Wilful fire-raising at Monikie Country Park
The bird hide and part of the wooden playpark structure at the park have been completely destroyed
Last updated 5th Jul 2022
Monikie Country Park has suffered damage worth "thousands of pounds" after an incident of wilful fire-raising.
The incident occurred in the early hours of the morning on Monday 4th July and saw the bird hide and part of the parks wooden playpark structure completely destroyed.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 3.14am on Monday 4th July to reports of a fire affecting a bird hide in Monike Country Park, Dundee.
“Operations control immediately mobilised a fire appliance to the location and firefighters extinguished the fire.
“Crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.”
Colin Knight, Senior Manager for Sport & Leisure at ANGUSalive said: “We can confirm that the bird hide and part of the wooden playpark structure at Monikie Country Park has been completely destroyed in a wilful fire-raising incident which took place in the early hours of Monday 4 July 2022.
“This was a horrific and reckless act and Fire Services, who were on-site around 3.45am and quickly brought the fire under control, have confirmed that it was started deliberately. Thankfully and luckily no one was injured and no harm was caused to wildlife. However, the fire could have escalated and impacted a larger area with what could have been devastating consequences for the public, park and wildlife.
“We’d like to appeal to anyone who may know who was responsible for this mindless incident to contact 101 and share what they know. I’d also like to ask for the community to help us protect our country parks across Angus by reporting any suspicious behaviour they see in outdoor spaces, as they are a place for everyone to enjoy and are home to many plant species, wildlife and activities which no-one wants to lose.
“We don’t know the total value of the damage but it will be in thousands of pounds. We are really disappointed this has happened, it has destroyed spaces enjoyed by many and is a significant loss to the park. We’ll be reviewing costs and considering replacement plans in due course.”
Police Scotland have been approached for a statement.
