Call for lighting and CCTV on ‘ominous’ path in Galashiels

Urgent calls for new lighting and CCTV along an infamous footpath In Galashiels have been made after yet another assault there at the weekend.
The Black Path in Galashiels.The Black Path in Galashiels.
The Black Path in Galashiels.

A 17-year-old girl was taken to hospital on Sunday, January 30, after she was attacked on the ‘Black Path’ between Langlee and Netherdale.

It is just the latest in a series of assaults reported on the pathway in recent months and years.

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At a meeting of Galashiels Community Council last night, Wednesday, February 2, members urged action to address the issue.

Concern was raised that even the name of the footway – ‘Back Path’ – created an ominous impression for the public and visitors to the town.

One contributor also called for the demolition of a stone structure on the route because of its association with attacks.

Council chair Judith Cleghorn said: “Over the last few years several people have been assaulted on the Black Path, the latest on Sunday evening when a 17-year-old girl was reportedly attacked.

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“I would like one other community councillor to walk the path at night with me so that we can properly assess it for ourselves, then ask the councillors to support us in whatever needs to be done to improve the safety of that path.”

Community councillor Bill White said: “I was concerned about the Black Path as long as eight or nine years ago and nothing has been done.

“I always wondered why it was called the ‘Black Path’ from a tourist point of view saying ‘I’ll take you down the Black Path’ seems a bit off. I think instead it should be the called the ‘Riverside Walk’.

“I certainly think it’s ripe for using CCTV. You will always find the police asking immediately after an incident ‘is there any CCTV footage?’ or ‘is there any web cam from cars?’ … yet there is nothing of that down there and I certainly think that would make people feel safer. We could turn it into something really good. Paths need to sorted, there’s fences broken, vegetation isn’t great and we need to take a look at that.”

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Community councillor Alexa Seagrave added: “I was down there at the weekend with my partner and we were talking about a stone hut on one section and I asked ‘what’s that?’ and he said it’s been there for years and a lot of people have been attacked there. He said he didn’t know why the council hadn’t just pulled it down years ago. Maybe hiding spaces like that could be looked at?”

Galashiels councillor Euan Jardine said: “It is increasingly worrying what is happening.

“A young boy stopped me today whose friend had been attacked and was quite worried and concerned what was going on with the Black Path, he’d been asking for CCTV.

“We don’t want to make people alarmed that it’s happening all the time but we need to look at safety measures and for the police to be down in that area more often.”

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Galashiels councillor Sandy Aitchison supported moves to make it a safe area through lighting improvements and other action.

He added: “I know a lot of the girls at Galashiels Academy do not go along the Black Path for obvious reasons and go up along the Melrose Road to get home to Langlee, so it’s a place that has always been out of bounds for young ladies especially but young gentlemen as well. It’s a very lonely stretch of pathway and I don’t think I would be very comfortable up there in the dark, especially at the two extremities to the north and south.”

Members agreed that various funding options to carry out safety work are pursued.