Hawick pub hit by vandal rampage

Three of the four front windows at Deans’ Bar, in Orrock Place, were broken in the early hours of Monday.

After the attack, two youths in hoodies were seen running from the scene.

As a result of that incident, the windows at the premises were deemed unsafe and the bar couldn’t open for business last night, although it was expected to reopen its doors for trading today.

It’s been an expensive few days for the owner of the premises, Mark Deans, after a window in the gents’ toilet was also smashed on Saturday night, apparently by a customer.

Reacting on the pub’s Facebook page, Mr Deans expressed his frustration.

He said: “Unfortunately, more vandalism took place at approximately 3am on Monday, with bricks being thrown through three of our front windows.

“Two youths in hoodies were seen running off.

“On a separate occasion, one of our lovely customers decided to pull the handle off and then smash the window in the gents’ toilet on Saturday night, so it’s been a pretty expensive weekend for us.”

The attack has provoked an angry response on social media, with townsfolk offering their support to Mr Deans, who only opened the bar late last year.

Many expressed concern at what they perceived was a recent increase in vandalism and anti-social behaviour in the town.

Liz Parkes posted: “There is definitely an element in Hawick that does not like to see anyone working hard and doing well. It’s disgusting.”

Fran Jackson appealed for the public with information to “name and shame” the culprits, saying: “You’d think that a quaint Borders town with, let’s face it, not the glitz and glamour of bigger towns and cities, would mean these idiots would stay away. Clearly not.

“Well, it’s near common riding, so let’s name and shame these people.”

And John McGregor Tojo posted: “Not be long now before hard-working folk will become a minority and will get pinched from even more by these scum.”

Deans’ Bar was converted out of the ground floor of the old Hawick YM rugby club premises.

The move followed the club becoming surplus to requirements after Hawick YM merged with Hawick Rugby Club in 2015.

The Redskins’ players, coaches, committee and members all crossed over to the Mansfield Park side in one of the biggest shake-ups to the structure of rugby in the town.

The conversion of the club premises into a pub was not without precedent, however.

The building was actually a pub until the rugby club took it over a decade ago.

In his planning application to Scottish Borders Council last year, Mr Deans, of Weensland Road, said he hoped the conversion would make the premises “a benefit to the town”.

He said: “I don’t want to make any changes to the building other than decoration inside and painting the front grey, which is sympathetic to the surroundings and other buildings in the area.”

Anyone with information regarding the vandal attack at Deans’ Bar, open weekly from Thursday through to Sunday, can contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.