Petition to end broken glass menace at Fife woodland

Ursula Melville, whose dog nearly bled to death after suffering a severe gash from a broken bottle, said the problem of youths smashing bottles on paths leading to Warout Woods has become “a nightmare”.

She said the the situation had got worse since the issue was first highlighted in the Gazette three weeks ago and now fears a child or animal could suffer a serious injury if nothing is done.

“It’s a nightmare, and nothing seems to being done about it, if anything its getting worse, each day,” she explained.

“I’ve personally taken it upon myself to go to the worst affected areas just to sweep up the mess because no one else seems to care or take responsibility.

“Do we have to wait until a dog is killed or a child is seriously injured for it to be taken seriously?

“Smashing bottles is stupid and irresponsible and must be stopped.”

The responsibility for the management of Warout Woods was passed by Fife Council to the Woodland Trust a number of years ago, who in turn have it contracted out to Greenbelt ltd, who have responded to previous concerns.

However, Ursula and her supporters now want to get to the root of the problem - those breaking the glass in the first place.

“We need to put a stop to this, it’s getting out of hand, cleaning up rather than stopping the problem will mean we never get a proper solution,” she added.

A police spokesman said that while they were unaware of the problem, concerns had been noted and officers would monitor the affected areas as part of the daily patrols carried out within the community.