By Kevin Duguid, Anna Gault and Kirsty Topping DOZENS of residents fled their homes early this morning after fire broke out in the narrow Edinburgh street where JK Rowling once lived. The blaze broke out in Hazelbank Terrace, causing devastation just yards from the first floor flat Rowling bought early in her rise to [...]
By Kevin Duguid A DOZY dope fiend is facing jail after he reported the theft – of his cannabis plants. Police were called to David Williamson’s home to investigate reports that he had been assaulted and robbed. But hapless Williamson made a hash of things by volunteering that the stolen property was two of [...]
DOZENS of residents fled their homes early this morning after fire broke out in the narrow Edinburgh street where JK Rowling once lived. The blaze broke out in Hazelbank Terrace, causing devastation just yards from the first floor flat Rowling bought early in her rise to fame. Flames ripped through as many as six properties [...]
By Kevin Duguid A PRIMARY school teacher has admitted downloading videos of children being sexually abused by adults. Colin Chisholm was teaching P1 to P3 classes when he was caught with images of children as young as six, it was heard at Edinburgh Sheriff Court. And when the 28-year-old was quizzed by police about his [...]
By Niamh Anderson SCOTLAND is experiencing the earliest autumn in living memory as swathes of yellow and amber appear in the trees. Experts said that in Glasgow the earliest signs of autumn foliage were spotted in late July. The combination of harsh winter, dry spring and wet summer is believed to have brought about the [...]
STAFF at Edinburgh’s world-famous Royal Botanic Garden are red-faced after the horticultural event of the decade fell flat. The institution has been waiting eight years for its giant “corpse flower” to bloom and confidently predicted the event would happen this summer — the first time ever in Scotland. So sure were staff, they printed T-shirts, [...]
By Niamh Anderson An anonymous cyclist is on a mission to reveal dangerous drivers with the help of a trusty helmet camera. The mystery biker has been filming his commute to work in Edinburgh and uploading footage of dangerous drivers causing havoc for cyclists online. The clips, which have generated hundreds of views on [...]
By Kirsty Topping TRAM chiefs could be forced to hand back millions of pounds to businesses who will no longer benefit from the line. Companies which would benefit from the introduction were due to fund more than half of the council’s share of the costs. But last week’s shock decision not to run the [...]
FILTHY and rundown Scottish hospitals suffer an average of eight pest infestations a day, official new figures show. Mice, worms, cockroaches and even bats regularly infest all areas of hospitals, including operating theatres, intensive care wards and kitchens. As well as putting patients at risk from serious infections, the pest infestations cost the cash-strapped NHS [...]
A CASH-strapped city council has admitted spending £50,000 hiring private investigators – to spy on its own malingering staff. Dundee paid the private eyes to mount surveillance operations against workers accused of avoiding work by faking injuries or clocking off early. It is understood the spying operations – which involved watching workers’ homes and taking [...]
A SCOTTISH documentary maker has completed an epic 15 hour series that tells the history of cinema for the first time. Mark Cousins, known for interviewing famous filmmakers such as David Lynch and Martin Scorsese in the TV series Scene By Scene, has spent the last six years making The Story Of Film: An Odyssey. [...]
NEW figures show that North Sea oil and gas production is falling at a faster rate than anywhere else in the developed world. Data compiled by the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that fewer than 65million metric tons were extracted last year from UK waters. That represents a drop of more than 45 percent in [...]
By Kevin Duguid SERIAL killer Peter Tobin was sent a stark 65th birthday message by the father of one of his victims today (Sat). Ian McNicol told Scotland’s most evil pensioner that he would not get a present today but would get “a bucket of s*** if he died”. Prison chiefs have made it clear [...]
A SCOTS mother has spoken of her “petrifying” fear for her young children trapped in the horror of the Libyan revolution. Lisa Stark is fighting to get her children out of Benghazi where their father is keeping them. The 30-year-old said she feared the worst as the country descended into civil war and she could [...]
STAFF at Edinburgh’s world-famous Royal Botanic Garden are red-faced after the horticultural event of the decade fell flat. The institution has been waiting eight years for its giant “corpse flower” to bloom and confidently predicted the event would happen this summer – the first time ever in Scotland. So sure were staff, they printed T-shirts, [...]
By Kirsty Topping SEWAGE poured through the doors of a primary school after flash floods caused nearby drains to overflow. Staff at Sanderson’s Wynd Primary School in Tranent, East Lothian were faced with cleaning up the foul-smelling debris after the school flooded shortly after 1.30pm today (fri). The area had been hit by a heavy [...]
By Kevin Duguid POLICE will no longer attend minor road accidents while some victims of crime will be told to make an appointment to see an officer under plans to cut costs by one of Scotland’s largest police forces. Drivers involved in collisions where only vehicles are damaged can no longer expect Lothian and Borders [...]
By Kirsty Topping THE FAMILY of an elderly man who collapsed and died just hours after leaving hospital has demanded answers from health officials. Harry Waugh was given the all-clear to return to his home by doctors, only to be rushed back by ambulance two hours later. His family say doctors at Edinburgh Royal [...]
By Kirsty Topping AUTHOR Ian Rankin is to offer one of his fans a spot in his next book. The Edinburgh-based writer will turn one lucky reader into a character in his next book, expected to be a crime thriller. The man behind the Rebus novels will write the winner of a charity auction [...]
A NAKED model took a bath on the city streets today (thurs) to protest against water wasted by the meat industry. Vegetarian beauty Megan Currie took part in the stunt for animal charity, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). City businessmen his as smile as she romped in a bubble bath below Edinburgh Castle. The [...]