Long-running bonfire and fireworks event in Orkney cancelled
Held at the Peedie Sea, a marshy loch on the edge of Kirkwall, the decision to scrap the display comes after concerns were raised about the impact on local wildlife.
READ MORE: Scottish depot trying to get back pallets used in huge loyalist bonfire
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Live
28 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
Blaze rips through building in Scottish town as residents evacuated
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Residents in a Scottish town have been evacuated from their homes after a blaze broke out. Emergency crews were alerted to the fire on Station Road in Cowdenbeath at around 5.10pm on Wednesday. Police locked down local roads including the High Street, reports the Daily Record. It has been confirmed that a number of homes were evacuated as a precaution. Local people have also been told to avoid the area. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) told the Record that the blaze started at a garage in the street. They dispatched four appliances to the scene. An image from the scene shows firefighters hosing down the flames bursting out from the building. Another shows a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the air behind the local railway station. Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Members of the public are advised to avoid the area and residents are advised to remain indoors and keep doors and windows closed." An SFRS spokesperson said: "We received a call at 16:42 this afternoon, Wednesday, July 9, in relation to garage on fire at Station Road. We have four appliances in attendance at the scene."
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
Major Scottish railway line blocked and properties evacuated as fire crews attend garage blaze
Changes to services have been announced as emergency services respond to a fire. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A major Scottish railway line is blocked while fire crews work to extinguish a garage blaze. Emergency services were called to Station Road in Cowdenbeath at 4.32pm to reports of 'domestic garages being alight'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The fire service sent four appliances and remain in attendance. ScotRail has now announced that there will be alterations to services between Edinburgh and Cowdenbeath as well as Edinburgh and Leven. Meanwhile, people are being asked to avoid the area while a number of properties have been evacuated 'as a precaution'. Train services between Edinburgh and Cowdenbeath will be terminated at and started back from Dunfermline Queen Margaret. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Meanwhile, train services between Edinburgh and Leven will be delayed or diverted via Kirkcaldy. ScotRail say that they are 'working closely' with emergency services to get the line reopen but have no estimate for when this will be. The train line is currently blocked. | PA In a post to social media, ScotRail said: 'The emergency services are dealing with an incident in the Cowdenbeath area and unfortunately that means we can't run trains between Dunfermline Queen Margaret and Cowdenbeath as the line is currently blocked. 'We're working closely with the emergency services to get the line reopen, but we've no estimate for this at present.' Residents advised to remain indoors and keep windows closed Officers were called to the fire at around 5.10pm. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The High Street is closed at the roundabout at Perth Road and Foulford Street. Foulford Street is closed at its junction with High Street. Stenhouse Street is closed at its junction with Hall Street, and High Street is closed at the roundabout with Broad Street. A number of properties in the area have been evacuated as a precaution. Members of the public are being advised to avoid the area and residents are advised to remain indoors and keep doors and windows closed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Meanwhile, Network Rail Scotland said: 'We're assisting the fire service who are dealing with a fire next to the railway at Cowdenbeath. 'We've had to close both lines through the area for now. We'll share another update soon.' Alterations in place while line remains blocked Scotrail have ticket acceptance in place with Stagecoach between Leven and Inverkeithing via Dunfermline. When boarding the bus, passengers should show their ticket or Smartcard to the driver.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Campaigners urge Scot Gov to reject new Peterhead gas plant
17.1 million tonnes of carbon will be generated from the extraction, transportation, and burning of the gas used by the station, which would be located near Peterhead and would be built in cooperation with energy giant Equinor. The existing Peterhead Power Station, which became operational in 1982 and has been labelled 'Scotland's dirtiest power station,' is expected to continue to burn gas until 2040, ten years later than expected. The new station, 'Peterhead 2,' which could be built as early as 2030, would be operational for at least 25 years. The proposed power station has been at the centre of an ongoing row over carbon capture. SSE has argued a robust carbon capture scheme would be in place to ensure 90% of carbon dioxide emitted from the station would be removed from the atmosphere. The proposed system would see emissions captured and sent via underground pipes to nearby St Fergus, where they would be injected into abandoned oil wells deep below the North Sea. However, climate campaigners have expressed scepticism over the plan, contending that a 75% carbon capture rate is a 'more realistic estimate'. They have also argued that the technology only addresses emissions from the station itself, not from so-called 'upstream' emissions like extraction and transportation. More than 30 organisations and 1600 people have objected to the plant's construction, which SSE first submitted for planning permission in 2022, before re-doing their Environmental Impact Assessment late last year in the face of growing public pressure. A joint representation to the Scottish Government dated 7 July 2025 reads: 'The power station would continue to run for at least 10 years beyond Scotland's net zero 2045 date, producing annual emissions of 680,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. '[SSE] assumes that the plant would capture 90-95% of the carbon dioxide generated from the gas power station yet no other carbon capture project in the world has achieved this. A lower capture rate would result in an even greater climate impact. Signatories to the letter include UCU Scotland, Christian Climate Action, Common Weal, Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, North Sea Knitters, and Uplift. Protestors gathered outside SSE's AGM last year. (Image: Garry F McHarg) In a statement, Friends of the Earth Scotland's oil and gas campaigns manager Rosie Hampton noted: 'Scottish Ministers must use their powers and say no to SSE's Peterhead project which aims to burn expensive, polluting gas for the next 25 years or more. This power station will undermine the transition to renewable power and keep household electricity bills chained to volatile gas prices. Hampton added: 'This energy giant has been shamed into admitting that its plans create nearly three times more climate wrecking emissions than feared. Even these extreme pollution figures are likely to be an underestimate because its carbon capture technology will inevitably fail as it has done everywhere else it has been tested. 'Ministers must say no to new gas and instead support climate solutions that we know work today and improve lives – upgrading public transport, insulating homes and creating green jobs in credible industries with a secure future.' Read more: Ambulance waiting times for critically ill patients on rise in all 32 councils Ten per cent of Scottish women 'sexually assaulted at work' Calls for public inquiry into Alex Salmond 'conspiracy' after Herald interview A series of First Ministers have been accused of breaching the ministerial code over alleged support for the project, including Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf. However, John Swinney has rejected calls for an ethics inquiry into meetings and visits taken by Mr Yousaf and Ms Sturgeon relating to the proposed power station. In contrast to arguments by Friends of the Earth, SSE has long argued their plan would cut emissions, as the existing Peterhead Power Plant is phased out over the next fifteen years. A letter setting out the vision for the new station reads: ' To make sure a renewables-led system can truly deliver for the UK, the reality is the system also needs flexibility to provide power when the wind isn't blowing, or the sun isn't shining. At the moment that's delivered through conventional power generation, like the existing Peterhead Power Station." 'What SSE wants to deliver is flexible generation that is low-carbon in its own right, ensuring the lights are kept on while dramatically reducing emissions.' An SSE spokesperson added: 'The recent Environmental Impact Assessment was produced to reflect updated planning policy and our assessment of the direct emissions has not changed. "The UK and Scottish Governments and the Climate Change Committee agree that carbon capture is essential to reaching net zero. Decarbonising Peterhead - Scotland's only large-scale flexible power station - is key to delivering low-carbon power, supporting clean energy and protecting jobs in the North East."
