Glasgow City Council has come under fire after an ex-Navy submariner claims a 'council car' was parked up on the pedestrian area of George Square metres away from the Cenotaph in the city centre.
The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was heading to work when he spotted what he says is a car owned by the council and was stunned to see how close it was to the war memorial, where he has stood to remember the fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the nation.
The member of the public spotted the car around 8.04am on Wednesday, March 8.
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He said: "The council think it’s acceptable to park next to a war memorial while popping into the office. Annoyingly, it's one rule for them and a fine for us. They could have parked anywhere but chose the monument.
"They (council) have no respect for the rules or military. I have stood in George Square in the freezing cold during November ceremonies to remember the fallen and this is just disrespectful."
Glasgow City Council have defended themselves, saying the car was parked in that location to support the maintenance of the Cenotaph and other parts of George Square - an area which is accessible to authorised vehicles.
A spokesman said: “Vehicles are needed by staff who keep our main civic space, including the Cenotaph, in good order, but we do seek to keep vehicle movements in the square to an absolute minimum for safety reasons.
“We understand fully the importance of the Cenotaph to people in Glasgow and our staff are regularly in the square to ensure the memorial looks its best at all times.
“We would never set out to cause offence with how we maintain the Cenotaph.”
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