Police say two others injured in snowslip at No 5 Gully on UK’s highest mountain
Two climbers have been killed and two others injured after being caught in an avalanche on Ben Nevis.
The incident happened in an area of the UK’s highest mountain called No 5 Gully shortly before midday on Tuesday. Members of the Lochaber and Glencoe mountain rescue teams were at the scene.
Continue reading...Met Office puts Britain on yellow alert as destructive weather arrives from the west
Forecasters have warned of possible travel disruption and power cuts as they issued a yellow weather warning for Storm Gareth, which could bring destructive weather when it hits the UK this week.
The storm is expected to land on Tuesday and the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for strong winds covering almost all of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as parts of Scotland, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Some north-western areas of England were also issued with yellow warnings of rain for Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Continue reading...Protesters use red paint to symbolise climate deaths, day after sit-in at Scottish oil event
Extinction Rebellion activists have thrown buckets of “blood” outside Downing Street to call for greater action on climate change.
About 400 demonstrators, including families with children, spilled more than 200 litres of red paint to make the severity of climate change “viscerally clear”.
Continue reading...Students and staff evacuated from campus and bank building after calls to police
Several buildings at the University of Glasgow and the Royal Bank of Scotland’s headquarters in Edinburgh have been evacuated following reports of suspicious packages.
The two packages have not been linked and it is not clear if they represented a threat, but they follow reports on Tuesday of a package bursting into flames after being opened at a building operated by Heathrow airport, and similar packages being found at other London transport hubs.
Continue reading...Holidaymaker shocked to see stowaway python in her slip-ons on return from Queensland
As souvenirs go, it is a unique one. A woman has returned to Scotland from a holiday in Australia to discover a stowaway snake hidden in one of her shoes.
In an incident that will confirm the worst fears of visitors to Australia, Moira Boxall unpacked her luggage after the more than 9,300-mile journey from Queensland to find the small and very much alive creature curled up in her slip-ons. It even shed its skin during its voyage in her footwear.
Continue reading...Resorts are facing one of their most difficult seasons with many forced to close off slopes
Scotland’s ski resorts are facing one of their most difficult seasons in years, with a lack of snow forcing them to close many of their slopes, raising questions about the impact of climate change.
Unusually mild weather – a record February temperature for Scotland of 18.3C (65F) was recorded on Aboyne in Deeside this week – has led every resort to shut down their main slopes. One has had to close entirely.
Continue reading...Up to 25 government members could vote for delay rather than allow UK to crash out
Theresa May is facing the most serious cabinet revolt of her premiership next week, with as many as 25 members of the government ready to vote for a Brexit delay unless she rules out “no deal” – in a move that will challenge her to sack them.
Rebel Conservatives believe there are now enough MPs across the House of Commons to pass an amendment that would require May to extend article 50 rather than allow the UK to leave without a deal.
Continue reading...Andy Nisbet named as one of two men killed on most northerly munro in Scotland
Andy Nisbet, one of Scotland’s most revered mountaineers, has been named as one of the two men who died during a climb on Ben Hope in Sutherland earlier this week.
Leading Scottish climbers paid tribute to Nisbet, 65, and his climbing partner Steve Perry, 47, after police confirmed rescue teams had recovered both men’s bodies from the snow and ice-covered mountain, the most northerly munro (a mountain with a height of more than 3,000ft) in Scotland.
Continue reading...Chillingham Barns in Northumberland reaches a low of -11.7C while Braemar in the Scottish Highlands falls to -12.6C
England has seen its coldest night of the winter so far as temperatures tumbled across the UK. A low of -11.7C (10.9F) was recorded at Chillingham Barns in Northumberland in the early hours of Sunday morning, the Met Office said.
In Scotland a low of -12.6C (9.3F) was seen at Braemar in the Highlands, although it was a few degrees off the -15.4C seen there on Thursday. Elsewhere on Sunday morning the coldest spot in Wales was at Swyddffynnon in Dyfed, where -6.5C (20.3F) was seen, while in Northern Ireland the lowest temperature recorded was -2.6C (27.3F) in Katesbridge, Co Down.
Continue reading...Motorists stranded and air and rail services cancelled as temperatures plunge
Thousands of people have been trapped, delayed and had their journeys disrupted by heavy snow that swept across parts of the UK, as forecasters warned more severe weather was on the way over the weekend. Scotland could see lows of minus 16C (3.2F) over Saturday night into Sunday as the cold snap continues, the Met Office said.
Hundreds of motorists were stranded on Friday, while air and rail passengers faced cancellations or difficult journeys and more than 1,000 schools were closed. Some householders experienced power cuts and sporting fans had events cancelled or travel plans wrecked.
Continue reading...Strong northerly winds, snow and ice forecast to affect large parts of country
A large swathe of the UK is to be hit by an Arctic blast, bringing strong winds, snow and ice in a chilly end to the month.
The Met Office issued five weather warnings for the last weekend of January, saying there was a chance of power cuts and travel disruption.
Continue reading...Scotland and north of England dominate top five as measured by housing, crime and schools
Orkney is the best place to live in the UK, with cheap houses, low crime, good schools and a population who are among the happiest and healthiest in the country, according to the annual Halifax quality of life survey.
The survey found that all the top five best places to live in the UK were in Scotland or the north of England. Richmondshire in the north of the Yorkshire Dales came second, while the appropriately named Eden district in Cumbria was third.
Continue reading...The former Scottish first minister says he ‘refutes absolutely these allegations of criminality’ as he speaks to the media following a hearing at Edinburgh sheriff court, where he was charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and two of attempted rape. Salmond vowed to defend himself ‘to the utmost’ in court
Continue reading...Scotland’s former first minister says he is innocent as he is accused of 14 offences
Alex Salmond, the former first minister of Scotland, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and two of attempted rape.
Salmond, who appeared at Edinburgh sheriff court for a private hearing on Thursday afternoon, was charged with 14 offences: nine charges of sexual assault, two of attempted rape, two of indecent assault and one of breach of the peace.
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