Berwickshire News May 25th

This week's front page is lead with the "exciting" news that one of the Big Brother housemates is a student from Ladykirk (population 5) although on the official BB website he's described as coming from London. The article also contains a candidate for typo of the week "Berwickire News".

Pledges have been made to improve dental services in Berwickshire by both health and education bosses - after last weeks news that the community dental service was to be discontinued at both Berwickshire High & Eyemouth High Schools.

The publican featured in the story on the BBC News website last week has made it into the Berwickshire too - slightly fuller article than the BBC ran, where it seems it's not just the landlord of the Commercial Inn that is complaining. Apparently neither of the most obvious cross-border candidates for the absconding drinkers are experiencing a ramp up in trade, so the destination of the mystery minibus of mystery drinkers is going to a mystery location. A call to PC Plum or Miss Marple is surely the next step.

The small blue butterfly (Cupido minimus) is now officially extinct in the Borders - it's been declared so by lepidopterists (ed: someone at the News has hit the dictionary in a big way I think) who have failed to find one over the last five years.

A Berwickshire farmer who has been described in the News and elsewhere as the "Father of Geology" has been commemorated in Jedburgh (which is in Roxburghshire) by a sculpture. James Hutton published his "Theory of Earth" in 1788 when almost everyone on both sides of the Atlantic was still a creationist, believing that the earth and all upon it were created by an appropriate deity in just under a week.

Torness Nuclear Power Station (East Lothian) exported 136GWh of electricity to the grid in April, enough for every single person in the UK to run a 2 bar electric fire for an hour and still have enough left over for the lights - although reactor 1 was offline from April 16th until April 29th and reactor 2 was out of action for most of the month after refuelling and a "Statutory Outrage". During the refuelling a safety boundary door was found to be open without any alarms sounding (ed:perhaps this is why there was an Outrage? - another candidate for typo of the week). The door was immediately closed and the batteries replaced in the alarm. (ed:Good to know that the integrity of a nuclear plant relies on a PP3 battery bought at Sir Morrison's)

An advertorial for Dunbar placed by the independent traders of the burgh - a picture captioned "Dunbar's busy High Street....." which looks like it was taken on a Sunday afternoon because there are only about 20 people visible.

Over at the Court of St. Kevin, the usual motley crew of low-level disorder. Lead off by an Eyemouth man TWOCing a car, making off with £20 of fuel (about 3 thimblesful at today's prices), driving with excess alcohol and without a licence or insurance. He took his uncle's car, was seen at 1.10am in a petrol station in Edinburgh, but wasn't accosted by the long arm of the law until 3.15am near Lamberton (only 55 miles or so) with one tyre missing from the car. Sentence deferred for social enquiry, community service and restriction of liberty reports. We'll see him again in court on June 14th.
A Paxton man took his wife and children to the pub and drove home afterwards, hit a hedge, tipped the car over and the occupants all climbed out and walked to the nearest house. The householder suspected drink was involved so called the Police and the driver was taken into custody. It transpires that he was driving without a licence, so also with invalid (but legitimate) insurance whilst unfit through drink - £450 fine and 12 month ban.
An Eyemouth man found guilty of assault following a fight with another drunken chap in Eyemouth in which thrown glass bottles were traded. The accused wished he "could give his side of the story but couldn't remember". Sheriff K said "it is the kind of loutish behaviour we can do without". Sentence deferred until June 24th pending social and community service reports.
A Duns woman found not guilty of breach of the peace following an incident in Duns Market Square, however as she didn't turn up on right time, she was found guilty of contempt of court. Sentence deferred for the usual social/community service reports. Back June 14th.
An Eyemouth man appeared charged with driving without insurance. It transpired he'd bought a new car but hadn't transferred his insurance. He had a cover note that started 7 days after he was picked up by the Police. £150 and 6 penalty points for his trouble.

Michael Moore MP (he of the BBC story mentioned here today) is raising more (or are they the same) concerns over the digital TV switchover. He's primarily concerned by the levels of awareness that this is going to happen at all, and he wants it to be a success, not a disaster that the other 13 regions can learn from. (The picture is of "Digit Al" - the face of the digital TV switchover that must have taken literally seconds to name in some meeting of overpaid marketing types).

Interested readers can find out more at DigitalUK's website here or can ask questions about the switchover via the DigitalTVCumbria pages - link on the right (this is an unofficial forum, questions answered by real people who live in the area and are aware many of the difficulties posed by the topography of the Border region - north and south of the Border - so realistic answers are a priority).

Picture of Duns Sheriff Court courtesy of the Scottish Courts website