News / In brief – 18 February, 2010
Coastguard blackout
SHETLAND coastguard had to send auxiliary officers out on to the hills from Unst in the north to Fair Isle in the south to maintain emergency services after an electrical fault at the main Lerwick station yesterday morning (Wednesday).
Aberdeen coastguard stepped in to provide cover from 8am when batteries keeping the system going after the power cut ran out of juice.
However five officers were sent out in vehicles to the top of hills at Saxa Vord, Collafirth, Lerwick, Sumburgh and Fair Isle to stay tuned to Channel 16 in case of any emergencies.
It took an electrical engineer two and a half hours to repair the system, and in the meantime watch officers moved to the coastguard sector station to work. All 999 calls were still being received.
No incidents occurred during the power cut, which lasted until around 10.30am.
New award for Fiddlers
SHETLAND traditional supergroup Fiddlers Bid have just won a second award for their new album All Dressed in Yellow.
Last November the release won ‘best album of the year’ at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards
Now the eight piece have picked up the award for ‘best instrumental album of the year’ from the influential folk music promotion website Spiral Earth after the CD won more votes than any other record of its ilk.
A band spokesman said: “Fiddlers Bid would like to extend a huge vote of thanks to everyone who voted for us over the last few months”.
Fiddlers Bid will be touring extensively throughout the UK in April to further promote the record. All dates and ticket buying information can be found at www.fiddlersbid.com and www.atlanticedgemusic.com.
Unemployment up
TWENTY five more people in Shetland were out of work last month than at the same time last year, according to the latest employment figures released yesterday (Wednesday).
There were 185 people out of work and claiming benefit in the isles, of which 143 were men and 42 were women.
The number of people unemployed in Orkney was 193 and in the western isles it was 605. In Scotland the unemployment rate was 7.6 per cent up on last year, with 140,600 people out of work.
Cancer treatment
ALL eight patients diagnosed with cancer in Shetland during the three months from July to September last year were treated within the government target of 62 days.
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon praised health boards throughout the north of Scotland for their high compliance rate, with both Shetland and Orkney achieving 100 per cent. The western isles came bottom of the league with 80 per cent of patients being treated within two months.
The figures cover the nine main types of cancer, including lung, breast and ovarian. The government plans to reduce the target time for treatment to one month by the end of 2011.
Wildlife crime
THE CROWN office has appointed a specialist judge to help prosecute cases of wildlife crime.
Assistant principal advocate depute Alex Prentice QC will provide support and legal advice to procurator fiscals and deal with any criminal appeals.
The move marks the increased emphasis on tackling wildlife crime in Scotland, with 18 specialist wildlife crime prosecutors based in offices around Scotland.
Last year Whalsay fisherman James Stewart was sent to prison for 80 days at Lerwick Sheriff Court for mutilating, beating and crushing 21 grey seal pups to death on East Linga in November 2008 under the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act.
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