For several years Elgin bus station has been seen as the focal point for the town’s rising problems with anti-social behaviour.
Stagecoach staff have described it as a “no-go area” in previous summers amidst worries of teens from Buckie, Keith and Forres congregating there on Friday and Saturday nights.
Concerns heightened further after a boy, who was just 15 at the time, started the fire that forced Poundland to move to a temporary home.
And last year the worrying situation made national headlines following the tragic death of Stagecoach driver Keith Rollinson.
A boy, who was 15 at the time of the attack in February 2024, was later sentenced to four years and four months in prison after pleading guilty to culpable homicide.
In recent months the Press and Journal has spoken to Stagecoach drivers who say anti-social behaviour from youngsters continues to be an issue.
Today the Elgin bus station remains a key focus from police and Moray Council staff doing patrols of the area.
The Press and Journal spent four hours on a Friday evening at Elgin bus station to see what happens on an average night.
Under-age drinking at Elgin bus station
It’s shortly after 6pm when I arrive at the bus station. It’s reasonably mild for the time of year, which has clearly brought people into the streets.
Walking into the bus station from towards Poundland the first sight I see are about eight teenagers, probably aged anywhere from 15 to 18.
It’s mainly boys with two girls. Three of them are holding bottles of Buckfast, which are passed around the group.
It’s clear they don’t have much of a plan for the evening, other than hanging around the bus station.
They keep drinking and smoking vapes for about the next hour or so. They’re loud, but keep themselves to themselves without approaching other passengers.
When they eventually leave at about 7.30pm in the direction of the St Giles Centre, one Stagecoach driver checks to see where they’ve gone.
To a passenger waiting, he says: “It amazes me, they move from that corner over there to a different corner down there.
“What’s the fascination with this place? Surely they’ve got something better to do.”
Police at Elgin bus station searching for teen
The rest of the bus station remains reasonably busy, in spells, throughout the evening.
Passengers young and old, including teenagers, come and go without much fuss.
Some youths appear to have been out at a sports club or the gym, some have clearly been working, others are just friends travelling home together.
At one point an older man, clearly under the influence of something, staggers into the bus station. He tries to make conversation with some waiting passengers but doesn’t cause any issues.
Looking around the bus station area you can see groups of teenagers, anywhere from 13 or 14 up to 18 years old, wandering the streets.
Some pass through the bus station, discussing their options of where to use their bus passes to head for the night, presumably unsatisfied with their options in Elgin.
One says: “How about Lossie? We could go to Lossie.”
Another suggests: “What about Lhanbryde? We could try there.”
A third replies: “Lhanbryde? Why would we want to go there?”
In the end they decide Elgin is their best bet for the night and leave the bus station again.
Other teenagers pitch up at the rear entrance to Virgin Money to congregate and chat.
At about 8.30pm police pull up at the bus station and ask Stagecoach staff if they’ve seen a particular girl.
They say she would have arrived off a bus from Buckie about 15 minutes previously.
One Stagecoach driver says he saw her and points them in the direction of Tesco.
Less than 10 minutes later, two other police officers park up at the bus station. This time they’re just asking round passengers to make sure everything is fine.
Youths arrive in Elgin for a Friday night on the town
As you might expect, the bus station only tends to get busy as passengers arrive to wait for a bus or one pulls in to drop people off.
After 9pm the buses appear to get more busy as a whole cross-section of society congregate to catch the last lifts home.
One bus leaving for Pinefield, Manitoba and the south of Elgin leaves almost completely full of teenagers.
Meanwhile, other youngsters continue to arrive at the bus station from outside the town eager to make plans for the evening.
Three boys, aged between 14 and 16, come off a 35 bus, which has come from Macduff, Buckie and Lhanbryde among other places, don’t know what their plans are.
One asks: “Right, where are we going? Should we go to Tesco?”
Another replies: “Oh, let’s see if Domino’s is open.”
By the time the last bus for Buckie is leaving at about 10pm the bus station is the busiest it has been all night.
I count 21 people boarding to head home for the evening. There are teenagers, workers, even a pensioner carrying a dog.
Around the same time a fire engine pulls up, one fireman gets out with a torch and immediately inspects the area at the rear or Virgin Money.
About an hour previously three boys were hanging out there. Not causing any fuss or creating any noise, just sitting together away from everyone else.
After a quick inspection of the area, including in the bins, they join the Stagecoach passengers and head back into the night.
Conversation