Audit of Union Terrace Gardens granite to take place

The gardens originally opened in 1879

A full audit of granite and other items from Aberdeen's Union Terrace Gardens will be carried out after steps were found in a private garden.

The gardens, which originally opened in 1879, have been undergoing a £28m redevelopment since 2019.

Police are investigating after pictures emerged earlier this month of granite from UTG piled in a residential garden.

Councillors have now backed an urgent motion instructing officials to investigate the case.

The steps ended up in the garden of Aberdeen businessman Mike Wilson, who said he did not ask for the granite to be delivered to his property and that he was not paid to store it.

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At a meeting of the full city council on Monday morning, members backed the motion from Conservative councillor Ryan Houghton instructing officers to investigate the issue.

The motion noted the council's "concern" at the removal of granite and other items from UTG without the local authority's "knowledge or consent".

The report on the audit will go before the council's audit, risk and scrutiny committee.

Lib Dem councillor Ian Yuill, who raised the issue last week, also told the meeting he had now been contacted about the granite by police as part of their investigation.

The main contractor, Balfour Beatty, earlier said it was in discussions with one of its sub-contractors to understand the reason for the materials being stored at an unapproved location.

Planning permission for the work stipulated that original granite from the site had to be reused.