9am Briefing: Dead care home resident 'may have inhaled food'

THE resident of Elsie Inglis care home who died last week may have inhaled food, it was reported today.

The death of Lynn Beveridge, 59, is being investigated by police. The care home, in Abbeyhill, has until today to meet the requirements of a compulsory improvement notice on May 20 after inspectors found residents left to eat with their fingers, food waste all over the home, and residents sleeping on stained, torn mattresses.

• AROUND 30 firefighters battled a blaze at an East Lothian farm overnight. Crews were called to Muirton Farm in Drem near North Berwick after the fire took hold of two buildings at around 8pm. Firefighters remained at the farm this morning, damping down the scene of the fire.

There were no injuries, and no livestock were involved.

• EDINBURGH-BASED Virgin Money is to bid for some of the branches which Lloyds Banking Group has been ordered to sell by the European Commission.

The sale includes 185 Lloyds TSB branches in Scotland and 250 in England and Wales, along with the TSB brand, and 164 former Cheltenham & Gloucester branches.

• SEVENTEEN Fringe shows have won a total of 440,000 funding from the Scottish Government. The cash will allow the shows to be staged this summer and possibly tour overseas afterwards. They include a play about Aids starring singer Marc Almond, a hard-hitting drama about knife gangs and several shows for children.