Nwicker60
14-Jan-15, 10:39
Caithness Courier headlines for January 14
CAITHNESS and north Sutherland is bracing itself for its fourth storm in seven days while clean-up and repairs are in full swing, following the battering it took from hurricane force winds, the worst to hit the area for 20 years. Over 7,200 homes in the far north were left without power as engineers battled to reconnect them, with John O' Groats the last area to go back online, on Monday morning.
"FIREBALL" was the word used by one passenger to describe what happened to the bus she and dozens were travelling on, when it burst into flames. Sarah Dymond claims she and the Wick High School pupils were lucky to escape with their lives on the journey from John O Groats on the Stagecoach service bus on Monday morning. The passengers were forced to make an emergency exit at Quoys of Resiss when the Wick-bound, 49-seater caught fire at 8.25am.
WICK's Hogmanay street party was almost cancelled hours before it as due to go ahead, because of a lack of volunteers. Organisers are also warning the future of the event is on the line given the small amount of money donated on the night. HAPPY committee chairman Allan Farquhar said the number of volunteers who signed up to steward and administer first aid at the latest party, was the minimum it legally required to host the event.
THE chairman of Scrabster Harbour Trust yesterday said UK Treasury chiefs need to act fast to help the North Sea oil industry. Tom Pottinger said falling oil prices could hinder the development of Shetland oil fields and put the far north economy at risk. He added that tax incentives were needed to help companies, but he believes the Caithness port could benefit from the downturn.
POWER outages, which left Caithness shivering in the dark for days, have been described as the worst to have ever taken place. Gusts of up to 100mph battered the far north during Friday and left over 7000 homes in the area without power for up to three days as residents waited for engineers to work through atrocious weather conditions to switch it back on.
VICTIMS of power cuts were too reliant on modern technology and as a result missed out on receiving help and assistance during one of the worst blackouts to hit the area. Caithness landward Highland councillor, Matthew Reiss, said lessons needed to be learned on how to get information out to people affected by power outages so they can recive both food and water during emergencies.
THE stormy weather and wintry conditions which battered Caithness over the past few days have closed North Highland College in Thurso and the Citizens Advice Bureau in the town. A wall at the haulage contractors depot in Scrabster was damaged while trees were blown down and slates came off roofs. Fences and street lights were also affect by the strong winds.
A CAITHNESS councillor is delighted with a new policy to give P1-3 children free schools meals and only regrets not being able to provide them to all primary pupils. Gail Ross believes the added benefits of making sure young children get at least one good meal a day, will continue well into the future as they learn to value good food.
A CAITHNESS train passenger has vented her anger with the lack of communication from ScotRail when her journey went wrong and she was left stranded some 51 miles from home. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, and five fellow passengers were making the long journey from Glasgow to Wick with a change at Inverness, by train on December 29. Upon reaching the Highland Capital, the group were put in taxis to Golspie and left to stand for over an hour in temperatures as low as minus three degrees Celsius, with no explanation given, as the why, claims the woman.
WATER polo could become the far north's latest sport if current plans take off. Wick Amateur Swimming Club is testing the water by staging an introductory course on Monday. They then hope to attract enought interest to get regular sessions off the ground.
CAITHNESS and north Sutherland is bracing itself for its fourth storm in seven days while clean-up and repairs are in full swing, following the battering it took from hurricane force winds, the worst to hit the area for 20 years. Over 7,200 homes in the far north were left without power as engineers battled to reconnect them, with John O' Groats the last area to go back online, on Monday morning.
"FIREBALL" was the word used by one passenger to describe what happened to the bus she and dozens were travelling on, when it burst into flames. Sarah Dymond claims she and the Wick High School pupils were lucky to escape with their lives on the journey from John O Groats on the Stagecoach service bus on Monday morning. The passengers were forced to make an emergency exit at Quoys of Resiss when the Wick-bound, 49-seater caught fire at 8.25am.
WICK's Hogmanay street party was almost cancelled hours before it as due to go ahead, because of a lack of volunteers. Organisers are also warning the future of the event is on the line given the small amount of money donated on the night. HAPPY committee chairman Allan Farquhar said the number of volunteers who signed up to steward and administer first aid at the latest party, was the minimum it legally required to host the event.
THE chairman of Scrabster Harbour Trust yesterday said UK Treasury chiefs need to act fast to help the North Sea oil industry. Tom Pottinger said falling oil prices could hinder the development of Shetland oil fields and put the far north economy at risk. He added that tax incentives were needed to help companies, but he believes the Caithness port could benefit from the downturn.
POWER outages, which left Caithness shivering in the dark for days, have been described as the worst to have ever taken place. Gusts of up to 100mph battered the far north during Friday and left over 7000 homes in the area without power for up to three days as residents waited for engineers to work through atrocious weather conditions to switch it back on.
VICTIMS of power cuts were too reliant on modern technology and as a result missed out on receiving help and assistance during one of the worst blackouts to hit the area. Caithness landward Highland councillor, Matthew Reiss, said lessons needed to be learned on how to get information out to people affected by power outages so they can recive both food and water during emergencies.
THE stormy weather and wintry conditions which battered Caithness over the past few days have closed North Highland College in Thurso and the Citizens Advice Bureau in the town. A wall at the haulage contractors depot in Scrabster was damaged while trees were blown down and slates came off roofs. Fences and street lights were also affect by the strong winds.
A CAITHNESS councillor is delighted with a new policy to give P1-3 children free schools meals and only regrets not being able to provide them to all primary pupils. Gail Ross believes the added benefits of making sure young children get at least one good meal a day, will continue well into the future as they learn to value good food.
A CAITHNESS train passenger has vented her anger with the lack of communication from ScotRail when her journey went wrong and she was left stranded some 51 miles from home. The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, and five fellow passengers were making the long journey from Glasgow to Wick with a change at Inverness, by train on December 29. Upon reaching the Highland Capital, the group were put in taxis to Golspie and left to stand for over an hour in temperatures as low as minus three degrees Celsius, with no explanation given, as the why, claims the woman.
WATER polo could become the far north's latest sport if current plans take off. Wick Amateur Swimming Club is testing the water by staging an introductory course on Monday. They then hope to attract enought interest to get regular sessions off the ground.