Lockdown has created an ideal habit for the rat – with careless waste habits, vacant shops, and quiet streets – leading to a breeding frenzy in some of our favourite UK Cities.
“They say you are only ever 6ft away from a rat – and in some cities this is quite possibly true!”, says Jenny Rathbone from UK Pest Control company Pest.co.uk
The survey of 3,400 callouts in October across the UK by Pest.co.uk reveals the cities where you are most likely to spot a rat.
Birmingham tops the list of “Rattiest” places in the UK with more rat infestations than anywhere else, and this is common – where you see one rat, you usually see more.
“Rats can breed like mad, so we get localised infestations, where a breeding pair can create six litters of 6-12 pups a year, creating more breeding pairs and so on – hence why you need to get these problems under control fast”, explains Rathbone.
The cities with the most rat infestation callouts in October were:
Birmingham – 353
Newcastle – 305
Leeds – 266
Liverpool – 251
City of London – 190
Manchester – 187
Sheffield – 155
Cardiff – 139
Bristol – 131
Edinburgh – 120
“Rats are loving life at the moment, they are being left to breed in vacant shops with abandoned bins – the technicians out on the road have seen nothing like this before”, explains Jenny Rathbone from UK Pest Control company Pest.co.uk
Rats do not need much to get by – mainly food and shelter. The damage they can cause to buildings when left unchecked can be severe and in the worst cases can lead to fire and flood.
The worry is that with a cold winter and more lockdowns that we will be creating a “perfect storm” of rodent infestations across the UK
Jenny concluded: “It’s really important not to leave food scraps around, even compost bins have been known to attract rats in large numbers, a tidy and clean environment helps reduce these problems massively – however if you love rats, head to Birmingham!”
Canonmills Garden, Artisan Real Estate’s stylish new homes development in Edinburgh, is in the running for two prestigious accolades in this year’s Scottish Home Awards which takes place this week.
The boutique development, overlooking the Water of Leith to the north of the city centre, is a finalist in the hotly contested Apartment Development of the Year and the blue-riband Large Housing Development of the Year categories.
The Scottish Homes Awards were originally planned for March this year but have been rearranged as a virtual event due to the ongoing restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. And, despite similar restrictions also facing the homes-selling sector in recent times, Canonmills Garden has more than risen to the challenge with over two-thirds of homes now sold.
Charlotte Swanson, Artisan’s Regional Development Manager, believes the ‘virtual’ setting for the Scottish Homes Awards is a fitting platform for Canonmills Garden, which has seen the majority of its homes sold in a virtual environment.
“Artisan is an independent, niche developer which, from the start, gave us the freedom to react quickly to the challenges of lockdown,” she says.
“We created a strong sales proposition which reflects the challenges of our times by making our website-based visitor experience even more user friendly, introducing chat-boxes directly linked to our sales team as well as cutting-edge interactive graphics including virtual presentations and 3D apartment walk-throughs.
“We had a huge advantage in that, even before lockdown, we were pushing a 60 per-cent success rate despite all sales being off-plan and all marketing activity up to that point being conducted off site.”
Artisan’s boutique development, a spectacular mix of 180 one, two and three-bedroom apartments and colony-style properties, was first launched in 2018 and has firmly established itself as the new blueprint for post-lockdown living.
Generous and airy internal dimensions combine with large balconies and terraces overlooking private gardens and the Water of Leith – all underpinned with the latest in smart design and energy efficient technology.
Artisan was subsequently one of the first developers to open a show home and marketing suite once the initial lockdown restrictions were relaxed, reintroducing the human touch to the homes-sales process. And the results, so far, have been spectacular with sales at Canonmills Garden continuing apace with two first-phase blocks now sold out – including 70% already sold off-plan. The first residents will be moving in during the first quarter of 2020
With consumer confidence continuing to return to the market, prices and value are increasing with the average value of apartments growing by seven per-cent since the development’s marketing launch in 2018. The Canonmills Garden show home, designed by well-known Scottish Interior Designer Carol Yates, is now available to visit.
Police are appealing for information after an assault with intent to rob in the Stockbridge area.
The incident happened around 6.30pm last night (Thursday, 29 October) on India Place. A 25-year-old woman was walking along the road when she was approached by two males, one of whom grabbed hold of the women while the other tried to steal her handbag. One of the males struck the victim in the face twice and caused her to fall to the ground. The victim didn’t require hospital treatment.
The first suspect is described as a white male, approximately between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 8ins tall and of slim build. He was wearing a dark coloured zipped jacket with the hood up, dark coloured trousers with a single white stripe on each leg and a plastic green monster Halloween mask.
The second suspect is described as a white male, approximately between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 8ins tall and of slim build. He was wearing dark cotton material clothing with the hood up and a red Halloween mask.
Detective Constable Zaira Marker, of Corstorphine CID, said: “We would urge anyone who was in the area around the time of the incident and may have witnessed the assault or anyone who saw the males fitting the description before or after the incident to contact police.
“We would also ask anyone with dash-cam footage who was in the area around the time of the incident to get in touch.”
Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 2760 of 29 October
Which? is urging manufacturers and retailers to up their game on face coverings after the consumer champion’s lab tests revealed alarming differences in the effectiveness of widely-available reusable masks.
Which? found that the best performing face coverings were able to block more than 99 per cent of potentially harmful bacterial particles from penetrating the mask material – similar to the standard of surgical masks.
But the worst only managed to filter out a paltry 7 per cent – allowing up to 93 per cent to escape.
With face coverings now an essential purchase and considered important for minimising the spread of coronavirus, Which?’s latest research looked at a range of popular brands and styles of face coverings and masks, including those sold by pharmacy chains, supermarkets, high street stores and online retailers.
Scientists tested for how well they filter bacteria, how breathable they are, and how they fare after multiple washes.
Three out of the 15 face coverings Which? tested performed so poorly that they were deemed a ‘Don’t Buy’. At the bottom of the table and earning the lowest scores overall were a face covering from Termini8 sold at Lloyds Pharmacy (£2), one from Asda (£3) and one from Etiquette (£3), which is sold at Superdrug.
All were lightweight and breathable as they were made with only one layer, but this affected their ability to filter potentially harmful particles, earning each mask only one star out of five in this category.
Which? awarded two of the products tested Best Buy status. The NEQI reusable face mask (£15 for 3), which is available from retailers including Boots and Ocado as well as Bags of Ethics Great British Designer face coverings (£15 for 3), available at Asos and John Lewis, were both considered comfortably breathable, earning the full five stars in this category without compromising on filtration (four stars out of five).
The lab tests revealed that masks with multiple layers are much more effective than single layer masks at filtering particles. However, Which? found that there was a clear trade off between breathability and how effective the mask was at filtering potentially harmful particles. In fact, the fabric masks that scored five out of five for filtration were also those that scored the lowest for breathability.
These included the Firebox reusable mask (£15), which is made with double-layered polyester and uses a double filter, Maskie Loop UV Sanitized reusable Face Mask (£6), which is made of three layers, and the Smart Mask (£14), which is also made of three layers and markets itself as the number one rated face mask in the UK, which all got one star for breathability. The AB Mask (£10), which is available at Boots, also received full marks for filtration but got two stars for breathability.
If a face covering isn’t breathable, it can get damp more quickly with condensation from trapped breath and might encourage people to adjust or remove their mask, especially if they wear glasses.
The Asos (£12) and AB Mask were the only two that avoided glasses steaming up and were rated highest for glasses-wearers’ comfort, with both scoring five stars in this category.
The Which? tests also revealed that almost all of the face coverings got better at filtering particles after being washed. Face coverings were re-tested after five hot wash cycles, and most improved, due to the fibres compressing.
While reusable fabric face coverings are not designed to block ultra-fine particles such as Covid-19 like a higher-grade medical respirator mask would, they are intended to help block larger droplets and aerosols breathed out by the wearer, who may be infected but asymptomatic.
The prevailing scientific thinking is that this should help protect the wider community by minimising exhalation of virus particles in enclosed public spaces.
Which? is urging manufacturers to use these findings as a basis for improving their products, while retailers should seek to ensure they are selling products that will effectively filter out potentially harmful particles. In the meantime, the consumer champion is encouraging consumers to research the best available options for themselves and their loved ones before making a purchase.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said:“With face coverings now such an important part of daily life, they not only need to be durable and comfortable, but also provide effective filtration from harmful particles in order to keep us and others safe.
“Our results prove that there is a huge difference in quality between reusable masks sold in stores around the country and online. We would urge manufacturers to use our findings to up their game and improve their products – until then it is worth taking time to research the best option for yourself and your loved ones.”
I hope this email finds you safe and well in these difficult times.
I am pleased to share new research from the Carnegie UK Trust, looking at how we can achieve ‘good work’ for all in the UK coronavirus economy.
The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted jobs and livelihoods, but it has also seen labour market interventions that were previously unimaginable and given rise to calls to build back a better labour market. For our research we interviewed labour market experts including academics, business and trade union representatives and leading think tanks, and undertook analysis of the impacts of the crisis on different groups of workers.
Our report Good Work for Wellbeing in the Coronavirus Economy draws together these insights and presents a package of over 30 proposals for how good work can be achieved and sustained, to ensure work improves wellbeing for many more people.
You can read the report’s key messages and recommendations here
We would be delighted to hear your views on the ideas put forward in the report. You can get in touch with us on Twitter @CarnegieUKTrust, using the hashtag #GoodWork #COVID19 or you can let us know your thoughts by emailing Gail Irvine, Senior Policy and Development Officer, on gail.irvine@carnegieuk.org.
An NHS Winter Preparedness Plan outlining steps to ensure a resilient and safe health care system has been published.
With coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continuing to rise, £1.1 billion has already been allocated to NHS Health Boards and Integration Authorities to meet the costs of responding to the pandemic.
An additional £37 million has been announced today to support services cope with the virus, vaccinations and Test and Protect and the delivery of normal winter illnesses and weather. As a result of these continued pressures, NHS Scotland will remain in a state of emergency over winter.
To complement the NHS Winter Preparedness Plan, a comprehensive Adult Social Care Winter plan will be published in early November. This will focus on delivering maximum protection for people who use social care support in residential and community settings and in their own homes, and for those who provide that care, including unpaid carers.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Every effort must be made to prepare the NHS for the pressures it will face in the coming months, including normal winter illnesses, the impact of any severe weather, a significant resurgence of COVID-19 and a potential no-deal Brexit.
“Due to the continued dedication of health and social care staff, and support from the public, NHS Scotland has not been overwhelmed at any point during the pandemic. Our over-riding priority is to ensure the this continues to be the case, not only to save lives and treat COVID-19 patients but to make sure we can continue to deliver healthcare to those who need it.
“I am absolutely determined that we will do everything in our power to be ready for these challenges. We have learnt a lot from the first wave of the pandemic and we are better prepared. We must also recognise that we cannot respond successfully to any of these challenges, if we do not work to support the health, wellbeing and resilience of our staff, of whom we have asked so much already.
“Our Winter Preparedness Plan sets out the range of actions we are taking to support our incredible health and care services and our staff, and outlines how we will work with them to manage this next phase.”
Actions outlined in the plan include:
doubling the number of people protected by the flu vaccine to nearly 2.5 million and preparing to deliver a safe, effective vaccine against COVID-19 as soon as available
increasing testing capacity from around 27,000 to at least 65,000 tests per day by winter, drawing upon both Scottish and UK-wide lab capacities. Three new Regional Testing Hubs will be fully operational by early December, providing an additional 22,000 daily tests
continuing to ensure Health Boards have access to sufficient contact tracers to respond to local surges, with additional national resilience from the National Contact Tracing Centre
the ability to repurpose approximately 3,000 acute beds nationwide for COVID-19 patients; including doubling ICU capacity within one week, trebling it in two weeks and quadrupling to over 700 should circumstances demand, subject to staffing and supplies
investing £20 million to support the redesign of urgent care and ensuring a consistent national framework to unplanned care
continuing to provide care and treatment for both urgent and routine health needs, including treatment for cancer and other life threatening conditions, and where we can, restarting a number of diagnostic and screening services, and elective procedures
investing over £78 million to restore as much elective activity as circumstances allow, supporting over 70,000 outpatient appointments, over 13,800 elective procedures and over 98,000 diagnostic tests
supporting the NHS Golden Jubilee hospital to treat a further 13,000 patients before the end of March 2021
maintaining the NHS Louisa Jordan as a crucial national facility for either COVID-19 or non-COVID patients, building on the 4,000 outpatients who have been seen there since July
supporting key workers in health and social care by ensuring staff ‘hubs’ and rest areas are maintained and establishing a Mental Health Network, backed initially by £5 million of funding
maintaining the COVID-19 Community Pathway with local Community Assessment Centres in every Board area
maintaining the Out of Hours Service in all Board areas for patients who need to be seen urgently and cannot wait for their GP practice to open
Book Week Scotland: Monday 16 November – Sunday 22 November
Scottish Book Trust has launched Book Week Scotland’s 2020 programme, which focuses on the theme of Future. Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, has worked closely with partners to ensure the celebration will go ahead this year in a digital format due to the current pandemic.
Book Week Scotland is the country’s biggest celebration of reading and writing and it returns for its ninth year from Monday 16 November to Sunday 22 November. Although there will be no face-to-face events this year, the Digital Festival has a stellar line-up including award-winning author Denise Mina; actress and comedian Ruby Wax; bestselling crime writer Louise Welsh and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
To kick off the programme, writer Luke Winter joins Book Week Scotland for Dial a Story, a live writing service that will take place in Edinburgh on Monday 16 November.
Stationed at the Scottish Book Trust phonebox, Luke will be available to write personalised stories on his typewriter, which will be mailed to the participant. Members of the public can call Luke on 07818 173 266 between 11am and 2pm.
There will also be the opportunity for the public to take part in an online treasure hunt via Scottish Book Trust’s social media for the chance to win a Zoom appointment with Luke Winter. During the session, he will write a unique story for the winner: a perfect Christmas present for a loved one or friend.
An avid reader herself, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will join #BookShelfChat: sharing favourites from her own bookcase. The public are also encouraged to join in on Tuesday 17 November by sharing photographs of their own bookshelves using the hashtag.
Libraries and community groups across Scotland are also taking part in Book Week Scotland, with digital events in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire. More information can be found here.
50,000 free copies of the Future book, which includes real life stories from people around the country, will be available from libraries and other community venues during Book Week Scotland. A selection of 30 stories are featured in the book, which also includes work from author Abir Mukherjee of A Rising Man and poets Romalyn Ante of Antiemetic for Homesickness and Dean Atta of Black Flamingo.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said:“Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Book Week Scotland will look different this year. However, we’re still excited to present a diverse and engaging programme with some of the biggest names in the Scottish literary scene and beyond.
“Whether it is joining our Digital Festival, reading the Future book or voting for the novel that sums up 2020, we hope everyone is able to take part this year in some form. Thanks also to our partners for working hard to make Book Week Scotland possible despite the difficulties.”
Viccy Adams, Literature Officer at Creative Scotland said:“Book Week Scotland connects people and communities across the country with the joys of reading for pleasure every year and sparks the imagination of the nation.
“In these difficult and uncertain times, this programme will help people access the solace and support that books bring into our lives and homes.”
Pamela Tulloch, Chief Executive of The Scottish Library & Information Council (SLIC) said:“SLIC is delighted to support Book Week Scotland. The power of literature has never been more important than in 2020. While library buildings may have closed during lockdown, readers still managed to turn to books as a welcome escape from the pressures of the pandemic and we witnessed an unprecedented spike in downloads of our digital reading resources.
“As such, I’m sure there will be a big appetite for Book Week Scotland’s Digital Festival. Libraries across Scotland are enthusiastically planning online content. There are some terrific names on the programme and it will provide the perfect opportunity for people of all ages and interests to engage, learn and be inspired by the joy of reading.”
Book Week Scotland event highlights:
Monday 16 November
11am – 2pm: Luke Winter will be available via telephone (07818 173 266) or by visiting the Scottish Book Trust phonebox (George IV Bridge, outside Bank of Scotland). The event will operate within COVID-19 restrictions.
12.30pm: Scottish literature and slavery – a walk along tour with the Edinburgh Caribbean Association. Lisa Williams, director of ECA takes playwright and poet Hannah Lavery on a literary-inspired tour of the capital city. The event will explore Edinburgh’s deep connections with Africa, Asia and the Caribbean from the 16th century to the present day.
Tuesday 17 November
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joins #BookShelfChat with a tour of her bookshelf.
8-bit game ‘Robert Burns Saves the World’ featuring Scottish literary characters launches – play as Jackie Kay, Muriel Spark, Robert Louis Stevenson, Nan Shepherd and many more notable figures.
8pm: Comic writer Neil Slorance hosts Comic Jam via Twitch.
Wednesday 18 November
Book Week Scotland vote result announced: if 2020 was a book, what would it be? Vote now for your favourite here.
12.30pm: Author Ross Sayers has a rallying cry for young writers in a new film.
8pm: Award-winning author Denise Mina in conversation with Red Handed, true crime podcasters Suruthi Bala and Hannah Macguire.
Thursday 19 November
12pm -2pm: The popular #ReadingLunch returns! The public are encouraged to post their lunch and their current read on social media with the hashtag.
4pm: Writing The Cutting Room: a film premiere featuring behind the scenes stories from Louise Welsh’s debut, award-winning novel.
8pm:New Suns, Different Futures – Faridah Àbíké-Íyímíde and Andrea Hairston, chaired by Nyla Ahmad, discuss the anthology which showcases emerging and seasoned writers of colour telling stories of speculative fiction.
Friday 20 November
10am: Punching the Air: award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Dr Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five discuss their powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated – chaired by award-winning author Patrice Lawrence.
12.30pm: See You in 10 Years: a film exploring the journey with Scottish Book Trust, patron Val McDermid and National Library of Scotland, who have worked together to develop a time capsule that will include writing from young people of Scotland. Glasgow Artist Ali Forbes has been commissioned to design the capsule.
4pm: Big Book Week Scotland quiz: join Scottish Book Trust for this fun literary quiz to fundraise for the charity.
Saturday 21 November
#BookSwoonScotland: join in online and post the best book covers you own.
4pm: Writing Disabilities in Fiction: author Ever Dundas and crime writer Nell Pattison discuss the barriers they have faced during publication and what equals good representation in fiction.
Sunday 22 November
10.30am: Futures, Connecting and Faith with author Leila Aboulela and poet Nadine Aisha Jassat.
4pm: To the Future with Love – actor and comedian Ruby Wax ends the week on a high with historian and author Rutger Bregman, hosted by writer Heather Parry.
On all week
The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will run from Monday 16 – Friday 20 November with Robin Stevens, author of the best-selling Murder Most Unladylike series.
Robin will be beaming digitally into 60 schools across 22 Scottish local authorities. For schools not attending the virtual tour, they can still take part on Twitter with a murder mystery takeover including fun activities for the classroom.
The Book Week Scotland 2020 programme is now live and can be found here.
British sign language and closed captions will be available for all the panel events.
Police Scotland has confirmed that a 52 year old man has been arrested and charged in connection with an incident which saw a man threatened with a weapon and a three figure sum of cash stolen.
This incident happened on Friday, 10 July at Gorgie Farm on Gorgie Road.
The accused is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.
Police would like to thank the public for their assistance following our appeal for information.
Edinburgh Agroecology Co-operative CICI is putting forward a proposal to the council for a new Urban Agroecology project at Lauriston Farm, with three main areas of focus: food growing at scale, habitat creation and biodiversity enhancement, and community engagement and activity.
It is really important to us to get the views of the local community and find out what they think of the proposed plan and if and how they would like to engage with or get involved with our project.
We would have loved to have hosted a community event but current circumstances mean that we will be hosting an online community consultation instead.
The consultation is now live and will be open until the 20th November – NOTE NEW DATE.
We would like to get input and feedback from as many people from the surrounding local community as possible.
Please see above for details.
You’ll find the site link for the community consultation at Lauristonfarm.scot
Address to the nation following the confirmation of local authority protection levels – Thursday 29 October:
Firstly, a heartfelt thank you to all of you for the sacrifices you’ve made, as we’ve faced this Covid challenge together.
For some of you, these sacrifices have been compounded by the loss of a loved one, serious illness, or worry about your job and paying the bills.
This has been difficult for everyone, but truly awful for many. No words can make that better.
And I am sorry to again ask for more.
But Covid is still with us. And it is still dangerous.
Europe is now firmly in the grip of a second wave. Some countries, including France and Germany, are back in full lockdown.
Here in Scotland, we see rising cases, more people in hospital and, tragically, more lives being lost.
But we also have grounds for cautious hope.
The difficult restrictions introduced a few weeks ago to limit household visits and hospitality are slowing the rate of increase.
Restrictions are still necessary, but this slowdown is allowing us to act in a more targeted way.
Today I confirmed the different levels of protection that will apply, from Monday, to different parts of the country, depending on the levels of infection.
Detailed information about the level in your area is available on the Scottish Government website. And from Monday a postcode checker will let you find out exactly what the rules are in your area at any given time.
These levels will be reviewed weekly.
But I want to emphasise two restrictions which, for now, apply everywhere.
The first is household mixing.
It remains the case – in all parts of Scotland – that we should not meet up in each other’s homes. That is incredibly hard for all of us. But household mixing – especially indoors – is one of the biggest risks of transmission.
And secondly travel.
A regional approach to restrictions will only be sustainable if we don’t spread the virus from high to lower prevalence areas.
So if you live in a level 3 area, you should only leave your own local authority for essential purposes, such as work, education or caring responsibilities.
And if you live in a level 1 or level 2 area, do not travel to a level 3 area, except for the same essential purposes.
These restrictions are tough but please believe me when I say they are still necessary.
Of course, I wish I could tell you when things will return to normal.
I can’t do that yet. I can only be straight with you.
And given the challenge we face, I cannot guarantee that we won’t have to return to the highest level of restrictions across the whole country.
But I do know the best way for us to avoid that – and I hope secure some degree of Christmas cheer – is to keep abiding by all the rules and guidance. I know that because it is starting to work already.
Doing that – as it has always been – is fundamentally an act of solidarity, compassion and love.
It is how we make each other safer, protect our NHS, and save lives.
This all gets so much harder after seven months and as winter and Christmas approach. I know that. I feel that.
But we need to dig deep. And we need to stick with it.We will get through this. Let’s keep doing it together – and for each other. Thank you.
Today FM @NicolaSturgeon confirmed which #coronavirus protection levels will apply across Scotland from 6am on Monday 2 November.
