The Royal Yacht Britannia is tilting towards its starboard side
Emergency services are trying to pump water out of the Royal Yacht Britannia after it started listing while it was being moved to have its hull repainted.
The iconic yacht is tilting on its starboard side after developing a leak in a door seal.
The leak was discovered when officials noticed the boat was tilting and went to alter ballast levels.
The boat was due to be moved at 09:30 to a dry dock a few hundred metres across the harbour in Leith.
At least four fire engines are at the scene.
It is the first time it has been moved from its berth in Edinburgh in almost 14 years.
It is due to reopen to the public on 1 February.
Work began on the ship at John Brown’s shipyard in Clydebank in June 1952 and it was launched in April 1953.
Last year was one of the attraction’s busiest years with more than 275,000 visitors, a 12% increase on the previous year.
THE Royal Botanic Garden is today counting the cost of this week’s storm after the gales toppled more than 40 trees and smashed hundreds of windows.
The Botanic gardens on a nicer day.
The visitor attraction has been left reeling after hurricane-force winds lashed the Inverleith site, with a number of the trees blown down dating back 125 years.
Among the most valuable is the ailanthus altissima – also known as the Tree of Heaven – which was torn from its roots by 100mph winds.
Curators at the Botanics hope they can propagate the rare Chinese tree – brought to Scotland in 1925 by the collector Joseph Rock – along with other rare varieties struck down by the winds.
Many were uprooted or snapped off at ground level, damaging smaller trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants around and beneath them as they fell.
The public glasshouses and research houses also suffered severe damage, leaving plants exposed to the elements, with 400 panes of glass in all smashed.
David Knott, curator of the living collections said “I have never experienced storm damage at RBGE like this before. We will attempt to propagate the wild origin trees that have come down.”
It comes as property experts at the city council continue to survey the damage caused by the high winds at 110 city sites.
Insurance industry sources said many individual claims for damage to roofing or building fabric could total tens of thousands of pounds.
At Edinburgh Airport, a Jet2 cargo plane is being repaired after being struck by a flying bus shelter.
Scottish Power said around 600-700 homes across Edinburgh and the Lothians were still without power, with extra engineers drafted in from down south to help fix the faults.
A spokeswoman said they had received the same number of faults in a single day as they would normally in three months.
Forecaster for the Met Office Dave Clark said gusts reaching around 50mph would return to the Lothians on Sunday.
Kirkliston Leisure Centre will be closed for the foreseeable future until a new roof can be installed and the climbing centre at Ratho was closed after its roof was damaged, and later partly reopened. Leith Waterworld, which was closed due to storm damage, will reopen for its final weekend.
POLICE have warned residents who received bikes as Christmas presents to invest in good-quality locks to help deter thieves.
Local Police often patrol the cycle paths on bikes. (Picture: Michael Lindsay)
Professional gangs are cashing in on the city’s cycling boom, taking bikes from streets, common stairways and sheds.
Pc Janie Harman said: “I would encourage bicycle owners to think about security and to use strong D-locks, never leave their bicycle unattended without securing it and to park in well-lit areas covered by CCTV, if possible.
“I would also ask people to take a few minutes to register their bicycle details on a national register at www.immobilise.com.”
The number of bikes reported stolen in Edinburgh fell four per cent between April 2010 and last March compared with the previous year, from 1706 to 1635.
Last month, figures revealed that only one in ten bikes stolen by thieves in Lothian and Borders is recovered.
Between 2008 and 2010, 6047 bikes were reported as stolen in the area with just 627 being recovered.
Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service received 250 999 calls yesterday as the area was battered by extreme weather conditions. John Dickie, Head of Operations for the Service said: “This figure shows our control room staff were exceptionally busy, with around 50 to 60 calls expected during this time on an average Tuesday.”
John Dickie, Head of Operations at Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue.
“Our crews worked closely with other emergency workers at many of the incidents, with public safety always at the forefront of their minds. Many incidents involved reports of unsafe structures, trees and debris blocking roads and road traffic collisions.
“Many of the calls to the Control Room were with concerns about unsafe structures including fallen chimneys and guttering. We responded to these incidents to assess the risks, provide specialist advice to other emergency services and local authority personnel and make areas safe or ensure cordons are in place as necessary.
“As well as dealing with weather related calls we also responded as normal to automatic fire alarm calls, reports of fires and other emergencies.”
Shortly after 9.30am firefighters were called to a report of an articulated lorry which had overturned on the A1 south of Dunbar, near to Lafarge cement works. A 32-year-old man was cut free from the wreckage and taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in an hour- long rescue operation. We dealt with a further three overturned LGV’s in our area yesterday.
John Continued: “Whilst we were exceptionally busy we had the appropriate resources in place to respond to problems caused by today’s high winds, and our firefighters carried out a commendable job in what were very difficult conditions.”
Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service received 250 999 calls yesterday as the area was battered by extreme weather conditions. John Dickie, Head of Operations for the Service said: “This figure shows our control room staff were exceptionally busy, with around 50 to 60 calls expected during this time on an average Tuesday.”
John Dickie, Head of Operations at Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue.
“Our crews worked closely with other emergency workers at many of the incidents, with public safety always at the forefront of their minds. Many incidents involved reports of unsafe structures, trees and debris blocking roads and road traffic collisions.
“Many of the calls to the Control Room were with concerns about unsafe structures including fallen chimneys and guttering. We responded to these incidents to assess the risks, provide specialist advice to other emergency services and local authority personnel and make areas safe or ensure cordons are in place as necessary.
“As well as dealing with weather related calls we also responded as normal to automatic fire alarm calls, reports of fires and other emergencies.”
Shortly after 9.30am firefighters were called to a report of an articulated lorry which had overturned on the A1 south of Dunbar, near to Lafarge cement works. A 32-year-old man was cut free from the wreckage and taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in an hour- long rescue operation. We dealt with a further three overturned LGV’s in our area yesterday.
John Continued: “Whilst we were exceptionally busy we had the appropriate resources in place to respond to problems caused by today’s high winds, and our firefighters carried out a commendable job in what were very difficult conditions.”
Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service received 250 999 calls yesterday as the area was battered by extreme weather conditions. John Dickie, Head of Operations for the Service said: “This figure shows our control room staff were exceptionally busy, with around 50 to 60 calls expected during this time on an average Tuesday.”
John Dickie, Head of Operations at Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue.
“Our crews worked closely with other emergency workers at many of the incidents, with public safety always at the forefront of their minds. Many incidents involved reports of unsafe structures, trees and debris blocking roads and road traffic collisions.
“Many of the calls to the Control Room were with concerns about unsafe structures including fallen chimneys and guttering. We responded to these incidents to assess the risks, provide specialist advice to other emergency services and local authority personnel and make areas safe or ensure cordons are in place as necessary.
“As well as dealing with weather related calls we also responded as normal to automatic fire alarm calls, reports of fires and other emergencies.”
Shortly after 9.30am firefighters were called to a report of an articulated lorry which had overturned on the A1 south of Dunbar, near to Lafarge cement works. A 32-year-old man was cut free from the wreckage and taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in an hour- long rescue operation. We dealt with a further three overturned LGV’s in our area yesterday.
John Continued: “Whilst we were exceptionally busy we had the appropriate resources in place to respond to problems caused by today’s high winds, and our firefighters carried out a commendable job in what were very difficult conditions.”
TELFORD College is being sued by the construction firm which built its new student accommodation over an £8 million pledge to make up any shortfall in rents.
Telford college's board are nervous about the agreement.
College bosses signed an agreement promising Alumno Miller Telford Ltd an annual income of around £500,000 a year as part of the deal to fund the accommodation block on West Granton Road.
But the builders took court action after new members of the college board sought to have the agreement annulled.
Board members were left feeling “extremely nervous” that the clause would leave the college exposed to a massive yearly pay-out if not enough rent was collected from students living at the site.
The agreement pledged that the college would fill 99 of the 125 rooms at the facility, opened last September, or hand over any shortfall to the builders behind the project.
Although the deal could leave the college facing a maximum pay-out of £500,000 annually over 15 years, it is understood that any actual exposure would be far lower.
At the Court of Session, Lord Glennie ruled in favour of Alumno Miller Telford Ltd following a recent hearing, throwing out arguments from college lawyers that the agreement was “not binding and enforceable”.
Lord Glennie rejected claims that the agreement did not properly specify the rooms which had to be rented out, and that rules prevented the college from being exposed to liabilities greater than four per cent of its annual income.
But Jim Donaldson, the chairman of the college board, said that a further legal challenge over the deal by Telford College remained a possibility.
He said: “This agreement between Alumno Miller Telford Ltd and the college was made in 2009 when many of the current board were not in place. It concerns an occupancy agreement which began in September 2010, when the accommodation was opened, where the college agreed to fill 99 of the 125 rooms or make up the shortfall.
“This agreement left the new board feeling extremely nervous as the college could be left to pay up the difference so we decided to contest it for a number of reasons.
“There was no indication in the agreement as to which rooms the guarantees referred to. We also argued that it would break rules on the college being left to pay in excess of four per cent of its annual income.
“Lord Glennie has made his ruling and we’ve lost this particular part. As a board, we now have to have another look at it and take advice from counsel before deciding on our next step. It remains ongoing.”
The student accommodation was built on a vacant site near Telford College and was primarily designed to offer rooms to international students.
It was intended to cater for a growing student population at Telford, which is the city’s largest further education college.
Alumno Miller Telford Ltd took out a £4.5m loan to pay for the facilities, and let the rooms directly to students at the college. A spokesman for McGrigors, the solicitors acting for Alumno Miller Telford Ltd, said he could not comment on an ongoing court case.
A THIEF who assaulted a woman on New Year’s Day made off with her bag – and her novelty wig.
The 22-year-old woman was walking home from Hogmanay celebrations in the capital on Sunday morning when she was assaulted by the New Year’s reveller.
Police are appealing for witnesses following the attack.
The incident happened at 1am on January 1, when the student was walking opposite theWestern General Hospital.
A man stopped the woman and said “Happy New Year” before snatching her wig and handbag.
The novelty wig fell off and the thief made off with it and her small silver handbag which contained her keys and mobile phone, which he pulled from her shoulder.
A Lothian and Borders police spokesperson said: “This was a particularly distressing incident for the victim who fortunately was not injured. It was a totally unprovoked attack on an innocent young woman who had been heading home after enjoying a night out. She made her way home before contacting us but was obviously very upset by what had happened.
“This is quite a busy area and there would have been a lot of traffic around that time. We would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed this and especially appeal to taxi drivers who may have been in the area and seen the suspect.”
The thief is described as being a white man in his 20’s, and is around 5ft 8 in.
He has short ginger hair and was wearing a white T-shirt and dark coloured trousers at the time of the attack.
He was last seen heading in the direction of Orchard Brae.
Anyone who has information about the attack should contact Lothian and Borders police on 0131 311 3131 or the charity Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800555111.
Most of the Country has been battered overnight and all day with high winds and this has lead to various bridges and roads being closed causing traffic chaos across the Country.
Winds were recorded at over 90mph by the Forth Road Bridge Authority and the Bridge is expected to be closed for most of today, trains were cancelled today from Edinburgh and many road have been blocked by falling trees.
Here are some images that we have taken from today.
Readings of 90MPH plus winds by the Forth Road bridge (Source: L&B police)
Boots at Craigleith didn't open today. (Picture: Thomas Brown)
Currys at Craigleith lost a door following the storm. (Picture: Thomas Brown)
A fence was blown away in Crewe. (Picture: Thomas Brown)
The garden centre at Homebase had windows blown in. (Picture: Thomas Brown)
A trampoline appeared at the Drylaw shopping centre. (Picture: Thomas Brown)
A tree blocks a road in Pilton. (Picture: Thomas Brown)
A trolley park at Sainsburys was blown down in the wind. (Picture: Thomas Brown)
Various trolley parks were damaged at Craigleith Retail Park. (Picture: Thomas Brown)
Have you got any photos you would like to share with us? If so email them to northedinnews@gmail.com.
