A YOUTUBE video highlighting safety fears over an abandoned historic church in Galashiels is creating an online storm.

The video, filmed within the last fortnight, shows Galashiels resident Ian Macey jumping onto a flat roof and entering the 138-year-old St Aidan’s Church in Gala Park Road through an open window.

Ian highlights a lack of security at the building – which contains precious war memorials – vandalism, rotting floorboards and exposes its hidden health hazards such as asbestos.

The scenes have drawn criticism from some of the hundreds who have viewed the footage.

Ian told the Border Telegraph: “This is the second time I’ve had a look around the church, after entering it earlier in the year. Since then, I thought at the very least the owners would have secured the building.

“After my first visit, I wrote to both the Army and the Church about the World War Memorials.

“I had a reply from the Army based near Berwick. They thanked me for highlighting it and reassured me the memorials will be removed and saved in their museum.

“I walk past St Aidan’s everyday as I walk into town and a few weeks ago, noticed big groups of young people hanging around the church car park.

“I was curious to see the place again so I decided to go back and found there has been a lot more vandalism.

“Dangerous powders have been released from smashed fluorescent bulbs, plus there is more mould, lead paint dust, and asbestos.

“I’m sure that any young people who have entered the building would have become contaminated and may have breathed in some of the poisons.

“But, my biggest fear is fire damage – I’ve filmed places in he past which have burnt to the ground afterwards. And with the amount of timber in St Aidan’s, this would be a horrendous scenario putting many people’s lives at risk.”

Scottish Borders Council said: “We have reviewed the footage and carried out a visit to the site to review the access to and the safety of the building last week.

“The council does not own this building but has contacted the owners to make them aware of any issues following our visit.”

The spokesperson added that the owners, Book Developments, have since secured the building to prevent any further illegal access inside.

The B Listed building was originally named the South United Presbyterian Church and in 1936 merged with the former Trinity Church on the High Street, when it became known as St Cuthbert’s.

In 1974, St Cuthbert’s was united with Ladhope Parish Church, which was renamed St Aidan’s in 1981.

St Aidan’s finally closed in 2005 due to low congregational membership and high maintenance costs. It has lain empty for over a decade.

Ian’s footage has already had more than 670 views and has been shared across several Facebook groups and various social media pages.

And it’s not the first time Ian has visited an abandoned building, with previous videos on his channel showcasing his visits to other abandoned areas across Scotland.

Ian’s YouTube channel also contains previous videos showcasing his visits to other abandoned areas across Scotland.