A NOT-SO-SUBTLE thief wearing a high-visibility jacket failed in his first attempt to rob a convenience store but later used a knife to make off with over a thousand pounds from another shop. The man, described as being in his late 30s, tried his luck at a Co-op store in Follyborn Place, Livingston at [...]
ONE of Scotland’s busiest shopping streets appears to have undergone a sex change – after bungling tram bosses added and extra “s” to a road sign. Princes Street – arguably one of Edinburgh’s most popular streets – has been renamed “Princess Street” on a sign notifying drivers that the area is restricted. The notice, which [...]
A franchise of an international sandwich shop, Subway was fined £4,000 after mice droppings were found on food (Fri). Environmental Health Officers received a tip-off from a member of the public who spotted mice droppings on their way to the toilet in the Edinburgh store on Forrest Road. During the inspection, officers from the Services [...]
Disabled author Sally Hyder has condemned a major bookseller after she was forced to get out of her wheelchair and walk to the official launch of her own memoirs. Hyder, a 48-year-old mother of three, said she was humiliated as a result of Blackwell’s failure to provide an access ramp to their Edinburgh store. The [...]
THE number of women and teenagers receiving over-the-counter birth control has risen five-fold in a decade. Latest NHS figures show that in 2001 just over 19,000 doses were prescribed but in 2010 this soared to almost 95,000. The cost to the taxpayer has also rocketed from £115,000 a decade ago to almost £525,000 last year. [...]
THE workers who built the QE2 have been blasted as unreliable and dishonest in an exhibition. The QE2 was built on the Clyde by John Brown Shipbuilders and became Cunard’s longest-serving vessel. But instead of praising the men and women who built the luxury liner, the company’s history attacks them. The display can be found [...]
SCOTLAND’s love of sweets and fizzy drinks has resulted in more than half a million rotten teeth being removed from over 300,000 Scots mouths last year. The teeth of 13,940 Scots were so bad that they had to go to hospital to get them removed, a 10 per cent rise on 2008-2009. Nearly 56,000 five [...]
MORE than half of Scots have said that they would not pucker-up if the other person had morning or smokers’ breath. According to a new survey from the No Smoking Day charity, 58% of Scottish adults would be put off kissing by smokers’ breath, only coming second to morning breath in which 59% of people [...]
THE Scottish church where Zara Phillips is expected to tie the knot this summer is a haven for drug addicts and drunks. Canongate Kirk, on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, is rumoured to be the venue for the wedding of the Queen’s granddaughter and her ruby star fiancé Mike Tindall. The wedding is set to take place [...]
DISABLED author Sally Hyder has condemned a major bookseller after she was forced to get out of her wheelchair and walk to the official launch of her own memoirs. Hyder, a 48-year-old mother of three, said she was humiliated as a result of Blackwell’s failure to provide an access ramp to their Edinburgh store. The firm, [...]
THE girlfriend of a 17-year-old boy who died after being stabbed has told of how her late-night dash to be at his hospital bedside came too late to say her goodbyes. Dale Bennett, from Mayfield in Midlothian, was stabbed in the early hours of Saturday morning and was taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary [...]
DETECTIVES are hunting thieves who stole a number of guns from a property in broad daylight. Police were called to the property on the outskirts of Newburgh in Fife after the occupants discovered the house had been disturbed. There were a number of household items missing as well as the firearms. The officer investigating the [...]
It was a brief encounter. In a part of Edinburgh normally reserved for the nation’s legal establishment, fur activists stripped down and staged a steamy bed scene to show that fur is out and love is in. Wearing only heart-shaped signs reading “Fur – Out! Love – In!” to preserve their modesty, models Josie Smith, [...]
One of the most influential photographers of the 20th century is celebrated in an exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art opening this week. This major exhibition will represent a comprehensive overview of August Sander’s (1876-1964) achievements as an artist, photographer, and recorder of history
A PENSIONER has died after a fire broke out in the smoking room of a care home. The man, said to be in his mid-70s, was taken to the Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline with burns and later died of his injuries. Police are in the process of contacting his relatives. The fire started at [...]
It was a brief encounter. In a part of Edinburgh normally reserved for the nation’s legal establishment, fur activists stripped down and staged a steamy bed scene to show that fur is out and love is in. Wearing only heart-shaped signs reading “Fur – Out! Love – In!” to preserve their modesty, models Josie Smith, [...]
EDINBURGH Zoo has unveiled a major upgrade plan in a bid to attract new visitors. The park has been dogged by recent financial woes and forced to scrap some popular attractions and look at cutting staff. And in 2010 the Edinburgh attraction recorded poorer than hoped for visitor figures. But now bosses are hopeful that [...]
It was a brief encounter. In a part of Edinburgh normally reserved for the nation’s legal establishment, fur activists stripped down and staged a steamy bed scene to show that fur is out and love is in. Wearing only heart-shaped signs reading “Fur – Out! Love – In!” to preserve their modesty, models Josie Smith, [...]
A BOGUS police officer has tried to trick a firm of lawyers into handing over cash for charity. The conman, claiming to be from “Midlothian police”, called a solicitors’ office in Edinburgh and asked for donations for local children. Staff suspected the caller was a fraudster and challenged him, at which point he hung up. [...]
A 20-year-old postie has been crowned Scotland’s first chilli-eating champion. Asbestos-mouthed Ross Heatherill from Dalkieth, Midlothian, saw off stiff competition from four other competitors. The five participants battled it out, eating a selection of the hottest chillies and chilli sauces available. And despite winning by the sixth round, brave Ross soldiered on and completed the [...]