Fife Council are continuing to enhance security measures at Inverkeithing High School following a break-in.
As previously reported in the Press, this comes after videos circulated on social media which apparently showed youngsters inside the now closed building.
The school, which is located on Hillend Road, shut its doors to pupils a week before the holidays began after the transformer room sustained severe flooding damage during a rainstorm, which saw power lost and firefighters called out.
Inverkeithing High School. (Image: Contributed)
Police then warned the public to stay away from the site.
Fife Council have since confirmed that CCTV and intruder alarm systems continue to work within the school, and have warned that empty buildings can contain a number of hazards.
Louise Playford, service manager in Fife Council's property services said: "We're aware of unauthorised entry at the former Inverkeithing High School site.
“The school's existing CCTV and intruder alarm systems remain operational, and we're continuing to enhance security arrangements.
"The safety of the public remains our primary concern. The school is closed and should not be entered without permission, as empty buildings can contain a range of significant hazards and entering the site could put individuals at serious risk of harm.
"CCTV footage can be shared with Police Scotland as part of any enquiries they make, and anyone with information about the incident should contact the police directly."
However, MSP David Barratt has raised concern about issues at the site with fencing.
David Barratt MSP. (Image: Supplied)
Fencing was put up around the site and its grass pitches, which sparked anger amongst those in the community, and politicians.
At the time, Barratt said that he was “absolutely astonished” to find the playing fields being shut off as well.
Speaking to the Press, he added: “The bigger frustration is that despite all the fencing that's gone up, the council has failed to actually secure the building.
“Perhaps if the focus had been on securing the building, rather than the entire site, it might have been more successful.
“That said, I understand that the council is securing it over time, which will include metal shutters or metal plates, boards on doors and windows.
“I think that's a piece of work that will take a while, so once that's done, hopefully it'll be more secure.
“But as I say, the bigger frustration is the decision to fence off the entire site without any prior warning or consultation.”
Fencing was put up around the site. (Image: David Barratt)
Speaking about the break-in, he added: “I think to some extent, if people are determined to get in, there will always be a means of doing it”.
Most recently, Fife Council partially revised its decision and reopened access to the main grass pitch at Inverkeithing High School temporarily over the summer holidays.
Barratt described this as a “small win” but added that it was “not acceptable as a compromise, because it still means closing off an area of green open space that the community has had access to for years.
“I'm not really having any justification for it.
“To my mind, somebody from the Boreland estate walking their dog through the grounds is not a risk to the security of that building, and it doesn't require you to put fencing around the entire site to secure the building.
“Beyond that, the artificial pitch and the tennis courts are still serviceable assets, and so why should they not be available unless the council is arguing that there simply isn't a demand? But from my experience, that's not the case”.
Louise Playford added: "Following representations from local elected members, we have temporarily amended the fence line at the former Inverkeithing High School site during the summer holiday period to allow community access to the grass pitch, in addition to the existing all-weather pitch.
"This follows discussions on how best to balance community use of the facilities with the need to maintain appropriate site security.
"The arrangement is temporary, with both the all-weather pitch and adjacent grass pitch available on a first-come, first-served basis throughout the summer holidays.
"The amended fence line is a short-term measure in response to requests from local councillors and will remain in place until the new Caledonia High School is fully operational."
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