Midlothian pupils unable to gather during fire alarm due to travellers camp

Children attending a special needs school in Midlothian were unable to gather at their meeting point during a fire evacuation because travellers had set up camp on it.

A meeting of Midlothian Council today heard pupils and staff at Saltersgate School, in Dalkeith, had to find an alternative place to muster after the alarm went off yesterday.

The incident was, councillors were told, a false alarm, however it raised concern over the impact of the unauthorised camp at the playing fields of Dalkeith High School campus, where Saltergate pupils are based.

Councillors heard problems had emerged after the unofficial camp set up on the school’s playing fields while classes were still ongoing.

And it was claimed youngsters who had gone to one of the pitches to play football were ‘intimidated’ to the point they had to leave by the visitors.

Councillor Stephen Curran raised concern about the unauthorised encampment at the high school.

He said: “It is undoubtedly going to cause damage to the playing fields as well as a reduction in the play area for the kids in the community and has had a detrimental impact on the school’s sporting activities as well.

“There was also an incident yesterday at Saltersgate where the was a fire alarm, thankfully it was a false alarm but the children an the staff were unable to gather at their muster points due to the infringement by the unauthorised encampment.

“While I recognise the rights of the travelling community to practise their chosen lifestyle we need to balance this alongside the rights of the settled communities.

“I am told only last night local kids went to play on the astroturf at the campus and there was a level of intimidation that they had to leave.”

An official travellers camp which was jointly run by Midlothian and East Lothian Councils at the Old Dalkeith Colliery was closed in 2021 after extensive vandalism and not alternative site has been put forward by either local authority.

It is understood there are currently a number of unauthorised camps across Midlothian and this is not the first time one has been set up at the school campus.

Councillor Curran said he had written to the Scottish Government asking for a meeting to see if anything could be done with legislation and the process of removing the encampments ‘particularly at active schools’ and other public spaces.

Derek Oliver, executive director at the council, told the meeting: “Midlothian Council is working with Police Scotland and we have proceeded on the basis of Scottish Government guidance on dealing with unauthorised encampments.

“We are taking risk assessments and dynamic risk assessments when it comes to fire evacuation. Although pupils and staff were unable to muster at the identified position there were alternative arrangements put in place.”