Emergency at Edinburgh Airport over Air France plane alert

BREAKING NEWS:

by SHAUN MILNE

A FULL scale emergency was declared at Edinburgh Airport tonight after an Air France flight reported engine trouble.

The plane with 28 passengers and six-crew aboard had been delayed from departing from Edinburgh bound for London City Airport for almost an hour.

But shortly after taking to the air the pilot reported hearing a “clunking” noise from the engine and abandoned the flight.

The stricken aircraft was forced to circle overhead having lifted off at 6.34pm – 49 minutes late – before landing safety at 7.30pm.

No reason was given for the delay.

Witnesses say a convoy of fire-trucks and ambulances were in attendance just hours after the airline confirmed the tragic loss of a larger aircraft to the Atlantic ocean with 228 souls north-east of Brazil.

Last night a spokeswoman for airport operators BAA said: “The crew reported a rough running engine and a full emergency was declared.”

Under-fire Kenny MacAskill vows crackdown on organised crime

By Oliver Farrimond

UNDER-FIRE Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill came out guns blazing yesterday at the launch of a new crackdown on organised crime.

Vowing to thwart Scotland’s criminal gangs, he announced a huge boost in recruitment and funding to the country’s top crime fighting agency.

The £4 million funding package will create 80 new posts at the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency (SCDEA), including e-crime experts and covert officers.

Posing with a cache of weapons seized by police, MacAskill warned that organised crime was a serious threat to Scots’ safety.

He said: “Serious organised crime hurts our country in terms of public safety, the economy, and jobs.

“We need a co-ordinated approach to ensure the whole country stands up against it – on the streets, within our communities, in civic society, and in the wider economy.

Camilla-Parker Bowles goes back to school

By Oliver Farrimond

CAMILLA Parker-Bowles went back to school yesterday to meet budding broadcasting stars of the future.

The Duchess of Rothesay, 61, went on a guided tour of Queensferry High School, South Queensferry, greeting delighted students and staff and even trying her hand at a spot of student radio.

Wearing a polka-dot skirt and blue lapelled jacket, the chatty royal paid a glowing tribute to the school after meeting the school’s sports stars and dropping into an English lesson.

She said: “I’ve had a wonderful time here today and I do hope I can come back to visit in the future.

“I’m very impressed with the schools enthusiastic atmosphere, and with the Jubilee1 radio station I think they make a wonderful combination.”

Cops come a cropper with police cars

By Oliver Farrimond

BUNGLING Scottish cops have inflicted almost £200,000 worth of damage to their own cars since the start of 2008, according to newly released figures.

The huge figure is more than twice the amount caused by attacks from vandals – just £84,000.

Other excuses for costly damage include gusts of wind, reversing into other police vehicles, and even striking pedestrians – all at a hefty cost to the taxpayer.

Scotland’s largest police force, Strathclyde Police, alone caused more than £100,000 worth of damage, trashing almost 250 of their own vehicles.

A spokesperson for Strathclyde police said: “Strathclyde Police Force has a fleet of 1,200 vehicles which are utilized 24 hours a day, covering a geographical spread of 5,500 square miles.

Royal High School up for grabs

By ALEXANDER LAWRIE

THE HISTORIC building once feted as the home of Scottish politics is up for grabs again.

The former Royal High School, situated on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill, may be one of the city’s most famous landmarks.

 But the local council says it struggling to find anyone to use the iconic building.

A new vision for the A-listed structure as a cultural attraction or visitor centre, unveiled over a year ago, has failed to generate any interest.

Council bans home baking from school fairs

By Cara Sulieman

A COUNCIL has banned home baking from school fun days – branding it a health and safety risk.

Dundee City Council has told school that they can’t have the popular stalls anymore, despite the fact that the Food Standards Agency says home baking is “safe.”

Parents of pupils at Barnhill Primary School received letters about the end of term fun day, which is being held this Saturday.

In them, they were told that there would no longer be a cake stall because of the council’s new rules.

Theives buzzed off with honey pot

Murray McGregor is stunned at the theft

By Cara Sulieman

AS stings go it was pretty audacious and one that has left police buzzing.

Half-a-million bees in their hives stolen as they were being prepared for harvest to be used in Royal honey supplied to Prince Charles’ popular Duchy Estates range.

In all 11 hives were taken from Learilaw Farm near Broxburn, West Lothian.

They were being readied for transfer from Broxburn to the Royal estates at Balmoral in time for the July harvest where they would have been used to supply Prince Charles’s Duchy Estate label.