Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Hilton residents living in fear as pack of ‘danger’ dogs roam streets

Parents have been keeping children off school and the local football team has stopped training outdoors.

Two of the dogs that have been seen roaming the streets in Hilton. Image: Supplied by Nicole Ramage.
Two of the dogs that have been seen roaming the streets in Hilton. Image: Supplied by Nicole Ramage.

Residents of an Easter Ross community are too scared to leave their homes as three “dangerous” dogs roam the streets.

Concerns have been growing in the village of Hilton, located nine miles southeast of Tain.

Nearby residents claim they are scared of being attacked on their own doorsteps as three dogs are often seen intimidating villagers.

Hilton children kept off school in fear of dogs

The problem is so bad some parents have refused to send their children to school while others have requested they be kept inside for fear they are attacked.

It is understood Hilton of Cadboll Primary put out an alert to parents through an app saying they had taken measures to protect pupils.

The school has stopped letting children use parts of the playground and break times are now being held in a fenced-off area of the grounds.

Local football training has also been called off to ensure the players’ safety as groups are told to remain indoors.

And the situation is forcing the village youth club held at the Scout hut to hold all activities inside.

Parents are scared to send their children to school. Image: Google.

Warning on dogs roaming around Hilton

Balintore and Hilton Community Council issued warnings as the dogs broke free, charging along residential streets and roaming gardens.

Resident David Skinner spoke about the level of terror in his hometown.

He said: “I haven’t seen the dogs myself but they were up at my sister’s in the garden. They were growling at my sister’s neighbour.

“It’s unbelievable what’s happening. People can’t go out, the bairns can’t go out and a lot of them are not going to school.

“My friend is blind and is scared to walk the roads.

“I’ve spoken to a couple of women, who’ve got grandchildren, and they’re scared to walk the streets.

“It is shocking what is happening here. I’m raging about it.”

The school put out an alert to parents saying they have changed break time rules because of the dogs. Image: Google.

Residents want reassurance over ‘dangerous’ dogs

Councillor Laura Dundas says the community has been “living in fear” awaiting reassurance.

She said: “Our Seaboard Community has been living in fear to go out over the door for over a week now.

“Parents have kept their children from attending school and other parents requesting that their children are kept indoors at break times.

“This has put immense pressure on our head teacher of Hilton Primary and the resources available to him to keep the children safe.

Local football training has been cancelled and youth club has put restrictions in place that children remain indoors.”

“All the community want is reassurance they are safe,  and at the moment they have not had this. What’s happening,  I think is beggars belief.”

Action called to end ‘terror’

Fellow councillor Derek Louden wants to get the matter “resolved” so the community can go about their daily lives.

He said: “This is a difficult time for the community.

“I’ve been in touch with both the Sheriff Court staff and the Procurator Fiscal’s office several times this week.”

Owners told to keep dogs on leads

It is understood Highland Council officers have served the owners with Dog Control Notices (DCNs).

The notice demands the dogs be kept on a lead while being walked.

The local authority is working closely with Police Scotland to resolve the situation.

Chief Inspector Calum Smith added: “We are aware of ongoing concerns in the community regarding these dogs.

“Officers are liaising with a range of partners to address and resolve the situation.”

Conversation