The leader of Dundee Council has slammed a recent spate of vandalism on city landmarks.
John Alexander described attacks in Broughty Ferry - including the iconic castle - as ‘disgusting’.
Speaking exclusively to Dundee Live he said he was ‘sick of seeing our city treated this way.’
And he pledged extra funding to help crack down on anti-social behaviour and catch those responsible.
He said that officers of Dundee City Council have confirmed that they are seeing an increase in such issues across Dundee and particularly focussed within the vicinity of the city centre.
Councillor Alexander told us: “There has been a notable increase in graffiti and vandalism in recent months. Its disgusting that some people choose to treat their own city, their neighbourhoods and neighbours with such disrespect. It’s idiotic.
“I’ve raised these issues with senior officers and asked for urgent action to be taken to address this. That action, of course, costs every taxpayer.
“I suspect that at least some of this is attributable to the same people small group of people.
“I’ve seen the same blue spray-painted image dotted across various places in the city, for example.
“Absolute idiots are responsible.
"Not only does it look awful and creates a negative impression of areas, but it also costs tens of thousands of pounds to clear up. Smashed bus shelters, spray paint, fires in playparks.
“It makes you wonder what runs through the minds of those responsible."
Broughty Ferry Castle was targeted in the latest attack.
The iconic building - that dates back to the late 15th century - was spraypainted with tags.
The harbour-side, various signs and life saving rings were also covered in blue paint - the second attack in weeks.
Councillor Alexander added: “I for one am sick of seeing our city treated this way by a tiny minority.
“Police Scotland are stepping up patrols in areas and action is being taken to fix the issues mentioned.
“In our latest budget we so allocated addition funding for anti-social behaviour and improvements in our communities.
“We’ll continue to look at how we can address this quickly and properly, to reduce the impact on communities.”
**Don't miss the latest headlines from around Dundee and Tayside. Sign up to our newsletters here .
And did you know Dundee Live is on Facebook? Head over to our page to give us a like and a share .
