A historic stone pillar has been toppled in a possible vandalism incident in Stockbridge.
The 140-year-old piece of masonry, which was situated on a plinth on a stairwell at St Bernard's Bridge at the east entrance to the Dene, a popular city beauty spot on the Water of Leith, is believed to have been felled over the weekend. An iron gate has also been torn down.
The damage was spotted on Monday morning by local resident Jo Young who took to Twitter to report the incident to the City of Edinburgh Council's online help service.
The staircase at St Bernard's Bridge was already cordoned off for safety reasons due to the poor condition of the parapets and pillars. However, it is understood that a barrier preventing people from accessing the steps was thrown into the Water of Leith in a separate incident several weeks ago.
Jo Young does not believe that the sandstone pillar, which dates back to the 1880s, when the staircase was added to the bridge, toppled all by itself. She thinks the historic structure has been targeted by "bored" young vandals.
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Ms Young, 43, who lives on nearby Saunders Street, told Edinburgh Live: "That pillar has been loose for weeks -probably even a couple of months now. It’s slowly been coming away from the staircase over time.
"Originally the council had put a barrier there to stop people going up, but that barrier ended up in the Water of Leith. There's been nothing there to stop people going up.
"Yesterday (Monday), I walked my dog there and saw that the whole thing had been pulled down."
Ms Young continued: "There's no way it could've just fell as it's quite a chunky bit of masonry. We've had some fairly windy days and it's not made a jot of difference.
"Probably it's been bored youths. This is not a natural occurrence.
"The pillar has landed on the staircase, but it could've been pushed down the other way where people walk. I dread to think of the serious injuries that could've happened. It's quite scary."
A spokesperson for the City of Edinburgh Council told Edinburgh Live that repairs are being arranged on the structure. However, they added it currently remains unclear whether the incident was an act of vandalism.
Edinburgh Live has approached Police Scotland for further information.
