Detectives investigating a number of linked incidents in the West and East of Scotland have arrested four men in connection with fire-raising at properties in Edinburgh and Lanarkshire.
Officers executed warrants at addresses in Edinburgh, Whitburn and Bathgate yesterday morning (Friday, 23 May, 2025).
The men, three aged 18 and one aged 31, have been arrested and charged in connection with fire-raising at a house on Pitcairn Grove on Thursday, 8 May.
One of the 18-year-olds, along with the 31-year-old man, have also been arrested and charged in connection with fire-raising at a business premises on Cumbernauld Road in Stepps on the same date.
They are all expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 26 May.
Also, in the past week a 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with two attempted murders and a fire-raising in Glasgow and Bishopbriggs in April.
These are being treated as part of a series of linked incidents in the West and East of Scotland and a total of 41 people have now been arrested.
Extensive enquiries remain ongoing and a dedicated team of officers from Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division, with support from local divisions across the country, continue to work together to gather vital evidence and reassure the public with intelligence-led patrols.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry said: “I want to reiterate that violence will not be tolerated and we will not stop until we bring those responsible to justice.
“We continue to work tirelessly and are following a number of positive lines of enquiry
“The support of our communities is absolutely vital when it comes to tackling serious organised crime, preventing violence and getting justice for victims. I want to again thank the public for their continued help and information so far.
“If you know anything about these dangerous and abhorrent acts, please do the right thing and speak to us.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
Detectives are appealing for information after a man was seriously assaulted in Edinburgh.
Around 9.20pm last night (Thursday, 22 May, 2025), police received a report a man had been attacked by a group of males on Pitcairn Grove. The 54-year-old man was taken to hospital where he remains.
Four or five men, all dressed in dark coloured clothing and wearing balaclavas, got out a grey-coloured Land Rover Discovery and attacked the 54-year-old.
Officers are treating the incident as attempted murder and linked to several incidents which have been ongoing in the east and west of the country.
Enquiries carried out so far have established the Land Rover Discovery travelled eastbound along the M8 and officers are appealing to any road users on the M8 last night to contact them.
Detective Superintendent Paul Grainger said: “This has been a targeted attack and we are continuing our enquiries to identify those responsible.
“We know the Land Rover Discovery drove along the M8 eastbound last night. It may have been driven at speed or erratically so I would appeal to any motorists with dash cams to check their footage as the images could be significant to our investigation.
“If anyone has any information regarding this crime, please contact us.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 3866 of Thursday, 22 May, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where you can remain anonymous.
TWO Scottish Ambulance Service emergency responders will compete in the Edinburgh Marathon wearing full uniform, including boots, and a 10kg ambulance response bag to raise money for The Ambulance Service Charity (TASC).
Jack Falconer, Technician of Wick Ambulance Station, and Dominic Ballisat, Technician of Edinburgh Ambulance Station, will run the event on May 25.
So far they have raised more than £2000 for TASC.
Dominic said: “We decided to do the marathon to help raise money for TASC as we are grateful for the amazing work they do in supporting our colleagues and their families in their time of need.”
Jack added: “We decided to run with the kit bag, uniform and boots in order to make it more challenging in the hope it will raise awareness and support for TASC.
“It also highlights the mental and physical stress that ambulance personnel undergo on a daily basis.”
While Dominic, who used to work at Thurso station, has run three marathons before, this will be Jack’s first.
Dominic said: “We have both been training with boots and trousers with a 10kg bag plus water.
“We expect it to be tough especially if it’s hot, but nothing worthwhile is easy.”
Jasmin Rana, TASC’s Head of Income Generation, said: “We’re so grateful to Jack and Dominic for taking on this incredible challenge for TASC!
“As a charity we receive no support from the NHS or ambulance trusts to provide our general services, which means we rely on our incredibly generous supporters to continue supporting our ambulance workers when they’re struggling with their mental, physical or financial wellbeing.
“Thanks to Jack, Dominic and everyone who has supported them, almost £2,500 (including GiftAid) has been raised already, the equivalent of 46 hours of mental health support or 172 financial guidance sessions.
Increased funding to help young people away from crime
Projects supporting young people at risk of being drawn into criminal activities are to receive up to £26 million over the next three years.
The Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities programme uses money recovered from seized criminal assets to provide crucial support to young people who may be at risk of becoming involved in offending or antisocial behaviour.
Successful projects in the programme’s next stage (2026-2029) will deliver a range of activities and support for those aged 10 to 25, to help tackle some of the underlying causes of antisocial behaviour and criminal activity. Projects will also provide access to trusted adults who young people can confide in.
Since 2008 CashBack for Communities has invested £156 million and supported around 1.4 million young people across all 32 local authorities in Scotland.
Visiting a project based at Glasgow’s Easterhouse Sports Centre, Minister for Victims and Community Safety Siobhian Brown said: “CashBack for Communities is inspiring. It turns the proceeds of crime into life-changing opportunities for the thousands of young people who take part in projects across Scotland every year.
“Over the course of the next three years of the programme, we are providing £26 million to organisations to deliver diversionary and support work with children and young people.
“By learning new skills and boosting their confidence, it helps young people in our communities who are at risk of becoming involved in crime be diverted from that path and realise their potential.
“Since its inception more than a million young people have received support to turn their lives around, with opportunities provided into employment, education or volunteering.
“CashBack’s success is also testament to the work of law enforcement partners in disrupting organised crime groups – bringing them to justice and seizing their ill-gotten gains, using them to deliver a successful programme across the country.”
CashBack for Communities is a Scottish Government initiative which takes funds recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and invests them back into communities. It supports delivery of Scottish Government’s Vision for Justice in Scotland.
It’s a great day for burger fans in Fort Kinnaird!
After much anticipation, Burger King® UK will officially re-open the doors to its newly designed restaurant in Fort Kinnaird, allowing hungry locals to indulge in BK classics such as the flame-grilled Whopper®, classic Chicken Royale® and juicy Bacon Double XL once again.
Burger King® UK is celebrating the reopening by giving away 1,000 FREE Whopper® or Chicken Royale burgers* to lucky customers for one day only – TODAY! (Tuesday 21 May).
The newly remodelled Kinnaird restaurant brings customer experience to a new level, with all-new in-restaurant innovations such as table service and a sensational menu that caters to all customers, whether they’re looking to start their day with a delicious breakfast butty and coffee for just £2.99 enjoy a family feast on delivery, or indulge in a late night snack.
Burger King® UK has also confirmed its extended hours at the Kinnaird restaurant, which is now open from 8AM to 11PM.This means customers can make the most of Burger King® UK’s delicious menu from morning to late.
Austin,Restaurant Manager at Burger King® UK, said:“The team and I are thrilled to return and serve our customers in Kinnaird. We look forward to welcoming both familiar faces and new guests to experience the renovated restaurant, and we’re confident they’ll have a fantastic time while enjoying our delicious meals.”
The re-opening of Kinnaird is the perfect opportunity for Burger King® UK fans to make the most of the tasty deals and discounts available on the Burger King® app. Whether it’s the classic Whopper® or Chicken Royale, customers can make savings all year round!
The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) is calling for urgent action to rectify yet another blunder afflicting Scotland’s tourism industry, this time stemming from a deeply flawed implementation of the new Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) process for self-catering holiday accommodation.
The ASSC has been made aware of thousands of self-catering operators being unjustly removed from NDR – and in some cases taken to Tribunal for allegedly failing to provide evidence of the 70 nights’ occupancy rule for the 2023–24 period.
Critically, operators failed to receive formal requests for evidence from Scottish Assessors which were sent out by untracked mail, despite easily being able to evidence the required occupancy. This is once again penalising legitimate small businesses – who do so much to boost local economies across Scotland – and was clearly not the policy intention.
Many long-standing and compliant businesses have not only been unlawfully removed from the valuation roll and commercial water and waste provision, but also hit with double council tax bills and are facing severe emotional and financial distress – all without ever receiving the legally required Assessor correspondence.
Recent ASSC survey work highlighted 63% of operators never received the formal evidence request letters; 95% of delisted businesses were able to prove compliance with letting requirements; and 81% have been billed for second home council tax, some facing eyewatering charges of up to £120,000.
To compound matters, in a response to a recent parliamentary question from Alexander Stewart MSP, Cabinet Secretary Shona Robison suggested that operators could benefit from relief schemes – however, this completely misses the point: if a business has been removed from the NDR system altogether, it cannot access any such support. This fundamental misunderstanding highlights just how disconnected the Scottish Government is from the realities facing the self-catering sector.
Recent figures from the Scottish Government [1] showed an anomaly in the number of properties removed from the valuation roll in 2023–2024 — more than double any previous year, with 3,810 removals compared to 1,540 in 2022–2023.
This latest development comes in the wake of the ongoing STL licensing and planning shambles, which has squeezed the supply of available accommodation while pushing up costs – especially in Edinburgh, the most expensive major city break destination in western Europe according to a recent Post Office Travel Money analysis.
The industry is now increasingly alarmed by the current impasse on the treatment of self-catering accommodation within the NDR framework despite pleas to relevant stakeholders. While Assessors assert that they are merely applying existing legislation and cannot act without further instruction or legislative change, Scottish Ministers maintain that Assessors are independent and therefore beyond intervention.
The self-catering sector therefore finds itself in a troubling Catch-22 scenario which it hopes can be resolved through urgent and pragmatic leadership to ensure self-catering operators receive the fair treatment they deserve.
Fiona Campbell, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, commented: “This policy was introduced to remove economically inactive second homes from benefiting from NDR relief, which we support.
“It was never meant to target legitimate small businesses. The system has failed and it is now punishing the very operators who support our tourism economy and rural communities. We urge the Scottish Government and Assessors to act swiftly and lawfully to correct this injustice.
“As we approach the busy summer season, the last thing the Scottish self-catering needs is yet another debacle hitting our sector, hot on the heels of the accumulated regulatory burden from short-term let licensing and planning regulations, and before local tourist taxes are imposed.
“This relentless uncertainty is not only damaging livelihoods – it is placing a significant strain on the mental health and wellbeing of small business owners who are already under immense pressure.
“Operators want to get back to what they do best but can’t do this with both hands tied behind their back. We need urgent leadership to restore consistency, fairness, and confidence in the system before it is too late.”
We have just installed a ‘bothy’ shelter in the park as a signal of intent to the community that the wider plans are being brought forward. This is the first of several shelters that will be installed across the park (writes ELGT’s ANGUS FISHER).
It was designed by SLR architecture in partnership with Old School Fabrications. OSF also built and installed the shelter.
It is a completely bespoke design based on the traditional Scottish bothy but featuring a stone boulder seat with hovering steel frame giving it its somewhat unique appearance.
Wider works info
West Pilton Park is undergoing an exciting, new development after receiving a significant amount of charitable funding.
The Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council and the local community have developed plans to transform West Pilton Park into the beautiful, bustling centre of the community.
Plans include planting hundreds of new trees and plants, a new skate park and bouldering wall, new play equipment, new accessible paths, seating, shelters, new toilet facilities, a community growing area, a wildlife wetland, and a proposed new cafe run by Scran Academy.
The shelter is the first part of the development to be installed, with construction of the rest of the park to take place over the next few years. The first phase is due to start in autumn 2025.
A phased approach will ensure that a part of the park will always remain open for the community during construction.
It was another golden night for Bauer Media Audio at the 2025 ARIAS (Audio and Radio Industry Awards), hosted by Magic Radio’s Gok Wan, where our teams picked up an incredible twelve awards including the prestigious Special Recognition Award, presented by Ken Bruce, to Greatest Hits Radio Network Content Director Andy Ashton.
Forth 1 won two Gold awards with Boogie in the Morning winning Best Music Breakfast Show – for the second year running – and the station being named as the John Myers Local Radio Station of the Year.
Rayo took Silver in a new category for 2025, UK Audio Brand of the Year as KISS picked up two Silver awards for The 2024 ‘Genny Lex’ in the Best News or Current Affairs category and Best Commercial Partnership Award for Empowering Young Lives with KFC.
Greatest Hits Radio 60s was also a Silver winner for Best Sonic Branding.
The Bowie@Breakfast team saw Bronze for Best Music Radio Breakfast Show and the Hits Radio team were also Bronze Social Impact Award winners for Clare’s Law: A Decade Saving Lives.
Greatest Hits Radio was another Bronze winner for UK Radio Station or Radio Network of the Year, as were the Clyde 1 team in the Best Event Coverage Award for Superscoreboard at Euro 2024
The full list of Bauer Media Audio UK winners:
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD: Andy Ashton
GOLD
JOHN MYERS LOCAL RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR: Forth 1
BEST MUSIC BREAKFAST RADIO SHOW AWARD: Boogie in the Morning – Forth 1
SILVER
UK AUDIO BRAND OF THE YEAR: Rayo
BEST MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT AWARD (SHOW OR PRESENTER): Ruthie Henshall Sees Dead People – Magic Radio
BEST NEWS OR CURRENT AFFAIRS AWARD: The 2024 ‘Genny Lex’ – KISS
BEST SONIC BRANDING AWARD: Greatest Hits Radio 60s
BEST COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIP AWARD: Empowering Young Lives – KISS and KFC
BRONZE
UK RADIO STATION OR RADIO NETWORK OF THE YEAR: Greatest Hits Radio
BEST MUSIC BREAKFAST RADIO SHOW AWARD: Bowie@Breakfast – Clyde 1
THE SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD: Clare’s Law: A Decade of Saving Lives – Hits Radio
BEST EVENT COVERAGE AWARD: Superscoreboard at EURO 2024 – Clyde 1
Forth 1 has been celebrating its 50th birthday this year.
They have also recently hit a 24 year audience high (RAJAR) and the Forth 1 news team also recently picked up at Gold at the IRN Awards winning the ‘News Team of the Year’ (Under 1.5million TSA).
