A PLUCKY pony which serves as an army mascot has been turning heads – by having a pint after work. Tiny Cruachan III pops into the pub following his nightly appearances at Edinburgh’s Royal Military Tattoo. Staff serve the Shetland pony and alcohol-free beer and a packet of crisps as the 24-year-old celebrates a successful performance in front [...]
MOVE over Gordon Ramsay, here comes the chainsaw chef. Scots wood sculptor Robin Wood will astound TV audiences tomorrow night (Sat) by making a stir fry – with a chainsaw. The 41-year-old artist used the giant, powered blade to slice and dice vegetables with amazing dexterity. Robin, from Humbie, East Lothian, even uses the chainsaw [...]
CRIMINALS used a banned industrial grade poison to kill two endangered peregrine falcons and severed one of their head to keep as a “trophy”. The birds of prey were found dead at a quarry in West Lothian after being poisoned by lethal pesticide aldicarb. And specialist wildlife investigators believe the killings were clearly deliberate. The [...]
A BUNGLING bus driver is facing calls to be sacked after dropping off a five-year-old schoolboy on a busy main road. Noah Jones, from Dunfermline, was forced to walk 800 meters to safety after boarding the wrong school bus last Wednesday. He had to cross busy Halbeath Road which comes straight off the motorway [...]
AN ART teacher who had sex with two pupils in a tent, at the beach and his mother’s home has been struck off. Christopher Cunningham,58, has already served a 12-month jail term for his “gross” breach of trust, committed while he was a teacher at West Calder High School in West Lothian. Edinburgh Sheriff Court [...]
AN internet pest teacher who used a social networking site to try to persuade a female pupil to visit his house has been struck off. Richard Cantwell even made an online offer to pay for a taxi to ferry the girl to his home. Cantwell, who taught history and modern studies at a Glasgow school, [...]
By Kirsty Topping A DRAMATIC rescue attempt by a Scottish lifeboat crew was called off after the “casualties” turned out to lifeguards in training. Forth coastguard gave the order for a £135, 000 lifeboat to be launched after receiving a 999 call reporting two people in the water at Broughty Ferry. But on arrival crews [...]
By Kirsty Topping HIBS fanatic Irvine Welsh tried to sabotage deadly rivals Hearts by applying for the job of manager at Tynecastle, a new book claims. But the plot quickly fell apart after Hearts bosses spotted his fake CV. The madcap plan to make Hearts “sink like a stone into the Third Division” is claimed in a book by Welsh’s long-time friend by Sandy Macnair. Sandy has [...]
By Kirsty Topping A BABY falcon has been rescued and reunited with its owner after surviving an amazing 170-mile journey. Fifteen-week-old Lucy was lost in Lancashire last week after she was attacked by crows while out exercising with her owner. Devastated Barry Haughton assumed his beautiful Lanner falcon must be dead. But five days later, [...]
By Kevin Duguid ALISTAIR Darling has branded Edinburgh City Council’s plans to borrow £231m to extend the city’s tram route as “absolute madness”. The former Chancellor and Edinburgh South West MP says he cannot see how the business case for the trouble-hit project stacks up. And he warned against saddling council tax payers with bills [...]
Pic Katielee Arrowsmith/Deadline News A BABY falcon has been rescued and reunited with its owner after surviving an amazing 170-mile journey. Fifteen-week-old Lucy was lost in Lancashire last week after she was attacked by crows while out exercising with her owner. Devastated Barry Haughton assumed his beautiful Lanner falcon must be dead. But five days [...]
By Kirsty Topping THOUSANDS of staff at a Scots council are to be made to work from home in a bid to save money. Edinburgh council is to purchase 2000 laptops to allow staff to work from home – or anywhere which has a wireless internet connection. The move could see workers spending shifts anywhere [...]
A PLUCKY pooch was refused entry to one of Edinburgh’s Fringe venues despite being one of the stars in their advertising campaign a few years ago. Nina Snowball was paraded across the pages of Fringe magazine in 2004, as well as appearing on flyers and an eight-foot billboard. But the poor pug was denied entry [...]
By Kirsty Topping A MINISTER is filling his church with dry ice, lights and rock music on Saturday nights in a bid to attract younger worshippers. The Reverend Scott Burton has even installed “pray stations” for the late-night worship sessions at St Matthew’s, Perth. Saturday night revellers – including stag and hen parties – are [...]
A SCOTS bus firm is earning an extra £340 a day from overpaying passengers who do not have the exact change. Lothian Buses, who operate in Edinburgh, charge £1.30 for a single fare and do not give any change to passengers who overpay. And the money earned from passengers who do not have exact change [...]
By Kirsty Topping TRAMS chief are desperately searching for a new home for their redundant vehicles. The council had previously failed to seal a deal with Croydon to lease ten of the £2million trams to the London council and have now been forced to look abroad. Officials have already looked at Turkey and Norway [...]
By Kirsty Topping A SCOTS crime writer is to have his books brought to the big screen. Tony Black will see his alcoholic former journalist-turned investigator Gus Drury come to life when his book, Long Time Dead, is turned into a film. And the former newspaper sub-editor is keen to see Scots actor Dougray [...]
By Kirsty Topping DOZENS of cyclists turned out to pay their respects to a woman who was killed as she pedaled home from visiting her grandchildren. Audrey Fyfe, 75, died after being clipped by a car in Edinburgh earlier this month as she traveled from her daughter Linda’s house in the Restalrig area of the [...]
By Kirsty Topping STAFF at RBS blew an estimated £4,000 on a champagne lunch – at a top hotel just a mile from their headquarters. Up to 80 workers from the taxpayer-owned bank tucked into the meal at the four-star Norton House Hotel, which is just a stone’s throw from the bank’s multi-million pound [...]