Action group opposes plant plans at Dovesdale site

transition period.The export of food and live animals to the EU plummeted by a massive 64 per cent in January, the figures show, mainly because of strict checks by the EU.The Scottish Seafood Association has reported that sign-offs on consignments are now taking six times longer than previously.The government stats also revealed a 2.9 per cent drop in GDP, the nation’s overall wealth, in the same month and a fall in imports.Labour Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds said: “Today’s figures confirm

Sarah Everard.The 33-year-old disappeared without a trace after leaving a friend’s house in the Clapham area of London to walk home alone at around 9pm on March 3.She was reported missing a short time later sparking a massive police search to find the marketing executive.A serving police officer, Wayne Couzens, 48, was later detained in connection with her disappearance before being arrested on suspicion of murder.Human remains - which are yet to be formally identified - have since been

beach on a tiny Scottish island in the Western Isles has been named third in a list of the top 20 to visit in Europe, by a leading travel guide.West Beach on the isle of Berneray had the wow factor, swaying Lonely Planet's writers to name it ahead of the other incredible beaches in the Outer Hebrides.The travel guide described the unspoiled beach on the tiny island as "divine", as it announced its European top 20 for this year.

link!A recent report has indicated that although the Scottish economy faces unparalleled economic challenges due to Covid-19, work-based learning through apprenticeships are key to recovery.Barry Duncan, managing director of Mears Scotland LLP, said “Each year we are committed to building on our self-delivery capacity through sustained investment in local talent.“We had earmarked 11 apprenticeships for 2020 but this was hampered by the pandemic.“This was a disappointment for everyone, however

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.Proposed plans to cut the number of firefighters based at two Scots nuclear naval bases have been branded “reckless and dangerous” by a trade union.Unite Scotland has been informed that around 15 percent of the specialist workforce at the Royal Navy’s Faslane and RNAD Coulport are set to be given the axe.The union says they have not been consulted on details of the plans but understands that the firm will

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.Scotland's planning minister has been accused of treating Lochwinnoch residents "with contempt" after failing to respond to concerns over housing plans in the village.Councillor Andy Doig wrote to MSP Kevin Stewart more than a month ago asking that he call in part of Renfrewshire's proposed Local Development Plan (LDP) after an independent reporter suggested the Burnfoot Road area would be suitable for new

Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter.The number of people testing positive for Covid-19 in West Dunbartonshire has plummeted below the national average, with the virus now classed as ‘suppressed’ in six local neighbourhoods.The latest Public Health Scotland data, which runs until March 6, paints the most positive outlook in months locally - with West Dunbartonshire dropping from Scotland’s third worst hit council area to 17th.According to the

child abuse.Porn addict Robert McNab, who created fake identities to target people on Facebook and WhatsApp, was jailed for two years when he appeared in the dock at Greenock Sheriff Court on Friday.The twisted 34-year-old, who began downloading the animal abuse images the day he was released from prison, was also told he will be ­monitored in the community for 12 months after his release from prison.The paedophile, who was previously convicted of abusing a young girl and conspiring to have a

shooting ranges next door – and claim the machine gun fire will destroy their calm haven.Monks at the Kagyu Samye Ling monastery say their “precious haven of peace and harmony” will be “caught in the noise of gunfire” and have asked the public to back their fight.The world-famous retreat, at Eskdalemuir in Dumfriesshire, has attracted thousands of visitors looking for ­spiritual guidance since it was founded in the 60s – including rock icon David Bowie.But leaders say two applications lodged

sex beast who planned to have a baby so he could rape it is a porn addict who turned to bestiality as it was "something different" from child abuse, a court heard on Wednesday. Catfish sex offender Robert McNab, who has a previous conviction for abusing a young girl and used fake names on Facebook and WhatsApp, was found with the illegal extreme pornography last year.

Lorraine Kelly has revealed that she planned to get a cheeky bum tattoo to mark her 60th birthday.Today, as the 61-year-old spoke to fellow Scot Ross King via video link on her morning show, talk turned to tattoos and Lorraine told Ross that she nearly did get one.The showbiz correspondent asked Lorraine if she had any tatts.Ross asked: "You don't have any tattoos or anything to hide? No sleeves or anything?"And Lorraine replied: "No, I haven't got any tattoos."Sharing on how she toyed with the

Richard Wilson has revealed that his memory is now “destroyed” after he fell off a small balcony five years ago.The star, originally from Greenock, suffered a brutal head injury while having a heart attack back in 2016.And now the 84-year-old said as a result of the incident, which resulted in him having a bleed on the brain, he is now suffering from memory loss.

fresh constitutional clash around next week’s Westminster budget.The original £4 billion fund announced by Rishi Sunak last year was for England only but it has now been announced that Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will benefit from a share of the total pot, which has increased to £4.8 billion.Jack said: “This is actually true devolution in practice.

Holyrood for a site at Cairnryan in Dumfries and Galloway. It was described as a consequence of Brexit and means there will be checks on goods such as animals, fish, plants and food between different parts of the United Kingdom.

Catholic mother after a burst pipe flooded their family plot.Elizabeth Briggs repeatedly told her loved ones that she wanted to be buried with her late husband Charles and four-month-old son William at Cockpen Cemetery in Bonnyrigg.The mum-of-five had purchased the plot after losing her baby to cot death in 1970 and buried her 61-year-old husband in 2000.But after passing away on February 5, daughter Tracey Gillan discovered that her father’s casket had only been buried 3ft down - leaving no

drugs offences after a 'pre-planned operation' by cops in Cardenden this morning.Earlier we told how at least four marked police vans had been spotted on Dundonald Park in Cardenen, near Lochgelly, Fife.Emergency services - including a National Risk Ambulance and specialist forensics officers - were sent to the scene as part of the planned operation.At around 9am officers acting on a warrant carried out a search of the house.A 37-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman have now been arrested and

link!“While council leaders from other parts of Scotland have been pressing ministers on funding, the SNP here have been silent. They have a responsibility to shield communities from austerity, but they’d rather shield Nicola Sturgeon from the blame.“If they won’t stand up for local people now, they never will.“With an absence of political leadership at the SNP council, it falls to Labour to expose the scandal of South Lanarkshire’s missing millions.

coldest February day in 35 years as temperatures plummeted across the country.Bitterly cold air descended on large parts of the country on Wednesday night following a battering of heavy snow earlier in the week.And the big freeze has continued this morning, with thermostats struggling at extreme lows in their double figures.But the lowest came in the Aberdeenshire village of Braemar with an extraordinary temperature of -21.9C.BBC Weather forecasters say that it is the first time that the