Edinburgh letting agency in dark over Royal Mile glass danger

ROYAL Mile pedestrians could have been killed by falling glass from a faulty window, claim residents – whose repeated calls to get the damage repaired went unheeded.

The tenement window, which sits directly above the entrance to the World’s End pub, has been badly damaged since April when high winds caused it to break.

Since then, despite numerous calls to the council, traders watched aghast as the remaining cracked panels teeter just feet above the heads of passing tourists.

Graham Muir, owner of Tartan Tights, said: “It’s ridiculous and an accident waiting to happen. I’ve reported it to the council numerous times. Another strong gust will send the rest out, showering whoever is unlucky enough to be passing underneath.”

The initial damage was caused to the tenement stairwell window when a freak gust of wind blew through the property.

Owner of the popular pub, Belhaven, aware of the danger posed to its patrons, informed Edinburgh Council of its fears hoping that this would spur the tenement’s owner, Grant Property, into action.

However, it has emerged that these concerns were never even passed on to Grant Property by the council, which in the wake of the statutory repair scandal is only carrying out or ordering repairs where there is a risk to public safety or public health.

A council spokesman said: “Broken windows are the responsibility of the owner, not the council.”

Upon being told of the damage and the possible danger it posed to the public, Grant Property immediately sent out a workman to make the fixture safe. Chief executive Peter Grant said: “To date, no-one has made any formal complaint to us about a broken window at any of the properties which meant we simply did not know there was an issue.

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