A father and son have pleaded guilty to the murder of 37-year-old Derek Johnston and 66-year-old Desmond Rowlings.
Mr Johnston and Mr Rowlings were subjected to horrific crimes before their deaths at the hands of Ian MacLeod and Dean McLeod in November 2022 in Greendykes Road, Edinburgh.
The pair admitted murdering their victims when they appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh today, Monday, 8 April, 2024.
Detective Superintendent Susan Balfour said: “My thoughts remain with Derek and Desmond’s families. They have had to endure unimaginable pain and trauma.
“These crimes were some of the most violent I have seen, and everyone involved was affected. There is no doubt in my mind that people are safer now that these two men are in prison.”
The 53% increase in reports since 2020 has resulted in council’s paying out around £411,000 as a result
The worst roads revealed: the A703 from Peebles to Leadburn and Irvine Road in East Ayrshire are just some of the roads named by councils as having the most number of pothole reports overall. The most prolific being Great Western Road in Glasgow, with 1,451 reports by drivers in 2023.
Elsewhere, some of the worst regions also include Scotland and the South West of England. But the South East is the worst overall, with almost 200,000 pothole reports from drivers.
And drivers from all over the UK are seeing similar conditions. That’s as data shows how around 1 million pothole reports were made last year, with 4.4 million claims made as a result. But compensation payouts are down by 13% overall.
The most common damages caused by potholes include punctured tyres (57%), damaged suspension (35%) or damaged tracking (32%).
And repairs are costing drivers around £169, on average, to fix.
Not sure what to do if you hit a pothole? Drivers should always go directly to their local council first, but Louise Thomas, motor expert at Confused.com, shares further advice on what to do.
More than 123,000 potholes were reported to councils in Scotland last year as Britain’s pothole problem continues to be a burden to drivers. That’s as new data reveals how there’s been a 53% increase in reports since 2020, resulting council’s paying out around £411,000 as a result.
And it’s a similar picture elsewhere in the UK. The worst region overall is the South East of England, with almost 200,000 pothole reports made by drivers in 2023. The South West had more than 173,000 reports and Scotland had more than 123,000. So it might come as no surprise that around 1 million pothole reports were made in total by UK drivers last year. That’s an increase of 24% since 2020.
As a result, more than 4.4 million claims were also made by drivers for pothole damage last year. That’s a 6% rise in pothole claims in comparison to the 3 years prior. But despite claims going up, it appears that payouts aren’t following the same trend. Data reveals how councils paid out around £3.3 million last year for pothole damages. But in comparison, this is down from £3.8 million that was paid out in 2020.
Potholes are all too common on UK roads and affect millions of drivers each year. Further research of 2,000 UK drivers found almost all (92%) have driven over a pothole in the past. More than 1 in 5 (22%) damaged their car as a result. Tyres suffered the worst damage by potholes, with more than half (57%) of those reporting a punctured or flat tyre. More than a third (35%) said potholes damaged their suspension, and another third (32%) said their car tracking was impacted.
To repair these damages, drivers said they had to pay out £169, on average. But less than 1 in 5 (17%) tried to claim back repair costs from their local council. And with those drivers saying they found the process stressful (42%) or long-winded (30%), it could be why many chose to just fund the repairs themselves. And of those who made a claim to their local council, around a third (31%) were completely unsuccessful in getting compensation. But those who did managed to claim back around £214, on average for damages..
More than half (58%) of drivers think UK roads have never been worse for pothole damage. But the amount of potholes and the lack of compensation offered to drivers could be down to the tight budgets given to local councils.
Last year, the government recognised the influx of potholes creating dangerous scenarios for many UK drivers. And as a result, the government announced a £200 million pot of money for councils in England during the 2023 Spring Budget(2).
This was to specifically tackle pothole repairs and funding was allocated to councils by the Department for Transport (DfT). But some local councils received a bigger slice than others. This could be one of the main reasons why some drivers are more successful with claims than others. It could also be why some councils are able to repair potholes more frequently than others.
Money aside, councils were kept busy last year. That’s as data reveals how 1.2 million potholes were collectively fixed across the UK in 2023. The good news is that the amount of pothole repairs is up by 19% in comparison to 2020.
But the bad news is that a fairly equal amount is still being reported annually, so the burden on drivers is vast. And potholes can not only cause serious damage to cars, but injure drivers and risk the safety of many other road users. In fact, a third (33%) of drivers say potholes are one of their main safety concerns as a driver. And if potholes aren’t fixed by councils in a timely manner, they could continue to be a burden for many who use the roads.
And despite efforts by the government to tackle the problem, it seems that the majority of UK drivers want further change. That’s as almost half (48%) want the government to put more funding towards pothole repairs. And more than half (53%) think that it should be a legal requirement for councils to repair a pothole after it’s been reported.
Motor expert, Louise Thomas at Confused.com car insurance comments: “Although the harsh winter months are almost behind us, potholes are still proving problematic for drivers. That’s as pothole reports in the region reached more than 123,000 last year. And across the UK, data shows how reports totalled almost 1 million – a 24% increase compared to 2020.
“There’s no denying that the UK has a pothole problem, and the government has dedicated more funding as a result. But for some drivers this isn’t enough. Especially if they live in high risk areas, where wet and colder weather means problems are more likely to arise.
“If you see a pothole while driving, it’s important to report it to the local council straight away. Even if it didn’t damage your car, you could help to protect other drivers who might come into contact with it at a later date. Potholes can cause damage to vehicles, so the sooner it’s fixed, the safer road users will be.
“If your car is damaged due to a pothole, you should always try to reclaim the cost of damage through the council first. That’s because pothole repairs are their responsibility. When making a claim, make sure to take pictures or videos for evidence and be as detailed as you can.
“You should share information about where the pothole was, the time of day it happened and the damage it caused your car. And if the local council won’t compensate for damages, you could also make a claim through your car insurance. But be wary that this could result in a higher premium the following year, so always try the council first.”
POLICE in Edinburgh are appealing for information following a serious assault in the city.
Around 4.50pm yesterday (Sunday, 7 April) a 49-year-old man was assaulted by a group of men in Charlotte Square.
He was taken to The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment.
Detective Sergeant Mike Campbell of CID said: “This was a shocking attack on the victim. Our investigations so far have established five men that we would be keen to trace.
The first suspect is about 5”10” tall, large build, in his 50s with medium length grey hair, wearing a blue and purple polo shirt with white details around the collar, a light grey zip hooded top, light blue jeans and white trainers.
The second suspect is about 5”10” tall, medium build, in his 50s with very short greying hair, wearing a light blue/grey coloured collar shirt, light blue jeans and white trainers.
The third suspect is in his 50s, medium build, wearing a light-coloured T-shirt and a thin black puffer jacket.
The fourth suspect is about 6”0” tall, average build with short brown hair, wearing a beige/salmon coloured long sleeved shirt, black trousers and grey shoes.
The fifth man is about 6”0” tall, medium build, wearing a black baseball hat, black jacket, and grey shorts.
“We know the area was busy with passersby and motorists. We’re asking for anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information to please come forward.
“If you believe you could help our investigation, call 101 quoting reference 2423 of 7 April, 2024. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, if you wish to remain anonymous.”
Innovation Late, supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is a gathering of some of the most inventive minds in the UK, ready to show off their incredible work for audiences to get hands-on with it.
An evening of celebrating technology excellence, Innovation Late presents the work of previous winners of UK’s premier prize for engineering innovation, the MacRobert Award, named after the trailblazing geologist, suffragette and philanthropist Lady Rachel MacRobert.
Audiences will have a chance to:
Listen to artist Ted Humble-Smith talk about his innovative new photography exhibition, in conversation with Morven Cunningham.
Meet the AI reincarnation of trailblazing geologist Lady MacRobert
Experience the Neurobright light and sound wearable device, designed to help ease anxiety
Programme robots and manoeuvre over a Martian landscape
Encounter the latest in kidney dialysis technology with Quanta Dialysis Technologies
Build a hovercraft
Test their construction skills on our earthquake table
Make a light theremin and a pencil organ with the adorable bumblebees
Find out how Renzor are preventing brain injuries in sport
Contribute to a poetical version of the Forth Rail Bridge
I am getting in touch to follow up with some information regarding the Drylaw Park project and to invite you to our second follow up engagement session on Saturday 20th April at the Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre from 1:30 – 3:00pm at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre – DNC – The place to be! (drylawnc.org.uk)
We are very pleased and grateful to the team at the Neighbourhood Centre as we will be joining their Future Family Fun Day taking place on the same day. We will be there to share some of the draft designs and ideas for the park and we’d love to hear your feedback.
As a reminder, we have been working with the City of Edinburgh council to develop concept designs for enhancements across Drylaw Park. These include improvements to park connectivity, accessibility and safety, infrastructure to address surface water issues, nature enhancements and improvements to play provision.
The concept designs take these themes into account and have considered a variety of previous feedback from the community and other key stakeholders.
The Drylaw Park forms part of the Climate Ready Craigleith project which sits under the cities overarching Climate Ready Edinburgh strategy and there is more information on the developing storymap here:
Our monthly LEGO User Group for adults meet next week, Thursday 11th April at 7pm at Duncan Place.
This group is a social space centred around LEGO. Use our stock of LEGO to let your mind wander and get creative. Keen builders and those new to LEGO welcome.
Did you know 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of community ownership of land, assets and buildings in Scotland?
To celebrate this, and to mark North Edinburgh Arts coming into community ownership in 2022, we have commissioned a work from local textile artist Francia Boakye.
Francia will be weaving a set of baskets to carry our hopes and ambitions into the next 100 years of community ownership. Francia will be using a range of fabrics to represent the rich diversity of our local community. The many languages spoken across North Edinburgh will also be incorporated into the baskets, written on fabric woven into each piece.
The completed collection will be part of an exhibition in the Travelling Gallery touring Scotland between June and August this summer and will have a permanent home within the refurbished and expanded NEA building due for completion later this year.
If you live in North Edinburgh, we’d be delighted if you can take part in this project. Simply reply to this post with your hope for our community, and note additional languages spoken, or email these details to admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk by Friday 19 April 2024.
Workplace expert, Acas, has published its new statutory Code of Practice on requests for flexible working alongside accompanying guidance.
From today, all employees will have the right to ask their employer if they can work flexibly from their first day of employment. This right previously only applied if employees worked for their employer for 26 weeks or more.
Susan Clews, Acas Chief Executive, said: “There has been a global shift to flexible working following the pandemic, which has allowed more people to better balance their working lives and employers have also benefitted from being an attractive place to work.
“Our new Code aims to foster flexible working further and covers the new law changes. It sets out good practice on flexible working requests and will help employers and employees avoid any pitfalls.
“There are many types of flexible working such as part-time working, flexitime, job sharing, staggered hours, hybrid and homeworking. The starting position for businesses should be to consider what may be possible.”
The new Code covers the new changes to the law around statutory flexible working requests. These are:
A new right to request flexible working from the first day of employment
Allowing an employee to make two flexible working requests in any 12-month period rather than one
A new requirement that an employer must not reject a request without consulting the employee first
Employers now having two months to decide on the request rather than three months.
The new Code underwent a consultation process in its draft form last year. 77% of respondents to the consultation agreed that Acas should reconsider the overall good practice principles when updating the Code to reflect changes to the law.
The Code encourages employers to take a positive approach to flexible working so that requests are not rejected by default without due consideration and an open dialogue about what may be workable.
It is important for employers to comply with the Code as any breach may be considered by an employment tribunal for relevant cases.
Acas has also published new detailed guidance to accompany the Code, which provides practical examples for employers and employees on flexible working requests.
Spring Jam Jar workshop with 
Entrance is by donation to Granton Castle Walled Garden.
