Council ditches desks in home-working eco drive

By Alexander Lawrie

A SCOTS council is looking for hundreds of staff to start working from home or on the move – so it can axe 1000 desks.

The eco plan is from Edinburgh City Council which wants to improve its green credentials and help drive down rising costs.

The council wants to identify around 1,300 members of staff who they believe can work without the need for a desk.

And in the longer term, authority chiefs believe a third of their workforce – almost 6,500 staff – will be able to do their jobs without sitting at a permanent berth.

Locked up: Historic Scottish court throws away the key

By Alexander Lawrie

AFTER serving the Scottish justice system for almost 150 years, the doors finally slammed shut on criminal cases at Linlithgow Sheriff Court yesterday (thurs).

Thousands of crooks, burglars and violent cons have appeared in front of the famous court’s benches over the years.

But now the 32 staff, four sheriffs and seven Justices of the Peace are moving the 17 miles south to the newly-constructed court in Livingston.

The last person to appear in a criminal case there yesterday (Thursday) was William Ellis, 43, from Livingston, West Lothian, who was charged with assaulting a woman at an address in Livingston and who is now expected to appear in Livingston Sheriff Court in November.

Edinburgh city chiefs want help with 100 dead bodies a year

By Oliver Farrimond

THE HOME of infamous Scots murderers Burke and Hare is advertising for help in dealing with the unburied bodies of around 100 people every year.

Many are forgotten John or Jane Does who have died on the city streets, others simply the unfortunate few destined for a pauper’s grave because no one else will meet the cost of their funeral.

Now Edinburgh council chiefs have advertised an £85,000-a-year contract for help to cope with the numbers.

All local authorities are legally bound to ensure funerals are held if no other arrangements are made.

And the grim work is now up for tender with a lucrative contract worth £85,000 a year – or £850 per body.

Family pay tribute to tragic learner driver

Suzanne Harkness

By Cara Sulieman

THIS is the tragic young learner driver who died in a head-on smash whilst out on a lesson on Wednesday evening.

Suzanne Harkness was driving along the Melrose Bypass with her instructor when she collided with an oncoming car.

The young hopeful, from Galashiels, was last night described by her family as “devoted and hardworking”.

Bank refuses to help fraud victim while he fights Taliban

By Alexander Lawrie

A SCOTS soldier who had his account emptied by fraudsters was told bankers wouldn’t freeze his money unless he called them in person – despite the fact he was fighting the Taliban on the Afghan front line in Helmand Province.
Daniel Lawson, 22, had £1600 taken from his account and asked his dad John to tell Abbey National chiefs. But they insisted that he phone them from the war zone direct – for security reasons.

Private  Lawson, 22, from Edinburgh, has been fighting in Afghanistan with the Black Watch for the past six months.

But the soldier’s bank refused to do anything about the theft – unless he called their offices personally.

The young squaddie can only make very limited phone calls back to Britain for operational reasons.

And he is unable to go through the bank’s telephone system as phone lines out of the Afghanistan are often blocked by army chiefs.

Eddie Izzard arrives in Edinburgh – after running 1600 miles

By Rory Reynolds

TRANSVESTITE comic legend Eddie Izzard arrived in Edinburgh yesterday after a gruelling 26 marathons in a row – the equivalent of London to Milan.

But Marathon man Eddie – who has run over 1600 miles to raise money for Sports Relief – still has 17 full marathons to go until the finish line.

The 47-year-old, who only trained for a month before attempting the crazy feat – gave himself a rest yesterday – by only running up the steep side of Arthur’s Seat.

He admits that his journey been taken him though the pain barrier – about 26 times.

Izzard: Releasing al-Megrahi sends out all wrong signals

By Rory Reynolds

OUTSPOKEN comedian Eddie Izzard waded into the row over Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill’s decision to release Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi last night (thurs).

The wacky comedian – known for his abrupt political views – said the decision “sends out all the wrong signals for Scotland.”

The 47 year-old, known for his cross-dressing antics, was speaking just before he attempted to scale Arthur’s Seat as part of a 43-day marathon tour.

He said: “It didn’t feel right.

Family shocked by fifteen minute birth

By Cara Sulieman

A DAD to be had to be quick off the mark to deliver his first son – in a birth that took just 15 minutes to finish.

James Bowman and partner Laura Sharp, 31, had been preparing for a quiet day with their young family in the final week before their new baby was due to be born in hospital.

But her waters broke after she went to the bathroom in a flash little Jae Thomas was born at the couple’s home in Dunfermline.

James Bowman, 30, called the ambulance but there wasn’t enough time and he had to deliver the 6lb 1oz tot himself.

Swine flu claims seventh victim in Scotland

By Michael MacLeod

SCOTLAND’S swine flu death toll rose to seven last night when it was revealed a 52 year-old man has died from the disease in an Edinburgh hospital.

The man, who has not been named, is the capital’s first swine flu fatality and the second in Scotland in under a week.

He was said to have been suffering “significant” underlying health problems.

The Scottish Government insisted his death should be no cause for panic among the general public.

He died on Wednesday night at the Western General Hospital but his death was not made public until last night (Thursday).

Gordon Brown urged to get ahead on climate change

By Cara Sulieman

A GORDON Brown lookalike dressed as a life-guard hit a beach in the PM’s own back yard today (thurs) to send an SOS on climate change.

The giant headed doppelganger urged the real prime minister to become a ‘lifesaver’ ahead of the forthcoming climate conference in Copenhagen.

With 100 days until the talks – which aim to create a new deal to replace the Kyoto Protocol – campaigners from Oxfam gathered in Gordon Brown’s constituency to raise awareness of the issues at stake.