News / In brief for 3 August 2010
Drill call
ENVIRONMENTAL pressure group Greenpeace has called on the UK government to stop oil company BP from drilling in very deep water 125 kilometres north west of Shetland until an investigation into the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been completed.
Drilling on the North Uist exploration well in water depths of 1,290 metres is due to commence in October, but Greenpeace have warned that “a Gulf-style blow-out off Scotland’s coast would wreak havoc to fragile habitats and biodiversity, but also to the UK’s economic recovery”.
Shetland MSP Tavish Scott said finding oil at such depths posed “huge engineering challenges” and said a full environmental assessment would have to be carried out before work started.
“It will be essential to learn any lessons from the Gulf of Mexico disaster,” Mr Scott said.
Drill call
ENVIRONMENTAL pressure group Greenpeace has called on the UK government to stop oil company BP from drilling in very deep water 125 kilometres north west of Shetland until an investigation into the Gulf of Mexico oil spill has been completed.
Drilling on the North Uist exploration well in water depths of 1,290 metres is due to commence in October, but Greenpeace have warned that “a Gulf-style blow-out off Scotland’s coast would wreak havoc to fragile habitats and biodiversity, but also to the UK’s economic recovery”.
Shetland MSP Tavish Scott said finding oil at such depths posed “huge engineering challenges” and said a full environmental assessment would have to be carried out before work started.
“It will be essential to learn any lessons from the Gulf of Mexico disaster,” Mr Scott said.
Power cut
AROUND 3,200 homes and businesses across Shetland suffered a short power cut on Monday afternoon after what may have been a “bird strike” on the main power line connecting Sullom Voe power station to Lerwick power station.
Scottish & Southern Energy managed to reconnect 2,300 customers within 10 minutes and the rest were switched on after half an hour.
An SSE spokeswoman apologised and said the company had recently invested in equipment that would allow them to minimise the length of power cuts in the future.
“It has already made a significant difference but nothing can protect the network from a flight strike,” she said.
Safe seats
SHETLAND Islands Council is holding two ‘child car seat clinics’ in Lerwick this month to help parents guarantee the safety of their offspring while driving them around.
Appropriate and correctly fitted car seats can improve a child’s safety by 90 per cent, but inspections have shown that more than half of those being used in Scotland did not fit the bill.
The free safety clinics will be held from 10am to 4pm on Thursday 12 August at the Co-op supermarket car park and on Friday 13 August at the Tesco supermarket car park.
Road safety officer Elaine Skinley said: “These checks will only take a few moments and they could save your child from very serious injury.”
Leaflet drop
A CONTRACTOR working at Sullom Voe oil terminal is funding a leaflet drop supporting child protection in Shetland.
F B Taylor (Cable Contractors) Ltd have paid for the leaflet which will be delivered to every household in the isles next week and provides numbers to ring if anyone has concerns about a child’s safety.
The Shetland Child Protection Committee is asking everyone to keep the leaflet by their phone in case they need to call.
Lead officer Helen Watkins said: “There are still too many children in Shetland who are suffering from abuse and neglect in their families. Professionals are ready to help them, but need to be told about any problems sooner rather than later. The sooner the family gets help the more chance there is of a successful outcome.”
A copy of the leaflet is already available at www.shetland.gov.uk/communitysafety/documents/ShetlandCPCLeaflet-July2010.pdf.
Mackerel worries
LOCAL MSP Tavish Scott is tabling a question in the Scottish Parliament about concerns that Iceland and Faroe intend to increase their north east Atlantic mackerel catch to unsustainable levels.
Lerwick pelagic factory Shetland Catch raised the issue with Mr Scott earlier this year since when he has been in touch with UK fisheries minister Richard Benyon who said the Westminster government regarded the matter as “extremely serious”.
Fisheries commissioner Maria Damanaki has also said the EU will stand firm on the issue.
On Monday Mr Scott said: “Iceland wants to join the EU, but negotiations with it must stop until it drops its irresponsible plans for overfishing the mackerel stock. So today I am asking the Scottish government what further action it is taking to help local fishermen.”
Power cut
AROUND 3,200 homes and businesses across Shetland suffered a short power cut on Monday afternoon after what may have been a “bird strike” on the main power line connecting Sullom Voe power station to Lerwick power station.
Scottish & Southern Energy managed to reconnect 2,300 customers within 10 minutes and the rest were switched on after half an hour.
An SSE spokeswoman apologised and said the company had recently invested in equipment that would allow them to minimise the length of power cuts in the future.
“It has already made a significant difference but nothing can protect the network from a flight strike,” she said.
Safe seats
SHETLAND Islands Council is holding two ‘child car seat clinics’ in Lerwick this month to help parents guarantee the safety of their offspring while driving them around.
Appropriate and correctly fitted car seats can improve a child’s safety by 90 per cent, but inspections have shown that more than half of those being used in Scotland did not fit the bill.
The free safety clinics will be held from 10am to 4pm on Thursday 12 August at the Co-op supermarket car park and on Friday 13 August at the Tesco supermarket car park.
Road safety officer Elaine Skinley said: “These checks will only take a few moments and they could save your child from very serious injury.”
Leaflet drop
A CONTRACTOR working at Sullom Voe oil terminal is funding a leaflet drop supporting child protection in Shetland.
F B Taylor (Cable Contractors) Ltd have paid for the leaflet which will be delivered to every household in the isles next week and provides numbers to ring if anyone has concerns about a child’s safety.
The Shetland Child Protection Committee is asking everyone to keep the leaflet by their phone in case they need to call.
Lead officer Helen Watkins said: “There are still too many children in Shetland who are suffering from abuse and neglect in their families. Professionals are ready to help them, but need to be told about any problems sooner rather than later. The sooner the family gets help the more chance there is of a successful outcome.”
A copy of the leaflet is already available at www.shetland.gov.uk/communitysafety/documents/ShetlandCPCLeaflet-July2010.pdf.
Mackerel worries
LOCAL MSP Tavish Scott is tabling a question in the Scottish Parliament about concerns that Iceland and Faroe intend to increase their north east Atlantic mackerel catch to unsustainable levels.
Lerwick pelagic factory Shetland Catch raised the issue with Mr Scott earlier this year since when he has been in touch with UK fisheries minister Richard Benyon who said the Westminster government regarded the matter as “extremely serious”.
Fisheries commissioner Maria Damanaki has also said the EU will stand firm on the issue.
On Monday Mr Scott said: “Iceland wants to join the EU, but negotiations with it must stop until it drops its irresponsible plans for overfishing the mackerel stock. So today I am asking the Scottish government what further action it is taking to help local fishermen.”
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