Talk of the Town: The penguin poo has hit panda fans

SINCE the arrival of the giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo there have been concerns that the zoo’s other attractions might get a little jealous.

That may be the case after visitors reported being pooped on by penguins while waiting to get into the panda enclosure.

The rockhopper penguins’ enclosure sits just above the pathway to Tian Tian and Yang Guang’s palace.

Zoo chiefs are planning to erect a glass panel near the penguin tank to prevent the ‘guano’ – or seabird excrement – from flying.

They say their ill-disciplined penguins had only targeted a small number of visitors – although they admitted the birds had “surprisingly good aim”.

Not a snowball’s chance in hell, gentlemen

HEARTS-daft councillor Eric Milligan can never miss an opportunity for a gag at the expense of his club’s city rivals.

During an economic development committee discussion of Hearts’ need to move away from Tynecastle in order to meet requirements for European competition, council official Steve McGavin confirmed that it was Hearts’ “ambition” to be in the position to need to meet the requirement.

He said: “Speaking as a Hibs fan, I’d hope my own club would have that ambition.”

To which, Cllr Milligan quipped: “Ambitions should always be realistic, though”.

Double deck the halls

WE all have our favourite Christmas jingles that trigger festive feelings - and, thankfully, the city’s Lord Provost has turned disc jockey to get us in the mood.

The RT Hon George Grubb cherrypicked his top Yuletide tunes during a radio interview on Garrison FM – the army’s community station in Edinburgh.

His selection included the classic White Christmas by Bing Crosby and the more seductive Santa Baby by Eartha Kitt.

No 5 is men’s No 1

MEN are a simple and predictable species, so it comes as little surprise to learn that blokes plump for the same old Xmas pressies, as evidenced by retailers’ stocklists.

According to research by Debenhams, sales of lingerie, jewellery and Chanel No 5 go through the roof when men awake from their winter slumber and into a present-buying frenzy.

Debenhams’ Ruth Attridge said: “For decades now, sales of Chanel No 5 have informed us about how and when men shop.”