A CRISIS meeting has been held to stop anti-social behaviour in Scotstoun over fears someone could be killed.

Drumchapel police officers have warned youths throwing items – such as bottles and bricks – from Burnham Bridge on to passing motorists and pedestrians below would result in catastrophe.

Sergeant Lesley Gillespie and her team invited local councillors and Community Safety Glasgow as well as local businesses – such as BAE Systems, Arnold Clark and the Clydebank Post – to a meeting last week in a bid to put an end to the dangerous behaviour, which has already caused one resident to avoid a part of his home following attacks on his property.

Sergeant Gillespie told the group: “This year alone we’ve received over 155 calls due to anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and misuse of the bridge.

“They’re lobbing things off the bridge – it started with bottles, they’re making their way up to bricks.

“It’s literally only a matter of time before a serious incident or someone gets killed.”

The youths, many of whom are drinking while on the bridge, vandalise the area, light fires and damage some of the 39 properties on Burnham Road.

But despite police patrols and Community Safety Glasgow ranking it a top priority – sending officers out to monitor the area five nights a week – the youngsters are not deterred.

And the number of reported incidents have shot up by more than 70 since last year, including smashing close doors.

Karen Venables, of Community Safety Glasgow, told the meeting: “Incidents are pretty constant from 6pm and it shoots up on a Saturday.

“We’ve had patrols on since pretty much January of 2016 and I don’t have any other patrols out in the west of Glasgow.”

Another problem for the team is the sheer size of the group, which members of Dumbarton Road Corridor Youth Project say they have never seen before.

Arthur McNeaney, project manager at the Heart of Scotstoun based group, said: “We’re dealing with the biggest group of young people I’ve seen since I’ve ran the project. It’s something that we never predicted.

“A few young people that are in the group have serious issues and they’re the ones that are showing off because they don’t actually have anything else to hold on to.

“We’ve got street teams that have started patrols and we’ve started football on Friday and Saturday nights.”

BAE, who rent part of the bridge, agreed to put up fences along part of the rat runners to restrict the youths’ access, while Sustrans agreed to look at potential funding options to reduce vegetation the area in a bid to encourage local members of the community to start using the abandoned structure properly.

However, the team will continue to come together for quarterly meetings to determine a more long-term solution to the problem, which Councillor Eva Murray agrees must be remain a priority.

She told the Post: “The longer-term plan involves looking seriously at the options of turning the bridge into a viable, attractive active travel route for our area. I’d like to see myself, fellow councillors and others in the community working closely and providing support in any way to the fantastic work that is already being done.”