A historic castle in Fife will be closed from Thursday through to Monday in a bid to protect the 15th century site from anti-social behaviour across Bonfire weekend.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has taken the decision to close Ravenscraig Castle in Kirkcaldy following multiple instances of vandalism, fire-raising and anti-social behaviour over the past year.
As well as damage to fencing and panels, wallhead stones have also been thrown from the castle’s east tower.
Dr David Mitchell, head of conservation at HES, said: “We’ve been very disappointed at the ongoing issues of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage at Ravenscraig Castle, and regrettably feel that closing access to the site in advance of Bonfire Night is necessary to prevent further damage.
“Heritage crime such as this can cause irreparable damage to our precious historic sites, divert important resources from other essential conservation and maintenance work, and cause us to lose pieces of our past forever.
“The historic environment belongs to all of us, and we recognise the need to work closely with the local community to raise awareness of the serious impacts of heritage crime and how we can work together to tackle it.
“We would encourage anyone who witnesses any such incident to contact Police Scotland.”
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