Home   News   Article Six fire engines spent three hours tackling a blaze at the former M&Co shop in Thurso last night (April 21) A Scottish Fire and Rescue (SFRS) spokesperson said: “At 6.55pm the call came in and we attended at Rotterdam Street in Thurso “We had six appliances [fire engines] in attendance The last appliance left the scene at 9.47pm.” They also said that the fire crews employed six breathing apparatuses during the incident as well as three hose reel jets and two safety jets Thurso residents were told to keep their doors and windows closed today as firefighters tackled a second wildfire in 24 hours covering 250 metres of gorse and heather to the west of the High Ormlie area of the town working into the evening to fight the fire More than six hours after they first arrived The wildfire is the second of its kind in the area in 24 hours On Thursday, firefighters were tasked to extinguish a fire to the rear of John Kennedy Drive near to the Pennyland and Ormlie areas of the town Firefighters returned to the scene today to “extinguish pockets of smoke in the undergrowth.” Residents were told to keep their doors and windows closed for a second day due to heavy smoke in the area An extreme wildfire warning remains in force across parts of Caithness and the wider Highlands area Fire chiefs issued the warning ahead of the weekend as forecasters warned of further sunny spells The public is being urged to “exercise extreme caution” and “think twice” before using anything which could involve a naked flame Comments are currently disabled as they require cookies and it appears you've opted out of cookies on this site. To participate in the conversation, please adjust your cookie preferences in order to enable comments Residents at a Thurso care home have been going animal wild with recent trips and visits to nearby attractions Activities coordinator Jeanine Sinclair explained: “The residents of Pentland View Care Home love getting out and about almost as much as they love animals that we have such lovely places to visit right on our doorstep that allow for both of these things at once residents have had the pleasure of outings to both Geise Farm and Puffin Croft Reena Warren and Gwen Stewart enjoyed both the animals and scenery at Geise Farm they were greeted by the farm’s friendly collies Reena and Gwen were off through the barns to meet the farm’s other occupants before setting out on a walk to the scenic waterfall What fun it was watching them run about and come up close to see who these new visitors were they met with various lovely cats to stroke and talk to along the way The next animal-centric excursion saw the minibus loaded up for a trip to Puffin Croft in John O’Groats the residents enjoyed the sunshine while feeding carrots to all of the lovely animals on the croft Jeanine added: “A personal favourite of resident Linda Chisolm were the pigs With a smile on her face she said: ‘I’m glad that I tried that and goats all bustling to have their turn getting fed carrots “Following on from their visit to Puffin Croft the residents then went to sit outside at John O’Groats to enjoy a cuppa from Café Groats and the lovely views.” For those residents who were unable to or chose not to take part in the farm trips the home also recently hosted five brand new lambs with an opportunity for the residents to not only pet and cuddle them These were brought in by a former carer at the home The lambs made appearances in both of the home’s lounges and also visited residents in their rooms Pentland View also has regular pat dog visits and is looking forward to the therapy ponies visiting in September Pentland View care home is run by Barchester Healthcare nursing care and dementia care for 47 residents from respite care to long-term stays Fire crews battled a large blaze on Scotland’s north coast as an extreme wildfire warning is issued Four crews were sent to the Thurso area this afternoon following reports of a fire to the rear of John Kennedy Drive which is the main route that runs along the north coast towards Durness Firefighters endured blazing heat as they tackled the fire as residents were told to keep their windows and doors shut due to heavy smoke in the area and crews left the area shortly after 6.30pm The fire is the latest in a series of concerning incidents that have taken place across the Highlands this week Firefighters have already battled wildfires in Inverpolly Forest to the north of Ullapool, at Morar near Mallaig and on the Isle of Skye.  With temperatures set to reach highs of 20 degrees this weekend fire chiefs have issued a fresh extreme wildfire warning for the Highlands The warning will be in force on Friday and Saturday as forecasters warn of further sunny spells Deputy assistant chief officer Kenny Barbour, head of prevention, protection and preparedness at SFRS said: “Wildfires have the potential to burn for days “They spread through vast areas of land in our countryside which is devastating for those who live nearby “Our firefighters will continue to work with local landowners and other partners to bring these fires under control “As the warm and dry weather continues “So we are asking the public to exercise extreme caution and think twice before using anything involving a naked flame.” A Thurso man has been jailed for 32 months after admitting improper sexual behaviour towards two underage girls Passing sentence on Kane Cameron on Monday Sheriff Gordon Lamont said there was “no alternative to custody” Cameron (30) pleaded guilty to six charges, previously when the case was continued for a background report The offences occurred between July 2019 and October 2021 Wick Sheriff Court heard that the accused entered into a relationship with the 13-year-olds in turn He communicated with them in sexual terms and touched them inappropriately at a house in Thurso different to his present address of Stainland Drive The accused was also said to have sent one of the teenagers indecent images and videos and he also admitted possession of illegal images he provided alcohol to a third girl for consumption in a public place was told that the string of offences came to light after the mother of one of the girls had reason to become concerned and contacted the police Advocate Eilish Lindsay said that Cameron appreciated the seriousness of his actions and was “ashamed and remorseful” She highlighted the accused’s health difficulties and appealed to Sheriff Lamont to consider alternatives to custody was jailed for a total of 32 months on four of the charges A fifth charge also attracted a five-month custodial term which will run concurrently and the accused was admonished on the alcohol offence He was required to place himself on the sex offenders register and was made subject to a non-harassment order banning him from having contact with his victims Ward councillor for Thurso, Ron Gunn, opened up about the health issues which led to him making the hard decision to stand down from his role as chair of the Caithness Committee The 70-year-old will maintain his role as a councillor for Thurso and Northwest Caithness but after a period of illness in which he could not perform his duties as chair of the committee who advised him to “take it a bit easier” with his work schedule I was elected as chair of the Caithness Committee,” said Cllr Gunn “It was a great honour and privilege to have been elected as chair I believe that the area chair should always be available and as I was unwell last year and am still receiving treatment I cannot rule out needing to be off in the future I will continue to work hard as a councillor for Thurso and West Caithness.” Cllr Gunn said he thanks fellow Caithness councillors for their contributions during his time as chair and also those members who have given him their help and support “My thanks also go to those council officers and representatives of other agencies who produced and presented the numerous reports to the Caithness Committee meetings.” set up in a bid to devolve power from Inverness to local communities but consider a vast range of topics including police and fire reports It is the only public-facing forum for local decision-making and funding I would like to wish the Caithness Committee every success under the leadership of my two successors who are going to share the responsibility of chairing the committee for the remaining two years of this term.” After firefighters successfully extinguished a moorland blaze at Thurso yesterday Drone shots taken by Thurso resident Billy Gray at 3pm today show smoke drifting from a hill on the western side of the town and across a nearby housing estate A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) spokesperson stated: “We received a call at 2.32pm reporting a fire in the open in Thurso Moors “Operations control mobilised three fire appliances where firefighters are currently working to extinguish the fire affecting a large area of gorse and heather measuring approximately 250 metres The SFRS said that the wildfire is currently being tackled by Thurso crews but Wick firefighters may join them after dealing with another incident Yesterday, the alarm was raised at 3.02pm and fire crews extinguished the blaze by 5.50pm with the last crew leaving the scene at 6.35pm Four crews were called into action after the fire was reported behind John Kennedy Drive near the Pennyland and Ormlie areas of the town An area roughly 300 metres by 200 metres was ablaze beside the A836 road westwards Such was the density of black smoke from the fire residents were asked to keep windows and doors closed during the operation The fire was just the latest in a series to hit Scotland and the Highlands amid an extreme wildfire warning now extended into the weekend by SFRS After sending out a strong message about wildfires this week fire services are currently dealing with a moorland blaze at Thurso UPDATE: North coast wildfire near Thurso extinguished Firefighters are working to douse the large fire and local residents are advised to close windows and doors due to smoke A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 3.02pm on Thursday to reports of a fire in the open at the rear of John Kennedy Drive “Operations Control mobilised four fire appliances where firefighters are working to extinguish a fire affecting a large area of moorland measuring approximately 300 by 200 metres Large clouds of smoke are drifting across the town with many locals taking to social media to find updates Another SFRS spokesperson said at 4.45pm today: “The information we have received states it is quite a big area of fire and it’s ongoing “It’s just in front of the houses at Ormlie but at the moment there are no buildings involved and the firefighters are tackling it so it doesn’t get that far It’s gorse and undergrowth that’s on fire at the moment so crews are out there just now trying to knock it back.” SFRS had posted a public notice on Monday warning about the possibility of wildfires with warmer weather coming in said there was an “extreme risk across the southwest The public was urged to exercise caution if out and about in rural areas during the Easter holidays and avoid lighting outdoor fires SFRS deputy assistant chief officer Kenny Barbour said: "Wildfires have the potential to burn for days as we've seen this week in Dumfries and Galloway and they spread through vast areas of land in our countryside "Our firefighters will continue to work with local landowners and other partners to bring these fires under control and so we are asking the public to exercise extreme caution and think twice before using anything involving a naked flame "Responsible human behaviour can significantly lower the chance of a wildfire starting so it is crucial that people act safely in rural environments and always follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code." Police are investigating after a car was set ablaze at the second attempt in an early morning arson attack near Thurso No-one was hurt in the incident in the early hours of this morning The first failed attempt to set the vehicle ablaze happened at MacKenzie Terrace Westfield between 6.30 pm on Tuesday this week and 7.30 am the following morning the car was set on fire with firefighters called to extinguish the blaze Detectives are asking the public for help in identifying the culprit or culprits A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We are appealing for information following a car being set alight on MacKenzie Terrace in Westfield “An attempt was made to set the car alight some time overnight between Tuesday 8th April at 6:30pm and Wednesday 9th April 2025 at 7:30am then about 4am on Thursday 10th April the car was fully set ablaze “The fire was extinguished by colleagues from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and there were no injuries.” Anyone with information to assist in police enquiries is asked to get in touch quoting incident 0606 of 09/04/2025 Thurso Highland councillor Ron Gunn has welcomed the completion of work centring on two popular footpaths in the town which has made them more accessible by all users The resurfacing of the pavement running along the west side of Ormlie Road from Dunbar Hospital to the junction with Castlegreen Road includes new drop kerbs and tactile paving The resurfaced riverside footpath at the Mall is meanwhile wider than before while vegetation has been trimmed and the entrance to and from the A9 relocated to the corner of Janet Street The path towards the bridge has also been re-tarred and surrounding vegetation trimmed while the footbridge leading to the boating pond has been repaired Lybster-based John Gunn & Sons carried out both schemes which were funded by the Scottish Government’s active travel fund and managed by Highland Council Councillor Gunn said: “They have been two very successful active travel projects.” He was also keen to note the impending start of work to refurbish Gillock Park play area adjoining Thurso’s caravan and camping site The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) issued an update on the incident in Thurso yesterday when a fire broke out at the former M&Co shop in the town centre The former shop has been lying empty since the clothing company vacated the premises in 2023 and was subsequently bought by local businesswoman Michelle Dinger An SFRS spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 6.55pm on Sunday to reports of a building fire at the former M&Co building on Rotterdam Street in Thurso “Operations Control initially mobilised two appliances to the scene firefighters found a well-lit fire in the boiler room of the ground floor and crews left the scene around 9.46pm after ensuring the area was made safe The former shop had been the source of controversy before when fencing was erected around it as a safety measure against the possible fall of unsafe masonry from the roof The Heras fencing surrounding it was widely condemned as being unsightly and a hazard to pedestrians, especially disabled people. There was also an incident when the path of an ambulance was impeded by it when an elderly woman fell in the precinct The fencing was removed in August last year but the shop remained empty with no sign of work to improve it A disabled Thurso woman talked candidly about the fear and horror she experienced as a wildfire encroached upon her home last Thursday Louise Smith is a well-known disability campaigner in Caithness and was away from her house on John Kennedy Drive when she was told about the blaze on moorland close to it “For about two hours I was bawling my eyes out as I thought I was going to lose my house,” said Louise “The fire brigade was working to protect houses all along the back of John Kennedy Drive They were running up the drives with hoses and heading round the back Louise has suffered from the debilitating disease multiple sclerosis (MS) for many years and the condition has worsened to the extent that she needs a special hoist to get her in and out of bed but not everyone ends up in a wheelchair like me I have two people who come in to help me get in and out of bed.” When she heard about the fire and how close it was to her property friends helped rush her back to the street so she could recover some of the disability equipment she depends on “The first thing we did was rescue my adapted car My priorities weren’t to rescue life memories of my children with photographs – I wondered how I would function for the next 24 hours and what I would need.” Louise said that two of her friends were allowed to access her property to save specialist equipment like the hoist and similar items “I didn’t know if the house was going to go up in flames or not I was down the street when I got a phone call from someone who said the fire was right at the back of my house “The fire brigade were directing people away from the area so I went to my dad’s house as he lives just round the corner I had been advised that I might not be able to get into my house again that day That’s a huge problem as I need level access for my electric wheelchair everywhere I go.” Louise foresaw the issues she would face if she did not save her disability aids the crew members from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service allowed her friends to access the house and remove the hoist and sling for lifting an overnight bag with medication and her wheelchair charger “I was anxious that I could lose all of these vital things in the fire so didn’t even think about saving items of sentimental value “The heat in the back garden was terrible and there were sparks blowing in There was a tree stump next to my greenhouse that was alight and they got a watering can and managed to put it out “If you look out the back now there are still some trees there but the gorse is all charred.” had heard about the fire from social media and news reports “She realised it was my house and she was really worried so as soon as I knew what was happening There were so many people phoning me who knew I lived close to the fire.” She said that the fire was “spitting so many sparks and heat” that it could easily have set her home alight She also heard that one of her neighbours lost their garden to the blaze “I thought my decking would go up but the fire brigade were absolutely brilliant and were fighting the fire from some of the gardens here I really fear what would have happened if it had taken place at night I was really worried it would take off again.” There was a second blaze near the site of the original one the next day but that did not impact the residents on John Kennedy Drive and surrounding areas to the same extent The two wildfires are being treated as deliberate by police The force has urged anyone who “saw people setting fires” to get in touch and the have condemned those responsible for the “extremely dangerous and reckless act” - especially given the blazes’ close proximity to people’s homes A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “If you have any information Highland Council’s latest moves to regulate parking in Thurso town centre have stirred up a hornet’s nest More than 200 residents and traders turned out on a bitterly cold evening on Tuesday to register their opposition at a public meeting in the Pentland Hotel arranged by Thurso Community Council The proposals include consideration of parking charges at two sites and making parts of Sinclair Street Campbell Street and High Street covered by residents’ parking permits between 8am and 6pm They were unanimously rejected while many at the meeting also complained that business in the town centre has already been hit by changes introduced in 2021 The three local Highland councillors who attended revealed they have been battling to ease the regulations in place and they all pledged to bring in a regime which fits the needs of local people “We’ll continue to fight to get some common sense and for what suits Thurso,” said Councillor Reiss “We’ve not been listened to but we are prepared to take on the powers-that-be We’ll get them to listen and it would be incredible if Inverness tried to overrule the wishes of the community and its local councillors.” Community council secretary Iain Gregory said the consultation launched last month on the latest proposals has provoked a furious backlash An online protest petition has attracted more than 1000 signatures and “countless” people have expressed their opposition to community councillors Caithness West Community Council has also made clear it is against the changes While accepting the issue is at an early consultative stage Mr Gregory said: “Proposals have a nasty habit of turning into policy.” Thurso resident Suzanne Mackenzie was among those to focus on the interest in installing parking meters opposite 1-9 Janet Street and in the car park in Meadow Lane which the council leases to the Co-op supermarket Ms Mackenzie said the advantage this would give the Co-op’s competitors could have a “massive” impact on its business and employees Councillor Mackie said he and his colleagues oppose any move to introduce parking charges in the town pointed out that as there is no bus service meaning that people in her area are reliant on private transport to get into the town She said: “Whoever in Inverness drew up these proposals have they ever visited Thurso or spoken to the businesses here They obviously haven’t spoken to the local councillors or the residents She added: “I’m quite willing to join a demonstration in Thurso or Inverness or wherever as they need to know we’re here and we don’t want our town centre dying.” voiced concern that the increasing premium put on parking is making it more difficult for people to access important public facilities such as the town library and doctors’ surgeries Ms Mackenzie chipped in: “Is the library another facility which is going to end up closing as nobody can park near it • ‘The council can just take my keys’ – Thurso businessman says his company will be ruined by proposed parking regulations • Could Highland Council’s parking proposals be ‘final nail in the coffin’ for Thurso businesses? • Thurso parking regime is subject to new consultation • Sign up to our newsletters here and subscribe to the Groat and Courier here Former Highland councillor Donnie Mackay said the official behind the latest proposals should be invited north to speak with community representatives and shopkeepers He said the 2021 changes have caused major problems for town centre businesses and need to be reviewed while the latest proposals should be scrapped “I think this is terrible and that everyone in the room is behind us on this Pentland Hotel owner Andrew Mackay said the parking restrictions brought in during 2021 have been “strangling” the town centre “It’s making business even harder to do,” he said The initial regime limited parking in Princes Street outside the hotel to 30 minutes but that was extended to an hour following representations from local Highland councillors Mr Mackay said that it has still affected the hotel’s passing trade “You can’t come in and have a leisurely coffee as you can’t leave your car for more than an hour.” He said the restrictions have meant the street outside the hotel is often “desolate” “It has definitely affected the vibrancy of the town centre,” he said adding that there had not been a problem with congestion in the past Mr Mackay viewed the current proposals as “absolutely ridiculous” Among those most affected by the current regime is Sandra’s Hostel in Princes Street Owner George Carson said that for the past three-and-a-half years he has been protesting about the lack of parking outside his premises “There’s a taxi rank directly outside and there’s no parking allowed opposite was concerned no assessment is being carried out on the impact the latest proposals would have on businesses in the town Gary Parker and Neil Mackay both outlined the major problems the existing regime is posing for the operation of their businesses in Traill Street Mr Parker said the new proposals would lead to more people shopping online and further squeeze local traders The restrictions have also been leading to streets off the main shopping areas in Princes Street Traill Street and Olrig Street being more congested Campbell Street resident Stuart Bell said he and his neighbours are already being badly affected We need something sorted for the residents here.” Kyle Manson said customers can struggle to park near his potato and vegetable business in Brabster Street Supporting moves for a root-and-branch review of the regulations he warned Highland Council: “You’re going to damage the town’s infrastructure and going to kill businesses.” who runs the Messy Nessy children’s play area and cafe said his business relies on families being able to park near his base in the town’s pedestrian precinct session clerk of Thurso West Church of Scotland said the current regulations have also had an adverse effect on church life He described funeral parking as “atrocious” adding that members of the congregation can struggle to get a parking spot when they come to church on Sunday morning including the residents’ parking permits from 8am to 6pm seven days a week said the existing regime has made life tougher for motorists like her to get a parking spot in the town and she condemned the fresh proposals as seriously flawed “The disabled parking that is shown (in the drawings) is completely wrong Ms Smith revealed that she recently got a ticket for parking on a single yellow line “It was very obvious that I have a wheelchair-ramped vehicle Why did they ticket somebody who can’t walk?” founder of Caithness and Sutherland Respite Campaign said the parking restrictions are also causing problems for local carers getting parked near their client’s house “It can be a total nightmare for them,” said Ms Jones “They can go round and round searching for a parking space.” who chairs the Association of Caithness Community Councils attended the meeting to give a message of hope to opponents of the current and proposed restrictions He said he and his colleagues on Wick Community Council successfully fought plans to impose new parking restrictions and charges proposed for its town centre in 2019 He said: “We were listened to and in early 2020 Mr Gregory said: “People power counts but these things seem to keep materialising from Inverness It’s one problem after another and they tend to be revenue-raising.” He believed many of the current and proposed restrictions have been drawn up to deal with a problem that doesn’t exist predicted the final proposal would not be firmed up before the summer He said: “I believe the current restrictions are completely unsustainable as they currently sit They are definitely having a negative impact and need to be amended with a degree of urgency “They were a mistake and since the (council) election in 2022 the Thurso councillors have been looking to overturn them and get more appropriate measures in place and we’ve been going round the houses for well over a year-and-a-half trying to find alternatives He added: “Every business that I’ve spoken to has concerns The town centre is an incredible asset for the town and we need to be protecting the businesses in it and making it easier for people to access its services.” Councillor Gunn said he and his colleagues have hit a brick wall in trying to get officials to change the regulations He believed the current restrictions applying to parking in different parts of Princes Street is “absolutely crazy” “It’s so obvious that nobody wants it,” he said Councillor Gunn added: “We want between two and three hours (parking time) to apply along the whole street.” Councillor Reiss said: “This is about democracy and ensuring the majority view wins out at the end of the day.” He favours a “light-touch” policy that ensures the town centre is a busy He revealed that local councillors had unsuccessfully sought to relax parking restrictions in the run-up to Christmas “We didn’t get an acknowledgement or reply to our request,” said Councillor Reiss Councillor Mackie said the proposal will go forward to the Caithness area committee where He said: “We would seek to ensure that something could be brought forward that the area committee could vote for something that meets the needs of the community and gets rid of all this silly stuff.” The consultation on the proposals runs until January 13 Highland Council has been approached for comment A Thurso man has admitted a series of sexual-related offences against underage girls Kane Cameron will be sentenced next month after Sheriff Neil Wilson considers a background report and hears details of the offences The 29-year-old originally pleaded not guilty to the indictment but changed his pleas on Tuesday after plea-bargaining Pleas of not guilty to eight other charges were accepted by fiscal depute David Ballek The six charges admitted involved inappropriate sexual activity including assault making alcohol available to a 13-year-old girl and possession of indecent photos of children Plans to change the face of education in Thurso remain at the centre of the Highland Investment Programme – worth £2.1 billion over 20 years with planning expected to be ramped-up this year The proposal could result in more activity and jobs in the town as the council looks at creating Points of Delivery – dubbed PODs – to concentrate more services under one roof The proposals will be developed further and augmented through a wider place-based approach to maximise the use of assets and improve service delivery in Thurso before it is consulted on and a decision is arrived at in June So far that “initial assessment” has five distinct categories and each “would have a range of sub-options based on using either existing sites or any other sites that may be identified as suitable” The first is a 3-18 campus (one primary school): Thurso High Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) provision and Additional Support Needs (ASN) bases all located on one campus The second is a 3-18 campus (two primary schools): which is as above but with primary school provision split between the 3-18 campus and one other primary school located elsewhere and with revised catchment areas Retain the status quo: three primary schools (with ELC) on separate sites from the high school • Ambitious proposals for local roads, schools, housing, services and generating money from renewables • Relief that Thurso primaries are included in £100m masterplan • Highland Council leader: ‘We are working together to deliver the best we possibly can’ The fourth is separate campuses (one primary school): as above but one combined primary school on a separate site from the high school separate campuses (two primary schools): as above but two separate primary schools with revised catchment areas Dingwall has already gone through much of this and in the case of the Ross-shire town it is looking like it would get three PODs – community for example the council and the NHS) and a depot POD The latter could amalgamate sites used by agencies that have approximately similar needs – for example Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Services – but this is yet to be determined A long-list for a so-called community POD has been developed by Highland Council officials that has concentrated on education – other options would be an office POD and a depot POD for multi-agency storage or maintenance facilities The idea is underpinned by common-sense objectives to place as many services and amenities under one roof as possible to provide ease of access for the public and staff and save money on unneeded facilities Mystery surrounds a series of resignations at Thurso Community Council after the group said it would issue a full statement on Friday The matter was initially highlighted in a Facebook group called Thurso Community Real on Wednesday which stated that there were several resignations of community council members pending TCC was contacted to verify if there was any truth to the social media post and released a preliminary statement on Thursday morning with a full statement to be released on Friday afternoon The statement reads: “A number of members of TCC have submitted their resignations and it is expected that further resignations are to follow shortly “It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time other than to say that the relevant Highland Council officers are aware of the situation Further information will be provided to the public in due course.” Speculation was rife on the Facebook group that one person had been the source of discord Mr Glasgow was contacted to establish the veracity of these claims and said there had been no formal communication with TCC members on the matter and he had only become aware of the issue through a third-party posting on social media “This has come on the back of a grossly discourteous email that I received from a fellow member,” said Mr Glasgow He said that the letter had mentioned an “offer of Highland Council officers to pay a visit to TCC to mediate” on the ongoing issues within it “I am no angel but nobody deserves this level of vitriol Others have spoken to me and described it as a ‘public crucifixion’ and I am pleasantly surprised at all the people who have voiced their concerns to me on the street or in private messages “I’m only human and when it happens it hurts.” Mr Glasgow says it has taken “bullying to an entirely different level” and hopes the TCC can recover to continue its work “It suggests to me they are trying to control the narrative and act as gatekeepers to encourage other members to join them Mr Glasgow was previously embroiled in a “heated debate” at TCC back in September last year when a member of the public left a meeting in tears and the atmosphere was described as highly “confrontational” TCC chairperson Thelma Mackenzie read out complaints made by members of the public “about a community councillor” Though Mr Glasgow was not mentioned as the source of these complaints in the information shared he said that he had “questions relating to the complaints procedure” a furious exchange took place in which the chair asked Mr Glasgow “to be quiet” to which he replied that she “was not his boss and couldn’t tell him what to do” Mr Glasgow was criticised for being disrespectful and was advised by members “in very clear terms indeed that they considered that his conduct was totally unacceptable” He also took offence to the publication of the meeting’s minutes which he called one-sided and not fully capturing the “dynamics of the discussion or the contributions of all participants” Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor Matthew Reiss said: “If this news is correct it is bitterly disappointing and concerning As evidenced at Halkirk on Wednesday evening community councils play a pivotal role in our different communities.” Provost Struan Mackie said: “I am incredibly concerned to hear that one of our largest community councils may be facing abeyance due to coordinated resignations “Functioning community councils are an integral part of local government and communities are worse off when that voice is lost “Whilst it is not appropriate for elected members to speculate at this time on the reasons why this has happened until we know more it is incumbent on the local authority to investigate and ascertain why so many community councillors feel unable to continue in post.” Highland Council was contacted to provide a comment and on Thursday its spokesperson stated: “We have been informed of four resignations from a total of 13 elected members of the community council the community council retains enough members to continue to function normally.” The local authority sent details outlining procedures for what happens when vacancies arise in community councils “Should a community council fall below half its total permitted membership (13 total members in Thurso so this would trigger if it hit 6) it would stop operating immediately “If this happens less than six months from an interim election and there are enough members left to meet a quorum – which is a minimum of four people – then the community council continues to operate with the agreement of the Highland Council.” The next interim elections will be in August 2025 so TCC could continue to operate if it can retain at least four members I look forward to Highland Council calling for elections to ensure that TCC can move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and dedication to representing the people of this town.” • To subscribe to the paper please follow this link: www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/subscribe/ Use the promo code DAVIDGSCOTT to get a year of unlimited digital access for just £10 - we really appreciate your support Raymond Bremner says the £100 million investment aimed at creating a community facility based around a new Thurso High School will benefit the whole county which has been approved through the council’s Highland Investment Plan includes money for other projects in Caithness on top of the main school campus The ambitious £2.1 billion 20-year financial plan is aimed at bringing benefits to services and communities across the whole of the Highlands The money will be used to tackle major capital challenges including improving transport and roads Thurso has been selected as one of the priority locations for a Community POD (Point of Delivery) as part of a new Thurso High School development and the budget approved at last week’s full council meeting includes significant capital funding for the first phase of the project Community Points of Delivery will be places where a wide range of council services can be delivered alongside other partner and community services as part of a future integrated operating model for partnership working the council leader and a Wick and East Caithness member said: “I am delighted that capital funding has been agreed and plans can move forward This is great news not just for Thurso but for the whole of Caithness “The creation of a community POD within the new Thurso High School project is intended to create a campus that brings together primary and secondary education early learning and childcare provision and other key community services • £100m Thurso ‘POD’ scheme could deliver new school in 2030 • Thurso ‘POD’ plans to be ramped up – with changes to school catchments among possible outcomes • Investing in our Future "Other projects in phase one include improvements to council depots in Caithness and the resurfacing of the all-weather pitch in Wick.” Community stakeholder events and public drop-in sessions have taken place over the last couple of months to gather feedback from members of the community Options being considered for the Thurso Community POD include: • A 3-18 campus (one primary school): Thurso High early learning and childcare (ELC) provision and additional support needs (ASN) bases all located on one campus • A 3-18 campus (two primary schools): As above but with primary school provision split between the 3-18 campus and one other primary school located elsewhere and with revised catchment areas • Separate campuses (one primary school): As above but one combined primary school on a separate site from the high school • Separate campuses (two primary schools): As above but two separate primary schools with revised catchment areas Cllr Bremner added: “This ambitious investment plan will bring benefits to services and communities across the whole of the Highlands The money will be used to tackle major capital challenges we face including improving transport and roads A report following the Thurso placed-based review will be presented to Highland councillors at their meeting in June The report will identify outcomes of the review including the preferred model for the community POD Firefighters have successfully extinguished a moorland blaze close to homes on the north coast near Thurso Four crews were called to action after the fire was reported this afternoon behind John Kennedy Drive but fire crews had extinguished the blaze by 5.50 pm and the last crew left the scene at 6.35 pm The fire was just the latest in a series to hit Scotland and the Highlands amid an extreme wildfire warning now extended into the weekend by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) A sparkling new cafe and bar in Thurso have opened at Brownhill Road and are ready for customers to enjoy snacks and a drink with special discounts available The buildings were owned for many years by the Ormlie Club which was a private members association and are now home to The Gardener’s Lounge and The Gardener’s Kitchen The owner of the cafe and bar is Ryan Fitzgerald who said: “I have now opened it to the public “The contractors and I started work on the bar and wooden chalet in April 2024 It took much longer than I had anticipated due to the level of the work which was required “Both properties were completely renovated with the bar finished towards the end of last year I couldn’t oversee the finished project as I left for university in September to study building surveying and the cafe finally opened for business on February 6.” The new bar manager is Jena McLean and Maureen Webster who has worked in the food industry for many years Ryan continued: “Although both businesses are out of the town centre they are very accessible with a large car park to the front “My aim is to provide good quality affordable snacks and family meals with discounts for pensioners army veterans and meal deals for school children The cafe will also be doing takeaways and all-day breakfasts seven days a week Food can be served in both the cafe and bar as they are both licensed.” All baking is supplied by Jennifer Paul of Wrenny Roos Cakery and butcher meat is purchased from North Coast Butchers Ryan says he wants to use as many local suppliers as possible The cafe at present is open from 9am to 3.30pm on Monday to Thursday Then from Friday to Sunday it is open from 9am to 7pm The bar is open from 4pm to 11 pm on Thursday; Friday and Saturday from 11am to 1pm; and Sunday from 11am to 5pm Live entertainment is on most weekends and opening hours will change in the spring LOOKING BACK: News from the John O’Groat Journal of yesteryear A licence to sell alcohol to guests staying at the Pentland Hotel in Thurso had been granted by the town’s District Licensing Court despite an objection signed by 19 residents This was the third time that such a licence had been applied for – previously it had been unanimously refused The ratepayers who had objected had done so on the grounds that there were already “excessive drinking facilities” in the burgh that the policy of the court was the refusal of applications for new licences the necessity for catering for travellers and visitors who preferred a temperance hotel the fact that in a Temperance Poll two years previously 344 electors had voted for the abolition of licences in the town and in the “moral and social interests of the community” solicitor Peter Sinclair stressed that the new owners were “daughters of a local crofter” who had “brought the hotel up to a first-class standard” They had increased the number of bedrooms from 12 to 26 and there were five public rooms The solicitor said that they did not want to establish a bar in the hotel only serve alcohol to their guests with meals who said he hoped the “bench would keep in view the moral and social aspect of the case” Increase in land values would ‘deter new industry’ Caithness County Council’s plan for attracting new industry to Wick looked set to be “strangled by red tape – through no fault of their own” It had been revealed at a local planning committee that land which the council had purchased at Wick Airport the previous year at a price of £1000 per acre had been valued at “a comparatively astronomical” £5000 per acre It had come to light when a firm had shown interest in a 3.9-acre site and the district valuer from Inverness had assessed it It was reported that “never were landowners so unhappy to see the value of their property multiply fivefold as they face ‘such severe difficulties in interesting industrialists’.” The council had written to the Scottish Development Department for permission to sell the land for less than the valued price But permission had been denied as such a move was allowed very rarely and only for sales to charities or non-commercial operations Councillors took the view that the situation involved a “major point of principle” and decided to challenge the department’s decision Chairman John Young commented that “we are never going to get development if we ask for a figure like this” Santa’s grotto units had no proper clearance Former nuclear waste containers used to create a Santa’s grotto in Thurso had been released from Dounreay without proper clearance An investigation had found that the paperwork needed to release the items from the licensed nuclear site for community use had not been filled out correctly But site operator the UKAEA and the industry regulators were confident that the containers had posed no risk to families who went to see Santa and fresh monitoring had confirmed that they were not contaminated The former ISO shipping containers had been used for temporary storage of low-level nuclear waste before being gifted to voluntary group Thurso Beyond 2000 a huge rubbish dump at Dounreay was to be dug up because it was thought to contain radioactive waste More that 50,000 tonnes of supposedly clean building material had been tipped in the geo at the east end of the site since 1960 But recent tests had found evidence that radioactive waste and asbestos had been dumped there as well The dump was out with the boundary fence of the licensed nuclear site and should only have contained building waste Contractors had already carried out work to remove 7000 tonnes and it was expected that it would take at least five years to sift through the remaining 50,000 tonnes Thomas Swan picked up a “fare” in Thurso and drove him seven miles to Halkirk Swan didn’t hold a taxi operator’s licence admitted making his car available for hire and was fined £220 Sheriff Neil Wilson heard that police observed a man leaving a nightclub in Sir George’s Street Officers followed the vehicle to Halkirk and spoke to the passenger who said he had paid the accused £10 for the journey • More court news Fury erupted at a meeting of Thurso’s Community Council (TCC) with a member of the public leaving in tears and the atmosphere described as highly “confrontational” The information, published on December 3, appeared on the Facebook page for Thurso Community Council 24 and detailed events at the meeting on September 24 in which TCC member Alexander Glasgow (AG) became embroiled in a “heated debate” over various matters As outlined in the social media post detailing the minutes TCC chair Thelma Mackenzie read out complaints made by members of the public “about a community councillor” he “said that he had questions relating to the complaint procedure” The post continues: “A heated debate then ensued in which AG said that ‘personal postings online were one’s own affair’ and ‘were outwith the remit of TCC’ with the words ‘vendetta’ and ‘grudge’ being used “The debate continued for some considerable time and became increasingly confrontational at which point member Kyle Manson walked out of the meeting (subsequently returning) he was not prepared to remain in the meeting The chair restored order and the next topic was the issue of respite care at Thor House for children with special needs The report continues: “Elizabeth Jones, who chairs the Caithness and Sutherland Respite Campaign with various insensitive and unacceptable comments being made AG complaining about the ‘length of time being taken over this issue’ adding that the person next to him (Colin Johnston) felt the same “Elizabeth Jones became visibly distressed as a result of the remarks made and left the meeting Secretary Iain Gregory was obliged to abandon the minute-taking to go to her assistance asking for a glass of water from reception and sitting with her until she was able to be safely escorted to her car.” It was reported that another member also left to assist Ms Jones the meeting was said to have become “even worse” with the chair struggling to restore order Mr Glasgow was rebuked for texting on his phone and announced that “he could use his personal electronic equipment if he wished” before finally switching it off after the second telling A furious exchange then took place in which the chair asked Mr Glasgow “to be quiet” to which he replied that she “was not his boss and couldn’t tell him what to do” In a statement issued yesterday (December 5) Mr Glasgow said he was sorry to note that the minutes begin by outlining in detail what he considered “a small point of order” He continued: “While I appreciate the passion surrounding the topic of Thor House I must respectfully highlight that the minutes do not fully capture the dynamics of the discussion or the contributions of all participants.” that he suggested moving on from the topic of Thor House after around half an hour had been devoted to it I also proposed holding a dedicated meeting to give the issue the focus it deserves this proposal was not reflected in the minutes It is important to recognise that written minutes are often a subjective interpretation and cannot fully convey the depth and context of live discussions “I also note that words have been ascribed to me which I did not say and are not my normal manner of speaking I welcome that the chair now has decreed that an audio recording will be taken of meetings for minute-taking purposes.” The community council member says he encourages people to attend TCC meetings to “gain a more comprehensive understanding of the dialogue and decision-making process” “All I do is for the betterment of the burgh This focus on me detracts from this and does a disservice to the overall residents who placed their faith in me at a public ballot.” Mr Glasgow finished his statement by thanking all those who contacted him to express their concern over the published minutes and said many were “appalled” at the way the report had been written A new school and community building for Thurso could be up and running in 2030 as councillors are asked to approve the project’s timescales The £100 million investment would create a new complex called a ‘point of delivery’ (POD) bringing together a school alongside other community facilities The Highland Investment Plan (HIP) is aimed at creating a new generation of integrated community facilities which will be complemented by a refreshed operating model for services across Highland Council and with key partners The HIP commits £2.1 billion of capital funding over a 20-year period based on the ring-fencing of two per cent of council tax per annum Thurso is in line to be prioritised for funding as part of the investment plan and together with Dingwall are pioneering the POD concept in the region Highland councillors will be asked on Thursday to approve a five-year funding plan for the first phase of the Highland-wide project They will also be updated on the Thurso place-based review which will determine a preferred model for a Thurso community POD the recommendation is that it should be prioritised for the earliest possible delivery with an estimated operational timescale in 2029/30 A report before the meeting shows a timescale involving a new-build construction between December 2027 and December 2029 with the building operational from March 2030 The overall cost through to 2032 remains at £100 million for the Thurso project – the highest of any individual scheme in the plan New schools and facilities are also earmarked for Beauly • Thurso in line for new high school and primaries as part of £2bn investment plan Highland Council leader Cllr Raymond Bremner said: “Included in the recommendations to council will be that Hub North Scotland Ltd be taken forward as the chosen Highland Investment Plan delivery partner; and that a commissioning approval board be set up and chaired by the assistant chief executive – place.” He added: “The wider context of the HIP is to establish a prospectus of investible developments that can attract private sector partners and gain more leverage for public sector investment in local communities.” The committee will also be asked to agree the proposed project delivery timescales as well as an option to move to a community POD development for St Clement’s and Dingwall Primary schools Cllr Bill Lobban added: “All work to date by the council on the Highland Investment Plan has taken into account the views of local people and local issues and priorities “Members will have the opportunity to discuss the report on Thursday and if the recommendations regarding St Clement’s and Dingwall Primary schools are agreed the council will immediately commence an informal consultation period of engagement with relevant stakeholders from both schools.” A Thurso street was locked down by firefighters last night as they battled to save a property from ruin The blaze broke out within the town’s former M&CO store shortly before 7pm on Monday engulfing the building in smoke and flames Six fire crews descended upon Rotterdam Street at the height of the blaze – a short distance from the A9 Inverness to Thurso road A cordon was placed around the area for more than three hours as firefighters in breathing apparatus extinguished the flames The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was first informed about the fire at 6.55pm Dunbeath and Helmsdale attended and remained on scene for about three hours A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 6.55pm on Sunday to reports of a building fire at the former M & Co building on Rotterdam Street in Thurso “Operations Control initially mobilised two appliances to the scene and on arrival firefighters found a well-lit fire in the boiler room of the ground floor Home   Sport   Article First round matches in the Stannergill Cup were played last night, with Castletown, Thurso Swifts and Wick Groats booking their place in the next round The cup – named after a new whisky offering from Dunnet Bay Distillers’ Castletown Mill – has been introduced as a replacement for the retired Colin Macleod Memorial Cup as the first knockout competition of the Caithness county league season Last night heralded a first win of the season for Swifts who scored a 2–0 victory against first division opponents Lybster Goals from Bruin Gunn and Andrew Bremner proved the difference between the sides leaving manager Asa Sinclair delighted with his side’s display.​ "I was delighted with everyone's work rate and effort; it would be hard to single anyone out as they all played fantastic," Sinclair said "We defended strongly and were dangerous in attack while controlling some of the game in midfield Bruin Gunn has been a great addition to our squad this year also showed great handling and made a couple of vital stops — another great addition to the squad "The boys dug in well to see out the game against a very good first division side with plenty of quality and experience I don't think the previous results reflected how we had been playing and the effort we had been putting in as a team.” Castletown edged past Keiss in a close fought game that went all the way to extra time Manager Tom McKenna admitted it was not a classic but was pleased to see his side come through.​ not much quality whatsoever," McKenna said "To be honest the result could have gone either way we were able to overcome a resilient Keiss team to go into the next round."​ The first half ended goalless before Jack McKechnie put Castletown ahead from a free kick early in the second half Tony Miller scoring with the last kick of normal time.​ Miller struck again from the spot to give the home side the lead Michael Smith then brought Castletown level with a strike inside the box before Gary Macleod netted the winner late on In the other game of the evening at Upper Bignold, Watten, who travelled with a squad of just 11, were beaten 4-0 by Wick Groats Groats held a 1-0 lead for 70 minutes of the game after going ahead through Korbyn Cameron But a late brace from Michael Steven and a goal from Alan Mathieson eventually broke the resilience of the visitors ALSO READ: Family affair for Wick Groats assistant boss Stewart Ross in Stannergill Cup first round win over Watten The next tranche of Stannergill Cup first round matches are due to take place this evening A man has been arrested following a significant drug bust in Thurso yesterday (January 23) and is expected to appear in court today Police Scotland said that a 33-year-old man had been arrested and charged in connection with drug offences after a property was searched in Thurso on Thursday A police spokesperson said: “Officers searched the property under warrant in Ironside Place “Cocaine worth an estimated street value of £70,000 was recovered along with a five-figure sum of cash.” The 33-year-old man arrested is due to appear at Wick Sheriff Court today (Friday Inspector Daniel Jack said: “We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to prevent the sale and distribution of illegal drugs in our communities “Anyone with concerns about drugs and drug misuse should contact police on 101 or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.” A Thurso resident has been fined for a spurious 999 call she made during a visit to Orkney Alison McPartlin was at the time subject to a special bail condition which banned her from contacting the emergency services when there was not an emergency She had been staying in an Airbnb near Finstown when she made the call just after 10pm on the evening of October 25 Procurator fiscal Sue Foard said the 58-year-old identified herself to the operator “She told the operator that she had been told that she was to kill herself or be arrested She also said she had been unable to make contact with her lawyer and she couldn’t keep herself safe and had no plans.” Police were informed and within 10 minutes officers arrived at her lodgings where they found the door ajar and nobody inside they tracked her down to a beach directly below the cottage Ms Foard said: “The tide was out and the accused wasn’t in the water and there was no sign she had come to any harm.” A medical at Balfour Hospital found she was fit to be taken into custody I shouldn’t have contacted the emergency services.” Solicitor Fiona MacDonald said her client has a tragic history and a “chequered” past in her interactions with authorities She had received support for her autism for several decades until it ended early in 2023 Ms MacDonald said during her time in the Caithness town McPartlin has had visits from the police after people raised “unfounded” concern about her welfare stemmed from her coming across as “slightly different” She said this had a particularly troubling effect on her because of her autism McPartlin has since been supported by Highland Advocacy and has been able to have her medicine better regulated “She has difficulties but she’s aware of her difficulties and limitations and she has accepted that she shouldn’t have behaved as she did on the day in question,” said her agent Imposing a £200 fine and £10 victim surcharge Sheriff Robert McDonald said: “You did cause some difficulties with the emergency services in that you took them away from what might have been a positive emergency.” A Thurso man who was abusive towards his ex-partner on New Year’s day will be under supervision for 18 months The sentence was imposed on Gordon Harper (38) after he pleaded guilty at Wick Sheriff Court last week During the unwelcome visit to the woman’s home refused to leave and uttered threats of violence referred the accused to the Caledonian Programme to help him address his problem with alcohol She also actioned a non-harassment order banning him from having any contact with the victim A Thurso man assaulted two police officers outside the town’s Skinandi’s nightclub Scott Allan (20) pleaded guilty to an amended indictment Sheriff Neil Wilson was told that the incidents occurred in the early hours of December 5 were monitoring the situation as patrons were leaving the nightclub after it closed It was during the Covid-19 pandemic and both officers were wearing protective masks Fiscal depute David Ballek told the court that Allan said he had Covid and attempted to pull the constable’s mask ordering the officer – “Get your mask up.” also attempted to pull Constable Milne’s face mask Mr Ballek said that the officers were dealing with another situation and didn’t have the capacity to arrest Allan The accused was subsequently charged and made no reply The case was continued to April 15 when Sheriff Wilson will consider a background report and hear mitigation from Solicitor Duncan Bird Alyn Gunn has said he is delighted with the progress made by his AG Coaching venture in its first year and a half and is looking forward to welcoming more big clubs to Thurso Ross County and Inverness Caledonian Thistle have also played their part in delivering training sessions to local youngsters AG Coaching was created by Alyn after he earned praise from many in the football community in Scotland and beyond for his work as head of coaching at Thurso Football Academy He held an in-house event on Easter Monday at the Dammies with more than 50 boys and girls attending “It was the first time I have done a girls-only session and it was great to see 16 girls attend it,” Alyn said “The other two sessions were P1 to P3 and P4 to P7 There was a surprise visit from the former Rangers defender Marvin Andrews after a chance conversation threw up an opportunity for him to attend Also assisting at the sessions were Thurso player/coach Nigel Mackenzie and High Life Highland leader Will Munro Millie Keith and Grace Mann (girls-only session) Liam Mackay and Leonard Bajena (P1-P3) and Dave Steven and Mateo Broddel (P4 to P7) Alyn explained: “This is the start of a busy period where in addition to the weekly Tiny Tacklers session I will be starting a girls-only session for ages four to six named Storybook Strikers – a different way of coaching football where the girls will be asked to interact within a story-themed session “This is in addition to our upcoming coaching sessions with Ross County on May 4, so it’s a busy period before we get ready for the summer events with Manchester United and the Charlie Miller Football Academy which will be held in conjunction with Thurso Football Academy I have been holding one-to-one and two-to-one sessions across four-week blocks These have been great and a number of parents have got in touch so I am delighted that people are putting their faith in me to teach their children “Overall I am delighted at where AG Coaching has got to in a relatively short space of time which I felt the area was desperately needing and I’ve already held conversations with people in Orkney about my method of coaching and what future set-ups may look like we are in a good place with those sessions “You require a specialist SFA course to be able to teach children aged from two to five which not a lot of people north of Glasgow have obtained “The camps we put on are very well attended and we hope to continue to attract the big clubs to Thurso.” A booklet called Tiny Tacklers was designed by Alyn as part of a Keep Scotland Active scheme in response to Covid-19 The booklet used superheroes and cartoon characters to capture the imagination of children and keep them engaged in training drills and football-themed games Police came upon a parked car with its lights and engine on and wipers running in the early hours but no-one in the driving seat and a follow-up test at Thurso Police Station revealed a breath-alcohol level of 94mcg – more than four times the legal limit of 22mcg Fiscal depute Grant McLennan described the situation as “a slightly unusual” set of circumstances Sheriff Neil Wilson took into account the fact that Barnetson was unemployed had a young family and was a first offender who had tendered an early plea and said he would limit the disqualification to a year he commented that the fine would have to be “relatively substantial” given her breath-alcohol level and imposed one of £300 Barnetson pleaded guilty to the offence which occurred on December 7 A local man witnessed emergency services at the scene of an incident at Glengolly near Thurso when a vehicle overturned and landed upside down in a ditch Dramatic pictures from the Halkirk resident show firefighters working at the scene just after 11am today (January 3) as they try to extract a person from the car A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 10.51am on Friday January 3 to reports of a collision involving one vehicle on the B874 between Thurso and Halkirk “Operations Control mobilised two fire appliances and firefighters assisted emergency service partners at the scene “One casualty was in the care of the Scottish Ambulance Service and crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.” The Met Office has issued warning about the icy conditions on Caithness roads today that will make travel difficult It further states: “A chance of disruption and difficult travel conditions due to rain and snow Stopping distances can be at least double on wet roads compared to dry conditions Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service were unable to provide further details on the incident To subscribe to the paper please follow this link: www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/subscribe/ The New Year didn’t get off to a happy start for one Thurso woman who behaved in a threatening or abusive manner towards her Harper (38) pleaded guilty and will be sentenced next month Sheriff Neil Wilson heard that Harper arrived at the woman’s house in Thurso The case was continued to March 19 when Sheriff Neil Wilson will consider a background report and hear the circumstances of the offence Two Glasgow men have been accused of chasing two teenagers along the harbour esplanade and beach at Thurso last summer while armed pleaded not guilty to a charge of having behaved in a threatening or abusive manner Wallis also denies possession of an offensive weapon denied an additional charge of assaulting one of the lads by holding a knife against his neck and repeatedly punching him and being in possession of a weapon The incidents are said to have taken place on July 14 The trial of both men was fixed for May 13 A Thurso man has admitted driving while disqualified three times within a fortnight in the town James Beresford was warned about the sentence the offences might attract by Sheriff Neil Wilson who continued the case for a background report The 38-year-old first fell foul of the law in Riverside Road The second occasion was in Thorfinn Terrace He also admitted having no insurance on two of the occasions Thurso: “This was a sustained course of conduct Your solicitor will advise you about the sentencing options that are open to the court.” Beresford will return to court on April 2 when the sheriff will consider a background report and hear mitigation before passing sentence was delighted to play in a concert with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland (NYOS) Olivia Jones-Singh was selected to play with the NYOS she travelled down to Perth for a week's residential course at Strathallan boarding school the orchestra performed at Perth Concert Hall The conductor was Catherine Larsen-Maguire and the soloist at the concert was Adam Lee said: “This is quite something for a young musician aged only 13 – she's in S2 at Thurso High School “Her violin teacher has always been none other than myself she was winning her class at the Caithness Music Festival.” Binning all the current proposals to amend parking regulations in Thurso town centre would be “a missed opportunity” Local Highland councillor Karl Rosie is urging people to think again particularly about making the town the latest area in the Highlands to operate an invitation-to-pay parking regime The changes, set out in a Highland Council consultation, were roundly condemned at a recent public meeting in the town These included parking charges on part of Janet Street and in the Meadow Lane car park and introducing residents’ parking permits on five streets Speaking at the community council’s latest meeting on Tuesday evening Councillor Rosie believed the proposals had been presented without proper context “It’s clear that there was a rationale and explanation required,” he said Councillor Rosie said the document had been prepared in response to public concern about rogue parking at junctions and congestion in parts of the town centre there might have been a very different understanding.” He said the invitation-to-pay regime has proved a success in many tourist spots in the Highlands • Thurso parking: Hundreds demand end to ‘absolutely ridiculous’ changes to restrictions “The rationale would be that people visiting Thurso would expect to pay to park while local people wouldn’t have to pay.” He said half of the voluntary contributions from the scheme go to the council’s local area committee to bankroll local projects The charges are £1 for up to two hours; £2 for up to four hours; £3 for up to 12 hours; and £5 for up to 24 hours it’s a very interesting proposal and I think it would be a missed opportunity not to look at this” Highland Councillor Ron Gunn said the official who drew the document is coming north for a meeting with local elected representatives He stressed: “We have made it quite clear that these are just proposals Nothing is set in stone and the views expressed at the last meeting will be fed into all the other feedback.” Councillor Gunn said the paper contains some good and some not-so-good ideas Community council chairperson Thelma Mackenzie said it would have been better had the meeting with the official taken place before the launch of the public consultation “We’ll need to come up with a compromise,” she said Two Glasgow men intend to fight allegations that they chased a teenager along Thurso Esplanade and beach while armed with a crowbar and a knife pleaded not guilty at Wick Sheriff Court on Wednesday Miller also denies assaulting the 17-year-old by seizing hold of him holding a knife against his neck and punching him Miller further pleaded not guilty to possessing a knife and Wallis denied possession of a crowbar The incidents are said to have occurred on July 14 The accused will stand trial on February 4 Some overdue TLC is being shown towards a historic site in the centre of Thurso that doesn’t register on the radar of many local people For centuries the Meadow Well served as the town’s main water supply and was a popular gathering place The hand-operated pump can still be seen within the surrounding circular rubble well house which was erected in the early 19th century A group of community-minded volunteers are behind the plans to carry out stonework repairs and to better promote the feature building The last refurbishment on it was carried out by Thurso Rotary Club in 1981 aims to have the first of its planned three phases completed by the summer Spokesperson Corinne Nicklin said it is to hire a stonemason to reinforce the boundary wall immediately behind the building “Parts of it are crumbling and it needs to be stabilised.” Future phases include plans to reinstate the flagstone area which used to surround the well and embed on them images reflecting its rich history These could feature the fisherwomen who used to congregate and sell their produce there and its reputed one-time use as a place of worship • Thurso and Wick improvement works ‘will make towns safer and more enjoyable’ • Snappy days! Empty shops in Thurso town centre spruced up with historic pictures • Caithness communities benefit from more than £12,000 to make ‘positive improvements’ The group also intends to improve the lighting inside the building and replace its lock Mrs Nicklin said her group has tried without success to establish who owns the Meadow Well Neither has it been able to identify any body which takes responsibility for its upkeep She said: “It is such an interesting building and so important in the history of Thurso they say it remains quite a tourist draw with visitors stopping to take photos of it.” The building is believed to have been completed in 1823 with the well continuing to serve as the town’s source of drinking water until it was replaced by Loch Calder in the mid 1870s It continued in use for a further half-century to fill water carts the project has secured £775 from the community council; £400 from Highland Council’s discretionary fund; £2300 from Halsary Wind Farm community benefit fund; and £2300 from Cairn Housing Association The group is meanwhile continuing its initiative to install large, high quality, scenic photos in the windows of vacant shops in the town It has also secured the services of a community payback team to refurbish public benches in the town centre “It’s made a great difference,” said Mrs Nicklin She welcomed any suggestion from members of the public to help spruce up the town centre Two wildfires close to homes on the outskirts of Thurso are being treated as deliberate by police Officers have appealed for witnesses after the two blazes a day apart on moorland near John Kennedy Drive on Thursday and Friday last week During the fires residents were told to keep their windows and doors closed for their own safety as a result of the thick smoke in the air A spokesperson for the force said: “We are appealing for information in relation to two large scale fires set on moorland above John Kennedy Drive “The fires were reported to Scottish Fire and Rescue Service around 3.30pm on Thursday, April 10, and 4pm on Friday, April 11 “This was an extremely dangerous and reckless act especially so given the very high and extreme wildfire risks we have been facing recently and the proximity to local houses or you saw people setting fires to get in touch with us via 101 or online Plans for a holiday park in Thurso have attracted criticism from some local residents with one fearing it will be an eyesore and the “first step towards a Blackpool type town” Highland Council is considering a proposal for change of use of wasteland at the former Bridgend Building Supplies yard in Thurso to form a holiday park The holiday chalet development was put forward by Barry Property Ltd of Thurso and would comprise of a series of futuristic style capsules for holidaymakers to live in along with parking space for 24 vehicles The supporting documents from architectural consultants CM Design state: “The chosen capsule supplier is unique and offers an aesthetic which is bold and futuristic and points to the county’s growing reputation for space exploration and rocket technologies “Each capsule is orientated to take advantage of the natural riverfront vistas and have been staggered to increase privacy between each The developers say that the development fits in with the visions of the Caithness and Sutherland Local Development Plan which aims to “improve the vitality and amenity of the main town centres in the area” Two objections have been lodged with Highland Council against the holiday park Rob Ayre sent several bullet points stating that the site next to River Thurso “will be an eye sore”; that it “would be first step towards a Blackpool type town”; that it will put “pressure on the water quality of the river and the habitat of sea otters and sea lions” that enter the river to rest on rocks; and will “compromise the cultural status quo of the town” came from John Brock who lives close to the development and says that the drawings are “inaccurate” and show a section of land that he claims to own He continues: “The current ownership of the access road adjacent to my property is unknown indicate that it has not been adopted by the council and is possibly still owned by the Sinclair Estate as part of the original access to Thurso East “I object to the proposal to make that a ‘one way road’ as it would mean I have to drive through the new development to exit my property “I also have concerns about the volume of traffic using that access road during the construction phase and “Indeed access from the A9 is a concern in general as there is also a fuel station between the proposed access road and exit road Queuing traffic at the adjacent traffic lights will further add to the congestion.” HQ Forestry also objected to the proposal and stated that the applicant must submit plans to “demonstrate how the mature trees surrounding the site will be protected during demolition and construction works”.It also stated that there has been “very little consideration” given to landscaping within the site “This will be essential in order to create a setting for the proposed holiday park provide an element of screening and privacy and to demonstrate biodiversity enhancement this is particularly challenging in terms of establishing trees A detailed specification is required which focusses on ground preparation and species choice to demonstrate that trees will establish successfully on this site.” HQ Forestry said it hopes it will be able to support the proposal once the supporting information has been provided The applicant has also been advised by Environmental Health that “no development shall commence until a scheme to deal with potential contamination on site has been submitted” “This application will be an enabling factor in triggering other brave developments along the riverbank and perhaps more permanent housing in the future.” A Murkle man who failed to stop after he collided with another vehicle in Thurso’s Tesco car park and didn’t report it to the police was fined £200 at Wick Sheriff Court Kevin Davidson (45) also incurred six penalty points The offences occurred at the car park in Millbank Road Thurso Community Council (TCC) has gone into “immediate abeyance” after a mass resignation of its members with one individual highlighted as the source of discord within it speculation was rife online after a social media post leaked information about several resignations with “more to follow” TCC member Alexander Glasgow forced it to go into abeyance six years ago when he resigned due to “personality conflicts” within the organisation and was also highlighted as the source of the current problems Mr Glasgow talked of a “public crucifixion” and being singled out when interviewed about the matter on Thursday and said the issues came on the back of a “grossly discourteous email” he had recently received from a TCC member Highland Council confirmed there were four resignations yesterday and speculated that TCC could still run if it had at least four members the organisation confirmed at 3pm today (February 14) that 11 members out of 13 had resigned and It said that further to the media release issued on February 13 a statement has now been made in “respect of the recent resignations of members of Thurso Community Council” and shared the information on its Facebook page The statement continues: "Thurso Community Council had a total of 13 elected members resignations have been submitted by 11 of those members this information has been passed to the relevant officers in the Highland Council in order that they might take the mandated steps required “It is our understanding that – under these circumstances – TCC will be placed into immediate abeyance but members felt that they had no alternative but to resign “Notices of resignation included various forms of words – all referring to the conduct of a single individual Examples are: bombastic bully; threatening; slandering; harassment; insulting behaviour; mistreatment; toxicity; fabricated accusations; insulting correspondence; troublesome; disruptive; manipulative; bullying; unpleasant; disgraceful attitude; totally unacceptable; defamatory; fears for health and wellbeing and ‘family member now unwell’ “All of the resigning members are highly respected individuals one of whom recently achieved the age of 90 years and between them they have many decades of dedicated commitment to TCC “Their only wish was to serve the people of Thurso “It is for individual members to comment publicly as they see fit but it has been decided that this statement will be confined simply to the basic facts.” The statement ended by reaffirming that 11 members had resigned Mr Glasgow became aware of the publicly available post this afternoon and said: “I am shocked at that Facebook posting which is entirely subjective and anonymised “None of these complaints have been made to me I work with a large number of other committees and groups within the support and partner agencies in the third and voluntary sectors and have had none of these difficulties that I am aware of.” A highly rated Orkney band are heading over the water to headline a gig in Thurso on Saturday Six of Mockingbird’s usual seven-piece line-up will perform in the town’s Royal Hotel at the inaugural KW1-Fest they were brought together several years ago by Jake Milway after he settled in Orkney following a successful stint on the British blues circuit Their playlist gives their distinctive takes on hits from artistes as varied as the Allman Brothers and The Faces to the Stones and Steely Dan The Thurso audience can expect soulful vocals; multi-layered harmonies; sparkling fiddle and guitar licks; and an exhilarating rhythm section Milway (guitar and vocal) is joined by Leah Seator (vocal); Andy Taylor (guitar); Douglas Montgomery (violin and guitar); Colin Drever (bass); and Will Scott (drums and vocal) Also playing will be Thurso band The White Ladies and The Andy Taylor Group The event is the latest to be organised by Thurso music aficianado Iain Elder Proceeds from the raffle are to be donated to the Stepping Stones centre in Thurso Tickets at the door cost £15 but earlybird wrist-bands for £10 can be obtained from Mcbeaths jeweller's shop in Traill Street Amateur drama teams from Thurso and Wick are learning their lines and perfecting their stagecraft ahead of this year’s festival of one-act plays The Caithness district round of the long-running Scottish Community Drama Association (SCDA) competition takes place in Thurso High School on Friday There are two competing teams from the county this year a drama written by Winsome Pinnock and directed by Audrey O’Brien It explores the generational consequences of substance dependence when Della who has just moved back to care for her mother Nanna Nola is confronted by her daughter Nola whom she gave up for adoption 20 years earlier Writer Winsome Pinnock uses humour as a tool to help the audience relate to characters whose life experiences may be quite different from their own Faye Sutherland (Nola) and Julie Kedward (Nanna Nola) Director Audrey O’Brien said: “Faye and I attended a directing workshop delivered by the SCDA’s national drama adviser in Wick last October which we thoroughly enjoyed “We were then keen to try using some of the ideas we’d learnt about and felt this script offered us lots of opportunities to do that as well as three strong female roles for actors.” Wick Players will present Death and Nellie Miller a drama written by Jack Boswell and directed by Jayden Alexander Nellie Miller is an ordinary housewife – but her life takes a drastic and surprising turn supernatural play was first produced in the 1970s as part of a British one-act play festival Tickets for the Caithness district competition are priced £10 and are on sale at McBeath’s jewellers All clubs taking part in the festival compete initially in their own district with the leading team or teams progressing to the divisional event The winning two entrants from the divisional competition then go through to the Scottish final and the Scottish winner qualifies for the British final There was no representation from Thurso in last year’s SCDA festival. Instead, senior and junior teams from Wick Players took to the stage at the Assembly Rooms A Thurso-based peatland expert has completed a long-held ambition to run across the Flow Country to mark World Heritage Day a senior research fellow at UHI’s Environmental Research Institute at Thurso ran 110km on tracks and paths through the peat bog on Thursday The experienced ultra-runner said it was her longest single-day run yet, and it took her 22 hours to travel from Crask through to Berriedale via Forsinard and Altnabreac who will celebrate her 44th birthday on Friday said: “I’ve been thinking about it for a long that it was a landscape that you could just travel through with minimal impact and connect lots of different parts of it “I wasn’t sure when to start the challenge and then I saw something saying that it was World Heritage Day on April 18 “It’s the first World Heritage Day since the inscription in July and I thought if I’m going to do it on that day, I may as well try to raise a bit of money for the Flow Country Partnership.” The partnership brings together organisations landowners and the community and was incorporated as a charity last year during the bid to become a recognised Unesco World Heritage Site The successful effort saw the Flow Country recognised globally for its importance as the most extensive and intact blanket bog system in the world joked that her full-time job as a researcher has become like two full-time jobs due to the charity but added that the inscription is starting to have an impact “We know it takes time for these things to turn into impact but we’ve already seen some positives – I’ve met people who’ve come here specifically because it’s a World Heritage Site tourists who are coming to spend time in the area because they want to see the World Heritage Site,” she said “So there’s maybe different kinds of people that might be coming to visit the area that will want to take it very slowly and go to different places compared to maybe people doing the NC500 for example “We’ve also been able to support projects in terms of the peatland restoration on the ground either within or just outside the site boundaries “I’ve also seen quite a lot of people seeing what it can do for their business in terms of branding or how they associate themselves with the World Heritage Site in a way that will add value to their services or produce.” The epic run took Roxanne from Crask in Sutherland where there is a little Flows to the Future sign which was appropriate “because I was involved in the Flows to the Future project as a scientist” Roxane said: “There’s a 600m road section and there’s a sign that says this is the route through to Badanloch – it’s a heritage path and then it connects to a number of tracks and an estate track “I thought I’d do it from west to east because the prevailing wind tends to be that way It wasn’t windy on the day but I’ve been here long enough to know that’s the easier direction to go in this part of the world!” where she followed tracks over to Altnabreac and past the Glutt before following the Berriedale Water down to the village “I did that section [past the Glutt] in the dark and it was really nice to be outside in the middle of the bog in the middle of the night,” Roxanne added She finished at five o’clock on Friday morning and looking back “When you go out for a long time there are moments that are a bit more difficult but overall the overwhelming feeling I had when I finished was one of gratitude – how the weather was so good how many people had come to support me and how I was lucky to have finished without any injuries,” Roxane said I’m not going to lie – I didn’t finish and think ‘I’m just going to go back’ “I did push myself as much as I could but it was also thoroughly enjoyable The high point for me was when I came out at Badanloch my children were waiting for me with my husband and another friend They came running towards me and that really lifted me.” Roxane’s fundraising page will remain open for the next week at https://www.justgiving.com/page/through-flow-andersen She had raised more than £2350 by Tuesday afternoon Roxane wasn’t the only one running across the Flow Country recently – Dan Ashwood, a fieldwork manager with Caledonian Climate in Perth, completed a similar 100km run between Berriedale and Ben Hope earlier this month “There’s no competing against each other in the ultra-running world we’re all happy when somebody else completes something similarly difficult,” she added “But really it was a grand day out and if it inspires a few people to be active and go and explore a few parts that will be really nice.” There are more roads in the north than the A9 I see that Jamie Stone is back on Facebook talking about roads At least this time about roads in his own patch so I guess that’s an improvement on his disingenuous Irish adventure I also received one of his “newspapers” this week and the obsession with the A9 continues there too I have been wondering for a while why he is so obsessed with the emergency travel of patients from Caithness in particular Why is he not arguing for consultants on the west coast too west coast drivers have to navigate the single-track road/dual track road systems which surely are just as confusing as the switches between single and dual carriageway systems that need to be navigated on the A9 It makes me wonder if it is because those ballot boxes may be more valuable to his cause When I first started commuting the A9 north to Caithness we had a Labour/Lib Dem coalition Scottish Government with Jamie Stone MSP as our elected representative The Berriedale Braes was the most dangerous stretch of road in the UK Then we had SNP MSPs influencing an SNP administration and providing a solution-focused approach… The improvement to that section of road is huge I also wonder why he has not spoken to his Lib Dem colleagues over the Pentland Firth in Orkney and Shetland The MP and MSPs there seem quite happy with the midwife-led units there and for mothers to travel to Aberdeen if there is a need for consultant-led care Or would that perhaps provide him with a solution which would take away his one campaign strategy – the A9 Maybe I would feel less cynical towards Mr Stone if I thought he was actually looking for solutions perhaps starting a fundraising campaign or a working group for a Caithness NHS helicopter His elected Lib Dem colleagues there know perfectly well that there are not enough births on the isles for a consultant to maintain their training hours Maybe it’s just that he has got stuck in the groove Let’s hope he will soon find the will to work with others to find solutions I worry that we might be more likely to get blood from a stone I am writing concerning the proposed parking measures for Thurso which have been covered in recent news items published in this newspaper and informally on Facebook Whilst I appreciate the concern for local issues there are several points that I believe require clarification the current parking proposals for Thurso are neither a bloc imposition from a nebulous “Inverness” nor disconnected from local input These proposals were developed over the course of a year and are based on feedback from nearly 300 local residents and businesses including our friends and neighbours; some of whom support reviewing parking arrangements in and around Thurso including the introduction of parking charges There has been significant criticism regarding Cllr Raymond Bremner’s absence from a recent public meeting in Thurso on this topic It is important to note that as a Highland councillor is neither essential nor expected unless the meeting pertains specifically to his ward I understand Cllr Struan Mackie clarified at the meeting that Cllr Bremner was neither required to attend in his capacity as leader of Highland Council nor expected to do so Cllr Bremner has publicly stated that he did not receive an invitation to the meeting if he were expected to attend as leader of the council it should be noted that no officers involved in producing the proposals were invited to the meeting as confirmed publicly by senior council officers This could have provided background information or historical context which could have been beneficial in addressing concerns Thurso and Northwest Caithness has four councillors all of whom participated in relevant discussions and approved the publication of these proposals: some even contributed to their development that three now appear to be campaigning against policies they themselves approved similar parking measures were successfully implemented in Wick after Highland Council engaged with Wick-side councillors and local residents to address concerns raised during the planning stages This collaborative approach ensured a smooth transition While initial revenue estimates for these measures were revised due to set-up costs the system continues to generate meaningful income for the area I have also raised concerns with Highland Council regarding potentially unidentified Common Good assets in relation to these proposals. However, shelving the current parking proposal is unlikely to impact existing traffic management measures I encourage the public to make their voices heard by submitting feedback – positive or negative – to Highland Council via parking@highland.gov.uk Constructive input is vital in shaping policies that reflect the needs and priorities of our community I have personally shared both criticisms and support for aspects of the current proposals and urge others to do the same I’m trying to track down a copy of a DVD which was titled “The Little Town of Wick.” I’m guessing it was produced in the early 90s by a Mr Dunnet and I’d love to know if it is still available to buy Thurso Bowling Club opened on Saturday with members enjoying their first game of bowls in beautiful sunshine junior member Anna Elder threw the first jack to officially open the green The club will be hosting a “come and try” afternoon on Saturday Anyone wishing to take part should bring flat-soled shoes to wear on the green An investigation is being carried out by the British Transport Police (BTP) after a break-in at Thurso railway station on Monday night (January 13) ScotRail confirmed that there was an incident at the station on Monday night (January 13) Information provided by the rail operator detailed that the waiting room doors had been forced open Damaged bolts on the doors were repaired on Tuesday afternoon The incident was reported to BTP on Tuesday said: “Anti-social behaviour and vandalism has no place on Scotland’s Railway “We continue to work with British Transport Police to clamp down on unacceptable behaviour and would ask our customers to contact BTP if they see anything suspicious.” The surfing community is horrified at the amount of sewage being regularly discharged into Thurso Bay The information has come from a new monitor that Scottish Water has installed to give up-to-date information about how the waste water network is performing in the area While many flock to take part in national and international competitions around the far north coast, the North Shore Surf Club (NSSC) has been keeping a close eye on the amount of sewage being dumped into the sea at Thurso East said: “The new information about sewage discharges from Scottish Water’s harbour facility highlights that this issue is way bigger than anyone would have believed.” NSCC member, Chris Clarke added: “We’re part of a campaign to get the sewage monitored in Thurso Bay There is now raw sewage spewing directly into the sea around Thurso East at one of our busiest times of the year for locals and tourists alike to surf here.” The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) released a document stating that since 2006 sewage has been treated at and discharged from Thurso sewage treatment works sewage effluent was discharged to the sea via a long sea outfall in Thurso Bay “The long sea outfall is now used as a combined sewer overflow and spills intermittently during wet weather diluted effluent can be discharged to the River Thurso at Thurso Headworks together with other intermittent discharges in the area have the potential to affect the bathing water quality during wet weather.” Pressure group Surfers Against Sewage has highlighted the issue and used testimonials from numerous people who have suffered health issues after surfing at or around Thurso East where the overflow pipe lies Local surfing champion Phoebe Strachan shared data with a Scottish Water map showing the sewage overflow was being pumped into the bay for an 89-hour period at the end of last week “I think you can agree is just rotten behaviour and totally unacceptable in this day and age,” she added Phoebe talks about the health issues associated with surfing in the polluted water: “If I end up getting sick then I have to take days off my work which means I then don't get paid which makes paying bills and all those things really difficult She says that Scottish Water has been releasing sewage into the river mouth at Thurso usually “after a period of rainfall and the sewage plant can’t cope with the overflow so it discharges directly in the sea” “For years there have been no warnings of when they will be discharging which often leads to surfers and other water users getting seriously ill.” Jason Simpson has been in communication with Scottish Water and Sepa to try and get a system set up warning surfers when this is likely to happen but claims nothing has been put in place yet Phoebe said that she appreciated the transparency from Scottish Water showing maps with live overflow data “We also understand that it is an old treatment plant that very much needs investment to renew it by sitting back and letting it happen nothing will change." A spokesperson for Scottish Water said: “Across Scotland we have invested £2.7 billion in improving and maintaining the country’s public drainage system and infrastructure over the past decade and a further £500m in our Improving Urban Waters Routemap which has seen us install 1000 monitors on our overflows to improve the availability of information for communities across Scotland “These monitors will help give unprecedented levels of information about how the waste water network is performing helping Scottish Water to avert flooding and pollution and plan targeted investment in future improvements “We are taking our customers and stakeholders on this journey with us as we improve our knowledge and invest wisely to make Scotland’s sewer system better and more able to cope with the extreme weather conditions we often face “A CSO overflow is designed to release rain and waste water into rivers when it rains heavily washing machines or dishwashers – less than one per cent is toilet water “These overflows are intended to operate in response to extreme weather conditions when the sewer network is overwhelmed by the volume of rainfall and on these occasions are operating as they should These overflows are crucial to our wastewater network to help protect customers’ homes and the environment “The quality of Scotland’s water environment remains high with 87 per cent of water bodies classed as good or better.” A Thurso businessman held his keys in the air and said Highland Council can have his company if controversial parking plans go ahead in the town This was the dramatic climax of a meeting in the Pentland Hotel on Tuesday evening when community councillor and potato merchant Kyle Manson stood up and said the local authority can have his Brabster Street business as it will be ruined by the proposed restrictions “We run LRM Trading on Brabster Street and it’s very hard to get parked as it is but if these parking proposals come in that’s going to shoot the whole business down,” said Mr Manson after the meeting concluded I might as well send my keys to the council’s Inverness headquarters because the business is not going to work as we’ll not have the parking available for customers People are not going to want to park at the Co-op and hump 25 kilos of roosters [potatoes] back to the car.” He says that there are no restrictions on Brabster Street at present but if Highland Council’s proposed changes to parking enforcement come to fruition it will affect deliveries to the business and customers trying to park up as a ‘no waiting’ policy will be enforced “Customers coming to try and buy their bags of neeps tatties and eggs won’t be able to collect them as there’s nowhere to park it takes 10-15 minutes to unload so we won’t be able to take them in We could deliver but that’ll put the costs up tremendously “It’s totally shambolic and will kill our business.” Mr Manson thinks that the proposed parking enforcement rules have the potential to “kill many businesses” and also focused on the issues that hotels and B&Bs would face “Are they going to charge extra for their residents getting a permit or what?” owner of the Pentland Hotel where the meeting took place echoed similar sentiments but added that the current restrictions outside the Princes Street premises are “not good for customers” The restrictions outside the hotel are for just one-hour parking but you can’t even have a leisurely coffee in an hour,” said Mr Mackay “If the area was congested and there were issues I could understand but there are no issues If anyone parks there for an hour then they can’t return for two hours they have to go and hunt for a place in a neighbouring road.” Mr Mackay says that a potential customer may avoid coming to his hotel due to the parking issue do I want the hassle of that or shall I go somewhere that has a big car park “This forces them into the arms of the Premier Inn and all the money goes out of the county.” He says it is the same for small businesses and retailers in the centre of Thurso where many potential customers may prefer to use stores like Lidl or Tesco which have restriction-free car parks “As these places are on the outskirts of the town Then it’s seen as not a good place to live and do business.” During the meeting there were references to similar proposals mooted by Highland Council for Wick which community councillor Alastair Ferrier said were vigorously opposed at various public meetings in the town He pointed out how the council’s projections for monies raised from these proposals were highly exaggerated and that the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council’s revelations of ‘Common Good’ land in the town affected the outcome Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor and town provost Struan Mackie told the audience that he “had no idea of what the council would do” if the Caithness area committee rejected the proposals He added: “Will it go back into the ether at Inverness and come back in a different guise This is something the council do if they don’t get their way We should not be in a position where there’s a committee decision in Inverness that supersedes anything in Caithness.” Cllr Mackie said: “The strength of feeling today could almost be touched Kyle Manson made comments that are very reflective of how many businesspeople feel in the town The current parking restrictions are putting businesses into a really difficult position and that’s the type of story that needs to be heard we should never be in a position where a local authority does something that harms a business or harms the ability for someone to make money and put food on the table.” The ballroom area of the Pentland Hotel was “filled to the rafters” as had been expected with more than 200 residents and people from the business community attending Many were invited to share their views and the strength of feeling against the proposals Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor Matthew Reiss noted the “substantial public dissatisfaction” at the meeting “The message is that Highland Council is not listening to them or to the elected members,” he told the Groat “Some of this could be resolved quite easily We had asked twice to have parking restrictions lifted on Princes Street in the lead-up to Christmas but we did not even receive an acknowledgement “If they could make a gesture and lift some restrictions that would be good The town centre is fighting for its survival.”