'Court’ in the act

URBAN explorers in Dumfries have reached new heights after scaling the roof of the town’s sheriff court.
The daredevils behind the ‘errantic’ account on TikTok have amassed hundreds of thousands of views since June when they started posting videos of themselves exploring ‘abandoned’ buildings within Dumfries.
Clips so far have showed them entering the former Dumfries High School and Odeon cinema, as well as climbing the flood lights at Palmerston Arena, the roof of Dumfries Academy, Nithbank Hospital.
And the most recent film was of them scaling the roof of Dumfries Sheriff Court – which was posted on Monday night.
It showed two young men climbing a drain pipe and scrambling across slate roofs to access the roof of the court, dozens of feet above ground.
Even they seem to realise the foolhardy nature of the prank, dubbing the act as ‘the dumbest thing we’ve ever done’.
As the duo were stood on the scaffolding overlooking Buccleuch Street, they were spotted by passing police officers.
Explaining why they continue to climb structures within the town, the unnamed pair said: “Exposure really, this wasn’t even that bad just a typical scaffolding. But it takes a while not to be terrified of police and stuff like that.”
Meanwhile, Police Scotland have warned about the dangers of urban exploration and say they will be carrying out regular patrols around unoccupied buildings locally.
A force spokesperson said: “We’ve received recent reports of online posts showing people entering derelict properties in the Dumfries area. This is extremely dangerous given the condition of some of these buildings and no-one should be entering them.
“By entering them you are putting yourself and others at risk of serious injury.
“We continue to work with our partners to discuss deterrent options for derelict buildings and officers carry out regular patrols.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service said: “We are aware of a video circulating online and have spoken to the police about the incident.”