vandals for destroying parts of the former convent where The Magdalene Sisters movie was filmed.
Gangs of youths have broken in regularly and smashed windows at the historic, category B-listed Dumfries building.
One woman said of the vandalism at the Maxwell Street property: “It’s disgusting. It is such a beautiful building and for this to be happening again is just horrendous.
“It began last year with kids aged between 11 and 18 breaking in and making a lot of noise. They trample through gardens nearby and when home owners confront them they get a mouthful of abuse.
“We thought it had stopped but a few weeks ago there were hundreds of kids running all over the place.
“We are constantly calling the police who have been great at coming out but the kids just return and the numbers can be high with various apps and groups encouraging each other to attack the place.”
The woman, who lives in the area, wanted to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals.
She added: “It is shocking the amount of noise they make when hurling stuff from the building or smashing windows.
“I have even seen some of them on the roof and playing a game where they slid down the slates onto a mattress at the bottom of the roof. It was sheer madness and we would all like this to stop before someone gets seriously hurt.
“They have come up with a ladder before to get over the wall and just the other week an adult drove up and dropped a kid off. I presumed it was one of their parents, so even they don’t care what their kids are getting up to.”
The site belongs to Building Craftsmen Dumfries which is owned by Billy Hewitson, also the chairman of Queen of the South Football Club.
He said: “We are constantly going up to the building and they are not all young kids.
“There are kids actually coming up in their school uniform during the day so they’re obviously skipping it to come up and vandalise the property.
“They’re just doing what they want and I am at a loss as to why they would want to destroy an iconic building. We would gladly show them around the place but to break in is just disgraceful.”
Councillor Graham Bell praised Mr Hewitson for his efforts and added: “The situation is actually appalling,
“I know the police are doing a good job trying to move them on but I am concerned about a health safety risk and a serious fire taking place.
“I am concerned about it becoming a dangerous building and I know the owners are trying to address it. They have tried a number of measures.”
“Officers have been working closely with the building owner, local residents and partners to tackle this issue head-on. So far a number of youths have been charged in connection with the incidents.”
