Vandals have struck at an Angus cemetery — pushing over gravestones which are hundreds of years old.

The memorials were targeted sometime between 10pm on Wednesday and Thursday morning.

Session clerk at St Vigeans Church, near Arbroath, Margaret Pullar, said everyone connected with the church was devastated by the “pointless” vandalism.

She said: “I wish the people who carry out pointless acts of vandalism like this would realise that someone is buried under these gravestones.

“The gravestones may be hundreds of years old in some cases — they could even belong to the vandals’ grand- parents or great grandparents.”

Margaret said a concert had been held at the church on Wednesday evening.

It was empty by 10pm and everything had seemed fine.

She said: “When some of us went back to the church around 10am the damage had been done.”

Mrs Pullar said three gravestones had been pushed completely out of the ground and left on the path.

She said: “We laid the gravestones back into place but obviously they aren’t going to be safe now.

“We’ve reported the matter to Angus Council, which owns the cemetery.

“This is even all the more upsetting because a local group had been spending a lot of time working to tidy up St Vigeans and keep it looking neat and tidy.

“They spend time every week working and then people come and do something like this — it’s very upsetting.”

Mrs Pullar said she understood other damage had been caused in the village the same night the gravestones were vandalised.

She said: “I can’t understand why anyone would want to do stuff like this.”

Villagers have said the vandalism is “disgusting”.

Christopher Swankie said: “It’s symptomatic of a spate of vandalism that’s occurring around the town at this time of year.

“It’s disgraceful, yet becoming all too common.

“Almost always the worst of this occurs in the summer months.”

Residents reacted furiously today after vandals as young as seven caused £10,000-worth of damage to cars parked in two Angus streets.

Thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused to about 10 cars in Townhead Road and St Thomas Crescent, Arbroath, on Saturday afternoon.

Police Scotland confirmed officers are looking for two boys aged seven or eight years old in connection with the incident.

A police spokesman said: “The cost of damage could reach £10,000 or more.”

William Martin, 55, who lives in Townhead Road, said that he had two cars scratched outside his home.

“I noticed the damage to the cars about 4pm on Saturday. The damage to both of the cars is fairly substantial, with scratches right along the passenger doors of my car and on the passenger door, and on to the wing of my step-daughter’s car. I’m absolutely furious that someone as young as this could do this. My car is brand new, and the damage will cost hundreds of pounds to repair. I think it’s disgusting. People work hard for something like a new car and then this kind of vandalism happens.”

Roger Rowe, 67, said he was lucky that his car hadn’t been damaged but said several of his neighbours had been victims.

“There’s a couple of young lads around here who are well known for causing damage to other people’s property, and I have phoned the police about them in the past,” he said.

“It’s awful that parents can let their children out and they go on to cause this kind of damage.”

Janis Dumbraitis, 39, said he saw four or five police officers speaking to people in the street on Saturday afternoon.

“I was lucky my car wasn’t damaged but many of my neighbours have had their cars scratched,” she said.

The police spokesman said: “The boys scratched several vehicles using some kind of sharp implement.

“The first suspect is seven or eight years old with short and dirty fair hair. He was wearing a grey T-shirt and red shorts.

“The second boy is also seven or eight years old and was wearing a black baseball cap and dark blue t-shirt with a triangle pattern on the front and shorts.”

North East Conservative Alex Johnstone said: “I utterly condemn this mindless vandalism. We simply cannot tolerate wanton vandalism and destruction.”

Any witnesses are asked to contact the police on 101.

A 75-year-old Tayside man was robbed of £4,000 after falling victim to a telephone scam.

Police are investigating after the victim, from Carnoustie, was contacted by a fraudster claiming to be from a debt collection agency.

The fraudster threatened the elderly man when he became suspicious — and said he would attend his address and enforce the “debt” through so-called sheriff officers.

The pensioner then transferred £4,000 into an undisclosed account.

In another case, a 65-year-old woman from Forfar was scammed out of £2,000 after she was phoned by someone who claimed to be from the Inland Revenue.

The caller told the woman that she owed the HMRC £2,000 and was able to extract personal data from the victim, which allowed the criminal to withdraw the money from her bank account.

Detective Inspector Iain McPhail, of Tayside’s economic crime and financial investigation unit, revealed the crime as he called on people to be vigilant in the wake of a spate of telephone scams.

He said: “Scams have been taking place throughout the region and anyone can be targeted.

“But it is usually the elderly and the vulnerable who are victims — basically because the scammers know older people have fallen victim to scams before and can be easier to persuade.

“The amounts of money these people manage to obtain are large and can have a significant impact on the victim’s lives.”

DI McPhail warned people to be on their guard against disclosing personal information.

He said: “These callers will target individuals and get as much information as they can.

“They will then use advanced technology to use this information, which gives their stories further legitimacy if they are questioned. Victims will then be asked to transfer large sums of money to what are known as ‘mule accounts’.

“As soon as the money is transferred, it is then distributed into several other accounts, which makes the money trail very difficult to track.

“I’d urge people to be extra vigilant and make sure elderly and vulnerable friends or relatives are not falling victim to these very damaging crimes.”

A man who subjected four women to an “ordeal” by exposing himself in front of them has been jailed.

Paul Skelly, 37, of Burnside Street, Carnoustie, had previously admitted the offences, which took place between 2007 and 2013 at a property in Angus.

Dundee Sheriff Court heard that Skelly’s wife had been in the property at the time of the offences, but that she had been unaware of what had been taking place.

Prosecuting, fiscal depute Stewart Duncan told the court the Skelly exposed himself to his first victim while in a kitchen wearing loose clothing.

As he walked, she could clearly see his private parts.

He then stood at a window while looking at the victim and smiling.

The court heard on at least four occasions he sat in the kitchen and performed a sex act whilst staring at the victim through a glass door.

The second victim said the offences began in 2009. Skelly had performed a sex act in the kitchen while making eye contact with her through a glass door.

The third woman said the first incident happened in 2007, when Skelly exposed himself while wearing only a towel.

On another occasion, in December 2007, he exposed himself to a fourth woman.

Then, last summer, the husband of one of the complainers confronted Skelly about his behaviour and they had an argument, before Skelly punched the husband on the head twice.

He was knocked to the ground and punched further twice.

The victim attended Ninewells Hospital, where it was found he had bruising and a broken nose. Police attended and took statements from the victim and his wife.

Skelly, a first offender, told the police that he had carried out the offences due to personal problems in his life and it was “for relief from all the nonsense that was in his head and not sexual gratification.”

Sheriff Alastair Carmichael said: “You took the opportunity to subject these women to this ordeal.

“I note that the behaviour ceased three years ago and there has been no offending since then and I take that into account.”

Skelly was sentenced to 168 days in jail for the sexual offences and 72 days for the assault, to run concurrently.

The Scottish SPCA is seeking a new home for a blind cat who is being overlooked at their centre in Petterden, north of Dundee.

Staff are appealing for a committed owner to offer the cat a permanent home where he will receive the special care and attention he needs.

Centre manager Elliot Hay said: “Bruce is a lovely older gentleman who was found as a stray.

“He is so friendly and very affectionate and is always looking to be petted.

“Unfortunately Bruce is blind although he does cope well without his sight.

“He also requires daily medication for high blood pressure which we think might be putting people off rehoming him.

“Bruce is an amazing boy and his new family will have a truly rewarding and happy life with him.

“Our staff will be happy to offer advice and further information to anyone interested in offering Bruce a loving home.”

Anyone who can offer Bruce a new home is being asked to contact the Scottish SPCA’s Angus centre on 03000 999 999.

ANGUS woman Ashley Wilkie knows only too well the pain and heartbreak of losing a family member to suicide.

On July 5 in 2012 Ashley’s much loved stepfather Ian Heeps took his own life, aged 46.

Ashley, 37, of Kirriemuir, a veterinary nurse, said the family, including her mum, Ian’s partner, Irene Pattullo, 60, were left devastated over Ian’s passing.

Now Ashley and her husband Liam, 32, plan to take part in the Great North Run in Newcastle to raise money for suicide prevention and also highlight the issues surrounding the issue.

Ashley told the Tele today that she had been grieving for four years as well as helping her mum get over her grief.

However, she felt the time was now right to try to raise awareness of what people go through.

She added: “If we can help other people in any way and maybe prevent them going through what we’ve had to go through it will be all worthwhile.

“A series of events preceded Ian’s death so as a family we knew the who, the why, the what, where and when, that was connected to his death and in some ways that has helped us.

“Nothing can prepare you for the grief, the sorrow and the rollercoaster of emotions that follow such a preventable death however.

“Ian didn’t leave a note and that would have been a help to us although we were aware of some of the things he was going through before he took his own life. For many families these answers are never known.”

Ashley said that Ian’s suicide had left a very big hole in the family’s life and he was very much missed by everybody.

She added: “He never even got to meet our daughter Caitlin who is now 18 months.

“He would have been a very proud grandad.”

So far Ashley and Liam have raised more than £1,000 for the Scottish Association for Mental Health and the Mental Health Foundation.

They hope by taking part in the run on September 11 they will raise even more money.

The couple also have a race night planned in Kirriemuir’s Northmuir Hall on August 20 again to raise money for their chosen charities.

The pair also has a just giving page to raise funds.

A HEARTBROKEN mum today told how her late son fought right to the end after being diagnosed with cancer.

Christopher McPhee, 36, contracted lung cancer, which later spread to his brain.

The illness was only discovered after he sought help for a pain in his shoulder.

Speaking from her family’s home in Montrose, Christopher’s mum Ruth Stamp, 56, told of her sorrow at having to say goodbye to one of her children.

She told the Tele: “Christopher never really wanted to acknowledge the cancer and continued to take each day as it came and lived life to the full.

“He was a fantastic son and brother and we are going to miss him so much.

“You really don’t expect to have to bury a child. I can’t say we are coping but we are just taking it a day at a time, the way Christopher was doing.

“Christopher fought the illness to the end — he remained stubborn, kept his sense of humour and would often have the district nurses laughing with him when they came to see him.”

Christopher, who studied horticulture at Angus College in Arbroath and worked at the town’s recycling centre, died in Montrose Royal Infirmary on Monday with Ruth, brother Daniel and sister Susan at his bedside.

He had been diagnosed with lung cancer in January and in May was given the devastating news that the cancer had spread to his brain.

Despite five cycles of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he lost his battle with the disease.

Ruth said Christopher, whose 17-year-old daughter Morgan lives in Arbroath, first complained of pain in his shoulder around a year ago.

Not long after, he went to live with his dad, Colin McPhee, in Reading. It was while he was there that cancer was diagnosed and Christopher decided to move back home to live with his mum. She said: “Christopher received chemotherapy at Ninewells Hospital and after he was told it had moved to his brain he was also given radiotherapy.

“At that time he became more unwell. His mobility was affected, he became confused easily and he slept a lot of the time. It wasn’t nice to watch but Christopher managed to keep me positive a lot of the time.”

Christopher then moved in with his brother Daniel, who became his principal carer.

She added: “Christopher never really wanted to speak about the possibility of dying, he just said he wanted to get on with things.

“I think he knew how ill he was but he never wanted to acknowledge it.”

He was moved to hospital in Montrose on July 31 and died there just over a week later.

Nearly £5 million worth of assets have been seized from criminals in Tayside in the last two years, a top police officer has revealed.

Ill-gotten gains, including houses, cars and jewellery, have been taken from criminals in the region. The value of those seizures was £2.3m in 2015/16. In the previous year, it was £2.5m, making for a total of £4.8m.

Detective Inspector Iain McPhail, of the economic crime and financial investigations unit, said officers went after criminals if they suspected they had benefited from their acts.

He told the Tele: “Over the last two years, officers have been investigating several cases that have led to the recovery of these assets throughout Tayside.

“We have grounds to investigate someone’s finances if there is reasonable suspicion about how they have acquired these assets.

“This is a big part of the work the unit does through the Proceeds of Crime Act.

“If the individual has a property or a car which doesn’t fit in with the lifestyle, we can be called in to look over their finances.

“We are also asked by the Crown to look into live cases to determine how much of an individual’s possessions and assets have been criminally obtained.

“The majority of assets we restrain may be cash sitting in banks, properties and vehicles.

“We have also seized jewellery, watches, and even pieces of art.

“All of this has been recovered by our unit with the help of divisional and local officers.

“Each case investigated is then passed to the Crown and the findings then go through the judicial process. This helps to determine sentences of those involved in criminal cases.”

DI McPhail’s team has also recovered just over £150,000 in cash in the last two years.

Much of the money will have been used in criminal acquisitions such as drug deals.

In 2014/15, £77,000 was seized by police, while £74,000 was taken from criminals last year.

“These amounts are seized by officers working at all levels in Police Scotland,” added DI McPhail.

“This money would have been seized because of its connection to drug dealings, prostitution and human trafficking taking place in the area.”

The NHS said it was committed to acting on the results of the surveys, saying it was “vital” to improving services.

A spokeswoman said: “In 2015-16 there was a significant decrease in the number of complaints received compared to the previous year.

“However, we know that we can make improvements on the time it takes to respond in some areas.

“We are committed to making the necessary improvements and therefore we are undertaking a full review of the complaints handling procedure in 2016-17 focusing on both the timeliness and quality of the responses to address patients’ complaints and concerns.

“We are also going to increase training for staff to encourage the use of early resolution when responding to feedback, as we know that if our staff meet with families who have concerns at the earliest opportunity to discuss issues, then patients and their families have a better experience of care.

“Working closely with our public partners is also very important to ensure we can keep improving services. We will be engaging with them in 2016-17 to establish if there needs to be a better awareness of the ways in which our patients and their families can provide feedback and, importantly, how we shape the improvements made as a result of feedback.”

A racism charity has admitted it was “worried” after an upward trend was revealed in racist crimes across Tayside and Fife.

Figures obtained by the Tele through Freedom of Information legislation showed that a total of 404 racist crimes were dealt with by the courts in the area during the year 2015-16.

The figure was up on the previous year when 392 crimes were recorded.

And there have already been 34 people jailed for race-related crimes in the region this year.

The information covers matters dealt with by procurator fiscal offices in the region.

A spokeswoman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), which provided the information, said that due to delays and deferrals in sentencing, there could be even more people jailed this year for offences carried out in previous years.

The total of 404 crimes is the second-highest in the last five years, with figures peaking in 2012-13, when 423 offences were recorded.

Nicola Hay, campaign manager of charity Show Racism the Red Card, said the figures were “worrying” and added that nationally there had been an increase in racist incidents in the past six months.

She said: “It’s one racist incident a day — but one is one too many.

“The current stats serve as an indicator that individuals are finding their voices and are willing to stand up and challenge racism by reporting it.

“However, through our work in communities, we also know racist incidents are under-reported and we urge everyone to continue to take a stand.

“No one is born racist and as an educational charity we are not interested in labelling people but rather working hard to help educate young people and adults alike of the dangers of using racist language and behaviour.”

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “Our role as a police service is to ensure that all our communities are safe and feel protected and all reports of hate crime are robustly investigated, with those responsible brought to justice.

“All members of our community can help by challenging or reporting this kind of behaviour when they see it or know it has happened.

“No person should feel victimised or marginalised in society as a result of hate, intolerance or ignorance.”

A lifeboat was launched last night after concerns were raised for the safety of a person on the Arbroath cliffs.

Arbroath lifeboat and officers from Police Scotland were dispatched to the area at 11.30pm.

The person was located and talked down by police officers.

The individual was then taken away just after midnight.

A spokeswoman for HM Coastguard said: “There was a report of a person on the cliffs at Arbroath. The call came in at 11.30pm and the matter was resolved shortly after midnight.

“The person was found by the police.”

A Tayside man has told how he fought his way through choking black smoke to try and warn neighbours their building was on fire.

Fire crews were called to a tenement flat at John Street, Arbroath, at 1.15am on Thursday after a blaze broke out in a communal store on the third floor.

Resident John Tasker, 21, pulled his hoodie over his face before trying to alert his upstairs neighbours about the blaze.

He had left his flat to put a bin out when he saw flames coming from a cupboard on the stairwell landing on the third floor.

John said: “It was really scary and I knew I had to warn people.

“I was really worried about the people upstairs but the smoke was just so bad.

“I got so far up the stairs but was beaten back by the smoke — it was just too thick and choking and I couldn’t get any further.

“There was nothing else for it but to go back down the stairs and leave the building.

“I was extremely concerned about the people in the flat above but there was nothing else I could do to reach them.”

John’s brother, Scott, 28, managed to get out of the third floor flat they share and knocked on neighbours’ doors to warn them.

Scott said: “The fire service was there in a couple of minutes.

“By that time my upstairs neighbours had put their heads out the window of their flat and we knew they were OK.

“I think they were being reassured by firefighters while others fought the blaze.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to the fire in a block of flats in the town’s John Street at 1.15am.

She said that firefighters used thermal imaging cameras during the incident.

The spokeswoman added: “Two appliances from Arbroath attended the fire which is believed to have started in a third floor communal store.

“Thermal imaging cameras were used to check for anyone who might be in the tenement and cutting gear was used to cut away affected parts of the building.”

Firefighters were at the scene for around an hour.

It is understood an investigation is to be launched into the cause of the fire.

Firefighters were scrambled to a crash between a bus and a van, as they freed two people trapped inside the vehicles.

The road traffic collision was reported at 9.10am today on Arbroath’s Westway.

There was one appliance sent from Arbroath, plus another from both Kingsway East and Balmossie fire stations.

A heavy rescue unit was dispatched from Macalpine Road as well.

A Scottish Fire and rescue Service spokeswoman said: “There was a road traffic collision on the Westway in Arbroath at about 9.10am today.

“It was between a bus and a van.

“One appliance has been sent from Arbroath, one from the Kingsway, one from Balmossie and a heavy rescue unit from Macalpine Road.”

CHILDREN as young as one have been prescribed antidepressants by NHS Tayside, the Tele can reveal.

Figures obtained by the Tele show hundreds of children have been given mood-altering drugs by GPs and hospitals.

At least 450 under-18s were given antidepressants between January and May this year alone — the youngest among them being a seven-year-old girl.

In 2014, meanwhile, a one-year-old boy was given a prescription.

A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said that the drugs could be used for people who have a number of different conditions.

She said: “Antidepressants are a type of medication used to treat clinical depression, or prevent it from recurring.

“However, they can also be used to treat a wide range of medical conditions, such as chronic pain and anxiety disorders.

“If appropriate for individual patients, antidepressants are prescribed and often used in combination with therapy to treat more severe depression, or other mental health conditions caused by emotional distress.

“Alternative treatments for depression include talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy and counselling. Regular exercise has also been shown to be useful for those with mild depression.

“If young people are not feeling themselves, feeling down, or experiencing a low mood, it is important that they seek support by talking to someone they trust, such as their parents, friends, GP, or a support service, such as The Corner.”

The most common age group to be given the prescriptions is between 14 and 17.

Girls are more likely to be given antidepressants than boys, NHS Tayside said.

Nick Harrop, campaigns manager at YoungMinds, said: “Antidepressants can have a place in treating some mental health conditions among young people but they should never be the only course of action.

“It’s important to have a balanced approach to treatment, combining a range of therapies to ensure that the person has the best possible chance of recovery.

“It’s also important that children and parents have comprehensive information about the effects that antidepressants can have.”

A bus driver was rushed to hospital after she was thrown from her vehicle in a crash on Monday.

The female driver landed up lying in the garden of a house when her bus smashed through a fence after a collision with a van.

The accident happened on Arbroath Westway just after 9am.

The driver of the van, Garry Myles, 36, from Wellbank, who was travelling with his passenger Paul Reid, 36, from Trottick in Dundee, said he felt lucky to have escaped with minor injuries.

Paul was not injured in the accident.

Garry told the Tele he was driving along the road and added: “We got a dreadful fright and didn’t know where to go.

“I tried to steer away from it but we ended up colliding with the bus.

“The whole of the driver’s side of my van is completely destroyed.

“How I walked away from this with only bruising and feeling a little sore, I don’t know.”

Garry said that immediately after the crash he rushed round to try to help the bus driver.

He added: “She had been thrown out of the side of her bus and was lying on the grass in the garden. She was conscious and was very quickly attended to by paramedics.”

The owner of the house the bus crashed into, Alison McLeod, said she had just been out walking her dog.

She added: “It just happened before I arrived home.

“A neighbour helped me get the dogs inside and out of the way.

“The bus driver was still at the scene and she was being attended to by paramedics.”

PC Paul Haigh, of Police Scotland’s road traffic unit, said that the female bus driver was taken to hospital.

He said there were no passengers on board the bus when the accident happened.

A spokeswoman for Stagecoach said: “At around 9.20am, a staff shuttle bus was involved in a collision with a van in Westway, Arbroath.

“There were no passengers on the bus at the time of the incident. However our immediate thoughts are for the welfare of those involved, including our driver.

“Safety is our highest priority. We will assist the police with their inquiries into the incident as well as carrying out our own investigation into the circumstances.”

DOG owners have been warned to be on their guard, after suspicious late-night activity at a kennel in Angus.

A vehicle pulled into a gamekeeper’s driveway near Inverarity, by Forfar, around 11.30pm on Friday.

The vehicle had a Belgian number plate, and there were reports of around six men inside.

The gamekeeper, who is a member of the Angus Glens Moorland Group, reportedly said that the men were shining the vehicle’s lights at the kennels, he believes with the intention of finding dogs to steal.

Police are now investigating.

The Angus Glens Moorland Group is a collection of rural estates throughout the county, founded in 2015, with members working together to highlight the positive impact the estates have on the local community.

The incident caused outrage on the group’s Facebook page, with several members reporting similar incidents.

One user said: “My grandparents had them at their farm outside Edzell on Friday evening. They took off very quickly when approached. Then seen going into two neighbouring farms and cottages before leaving. Acting very suspiciously.”

Lianne MacLennan, coordinator of Angus Glens Moorland Group, told the Tele: “No one would want anything to happen to their precious dogs, whether family pets or working dogs.

“Our gamekeeper members wouldn’t be able to operate without their highly trained dogs. As well as being much loved, they are important members of their staff.”

A police spokeswoman said: “Police Scotland received a report of concern regarding a vehicle within a driveway at an address near Inverarity, by Forfar, at about 11.35pm on Friday August 19.

“The vehicle is described as being a minibus style van that had a number of male occupants within, and had a Belgian number plate. A search of the area was carried out for the vehicle and inquiries are ongoing.

“Anyone who is concerned about suspicious activity in their area should contact Police Scotland on 101.”

The incident comes just a week after Dundee man Leonard Ormond’s dog Rosco was stolen from outside his home.

The 82-year-old reported seeing a van outside his house shortly before he realised the dog was gone.

Inquiries into Rosco’s disappearance last Monday are ongoing.

A COUPLE today told how their lives have been turned upside down after being accused of abducting two police officers.

Philip Moreton, 31, and his wife-to-be Cheyrell Davie, 35, walked free from the High Court in Edinburgh after a jury found an allegation that PCs Gail Beattie and Gemma Smith had been abducted at their home near Glen Prosen was not proven.

Today Mr Moreton, an offshore scaffolder, said: “I spent five-and-a-half months in custody and Cheyrell lost her job in HR.

“She was suspended with pay before she was dismissed and my career has been put on hold.

“I was taken away from my family. I missed my son’s first birthday because of this.

“We have a mortgage on another house in Dundee as well, so it was really tough.

“I’ve still got my offshore job, but I can’t go back to that, not now.”

The drama began on March 4 when Ms Davie called police following an argument with her partner, who had moved there from Dundee the previous year.

When two officers tried to detain Mr Moreton he ran off, before returning four hours later.

He claims he then tried to barricade himself in a cupboard (pictured inset) to avoid injury.

PCs Beattie and Smith called for back-up from an armed response unit and, after some negotiations, Mr Moreton gave himself up.

Prosecutors claimed in court that Ms Davie had prevented the officers from leaving their property at Glackburn Farm by locking the doors, but jurors said there was reasonable doubt over that allegation.

The officers also said they had an air rifle pointed at them by Mr Moreton. That charge, too, was found not proven.

Mr Moreton accepted he shouldn’t have run off when police tried to detain him.

He continued: “The whole thing has been awful. I could have been facing seven or eight years in prison and Cheyrell could have been looking at three years if we had been found guilty.

“Where would our kids have gone?”

POLICE today revealed that they have taken more than £1 million worth of drugs off Tayside’s streets.

Illegal substances including heroin, cocaine and cannabis were seized in swoops by officers across the region.

Details of the hauls came to light as it emerged 11 people have died from drug overdoses in Dundee alone in recent weeks.

Today, Councillor Alan Ross — convener of the city’s community safety and public protection committee — said the spate of deaths was a “huge concern.”

He said: “Nobody is hiding from the problems we have with drugs.

“The focus is to try and dissuade as many young people as possible from that lifestyle and to help those who are already caught up in that lifestyle.”

The Tele has learned that there were 56 overdoses in Dundee between April and June this year.

Eleven of them were fatal.

Health secretary Shona Robison, MSP for Dundee East, said: “I want to assure the public that we are absolutely committed to tackling the damaging impact of drugs and making recovery a reality for individuals, families and communities affected by drugs through our national drugs strategy, the Road to Recovery.

“We have seen a huge rise in the number of recovery support groups in communities across Scotland, with over 100 such groups meeting regularly, led by people recovering from addiction.

“This is also benefitting Dundee with a range of recovery and mutual aid meetings, while a Recovery Cafe has been developed to support and provide community support for those who are in recovery. However, we appreciate that we can do even more to address these figures.”

Meanwhile, efforts to disrupt the supply of drugs led to seizures totalling £1,083,423 during 2015/16.

Officers recovered more than 20kg of heroin with a value of £365,157.

Cocaine powder weighing in at just under 4.5kg was seized, with a street value of £203,595.

Various types of cannabis with a combined total value of £445,598 were also seized. And police collected nearly 34,000 diazepam tablets along with more than 2,000 ecstasy tablets.

Superintendent Graeme Murdoch of Tayside Division said: “To carry out intelligence-led searches and execute drugs search warrants, we need information. Anyone who knows of drug dealing or drug misuse in their area should tell us about it.”

Councillor Ross said talks were taking place with the police on various approaches to drugs issues.

“On Monday we had a workshop with the police discussing what we can do in the city centre to tackle the issue,” he said.

“I’ve been working closely with the divisional commander and there are plans to have a dedicated police team that will take effect in the near future.

“It’s not just about nabbing the person who takes drugs, but trying to signpost them to something that would be better for their time and trying to engage them and find out what their issues are.

“What the police are hoping to do is move back to a more locally-based set-up and I think more police in our local communities will help. We want to combat drug use because it is such a waste of life.

“We do our best to learn from every death and try to build a fuller picture of what’s happening.

“I’ve heard the new community hub in Stobswell has been the best thing that’s happened to them. There’s a good feeling about the area and people are getting help.”

AN Angus cafe has been recognised as the finest in the country at an awards ceremony.

The family-run Franco’s, in Carnoustie, took home the prize for best cafe at the Business Awards Scotland 2016, which was held in Glasgow last night.

Steven Franco, general manager, who collected the award with a number of staff members, today told the Tele that he was “ecstatic” at the High Street cafe scooping the silverware.

He said: “It is really good, particularly because we are just a small business in a small town.

“It is really something special for us to win the award.

“When we found out we had won the Best in Scotland award, one of the waitresses started crying — we were wondering if it was all really happening.

The cafe’s staff and customers were applauded by the owners in a Facebook post immediately after the ceremony.

It read: “Thank you again to everyone who voted for us, our wonderful customers and devoted staff — we could not have done it without you.”

IT’S here… the £10,000 Tartan Ticket has arrived in Dundee.

With just four days to go, the windfall has been given the entrance it deserves — being piped into the City of Discovery in all its Scottish glory.

Helped ably by the talented folks from the 44th Dundee Boys’ Brigade pipe band, the bumper prize has been taken round the sights of the city during a whistlestop tour.

It will then be securely stored, ready to be inserted into the Evening Telegraph of one lucky reader.

On Friday, every edition of the Tele will contain one lucky Tartan Ticket – with every one containing a prize.

The more copies you buy, the more wallets you’ll find and the more chances you’ll have to win.

Simply open the wallet and see what’s inside.

The prize you’re hoping to see when you tear the edges is our spectacular £10,000 Tartan Ticket.

Only ONE of these prizes will be in circulation and one lucky reader will scoop the jackpot.

The other cash prizes on offer are worth £50, £100, £500, and £1,000 – and we’re also giving away cans of Irn Bru!

But don’t worry if you don’t scoop the loot.

We’re also giving you the opportunity to extend your chances of winning some cash with a gamecard which will feature inside your lucky wallet on the same day.

Simply match the cash kilts on your card to the cash kilts that appear in the paper each day from September 5 to 10 and you could scoop a cash prize.

You’ve got to be in it to win it!

Just imagine winning a prize as big as £10,000 — that kind of cash is truly life-changing.

Be it buying a new car, renovating your home or even paying off some debts, just think of the difference that could make.

And it’s so easy.

No tough questions to answer, no hassle — just buy your Tele and keep your fingers crossed.

Obviously, the more copies you buy, the better your chances of winning a bumper prize.

It all happens on Friday. Good luck!