It used to be a sleepy fishing village, complete with a picture-postcard harbor and water sports club.
But terrified locals in West Wemyss fear they’re the target of a vicious vendetta worthy of the classic gangster movie The Godfather.
Village leaders warned yesterday that a feud over fishing rights had “gone completely out of hand” and that it was only a matter of time before someone was injured.
In the latest incident that shocked the Fife community of about 300 people, a dead deer was dumped on the doorstep of a boat club.
Terrified locals in West Wemyss fear they are the target of a vicious vendetta worthy of classic gangster movie The Godfather
In the latest incident that shocked the Fife community of about 300 people, a dead deer was dumped on the doorstep of a boat club.
Labor Party council member Tom Adams compared the sinister gesture to a scene in the Hollywood blockbuster starring Al Pacino (pictured) in which a horse’s head is placed in a bed as an intimidation tactic
Village leaders warned yesterday that a feud over fishing rights had “gone totally out of hand” and it was only a matter of time before someone was hurt
Labor Party council member Tom Adams compared the sinister gesture to a scene in the Hollywood blockbuster starring Al Pacino, in which a horse’s head is placed in a bed as an intimidation tactic.
Not long after alarmed members of the West Wemyss Boat Club removed the bloody and rotting carcass, the building was set on fire and badly damaged.
Since then there have been three other fires in the area, which residents say are related to a “vendetta” over illegal fishing.
Mr Adams said the events were completely out of character with the pretty village, adding that locals were now fearful of where things will go next.
He said, ‘People are scared. It’s like something out of The Godfather, if you remember that scene with the horse head.
“This is a nice, cozy village and to see such animosity going through it is very worrying and it needs to be stopped.
“There are empty houses in the area, people are worried about whether it will go there next time. Nobody wants confrontation, but if it continues like this, it’s not a question of if someone gets hurt, but when.’
Mr Adams added: ‘I understand there has been some disagreement between the fishermen from different ports over lobster pots where they may have been cut off.’
Boat club member Bill Adams, 69, pictured, passed the boat club as the deer was being removed
Pictured: The double doors at the West Wemyss Boat Club where the dead deer was dumped
Not long after alarmed members of the West Wemyss Boat Club removed the bloody and rotting carcass, the building was set on fire and badly damaged
Since then there have been three other fires in the area, which residents say are related to a “vendetta” over illegal fishing. In the photo: the old clubhouse of the boat club
The deer incident marked the third time the clubhouse had been targeted in the past year.
A local fisherman, who declined to be named, described seeing the dumped deer carcass.
He said, “It looked like roadkill to me, it hadn’t been shot at. It was outside the double doors. This is normally a nice, normal haven, but not now.
“The situation has gotten completely out of hand. We joke about it being like The Godfather, but it’s serious stuff. There have been two fires at the boat club and three on the way at Chapel Gardens, they’re definitely related.
“There have been problems with illegal fishing in the area and now some people have a bit of a vendetta against the club.
“Marine Scotland has talked about it a few times.”
Boat club member Bill Adams, 69, was passing the boat club when the deer was removed.
He said, ‘Whoever did it moved it over there, like something out of The Godfather. There are some complaints from the boat club members, but they think it has something to do with people fishing without a license.
The deer incident was the third time in the past year that the clubhouse (pictured) has been targeted
Scotland Police confirmed that the most recent fire is under investigation
“However, the club can’t prove they don’t have one, so there’s been some back and forth, but no one really knows what’s going on.”
Scotland Police confirmed that the most recent fire is under investigation.
A spokesperson said: ‘Tuesday 13th June at around 6.05am we were made aware of a fire in a derelict building in Chapel Gardens, West Wemyss.
“It is being treated as intentional and investigations are ongoing.”