Readers' Best Comments

Organisers of a party on Cramond Island claim police gave them the choice of being evacuated or arrested.

Well that puts a slightly different slant on things. If people are happy to stay overnight, on what basis are the police judging that some of them have to be forcibly "evacuated"?

Duncan in Edinburgh

If they were prepared and not in any great danger why force them to leave? Let the young ones have their party as long as they're cleaning up afterwards.

Leamington Lift Bridge

"It wasn't a rescue," he said. "The people that got rescued were tourists who'd heard the noise and strayed over unaware of the tide times." If the "noise" could be heard all the way back across the causeway to the mainland, then it should clearly have been closed down earlier as a public nuisance . . .

Bring Back Poll Tax

Event organiser: "It wasn't done on a whim. We put out weather forecast warnings, tide warnings every second day for two weeks. We had spare tents, spare clothing, trained first-aiders. Coastguard spokesman: "Several people had to be treated by medical staff for the effects of the cold, as they were not prepared..." It's down to who you believe.

digestive biscuits V

Typical heavy handedness by Lothian police – nothing new! Shame they don't react to genuine calls so quickly!

Keith 1

The fire service faces the prospect of making savings in its budget.

Many industries require budget cuts, and that's because there are too many hangers-on, but surely this can't be true in an emergency service.

The Real Alfonsa Pedrosa

You just have to look at the ridiculous architecture for new fire stations to see where huge sums of money have been wasted. A fire station is basically a garage with accommodation and does not require stayed cable cantilevered roofs like the one at Kinnaird Park.They have been squandering public money for years.

Sally Longlegs

Never mind the stations, anyone seen the car park at the Lauriston HQ? It's obscene, high-cost subsidised cars used by officers at our expense. Surely a fleet of vans with blue lights would do the same job at a fraction of the cost.

The Realist

The new stations are actually more cost efficient than retro fitting older buildings. They come almost "flat packed" and contrary to your post, a station is much more than a garage and a bedroom. It requires a kitchen area, gear store, locker area, equipment store, lecture room, AV equipment, gym, office area etc. And the money that looks to be made by selling off sites such as Melrose, Musselburgh, Tranent and Mac Rd may actually raise a bit of cash.

Pantaloon

Plans for a waste treatment plant near Portobello have been rejected.

Great news. Porty gets enough pongs from Seafield without adding to it, keep Porty clean.

The Real Alfonsa Pedrosa

What a stupid decision! A waste transfer station built on an old railway yard next to a railway line? Best place for it if you ask me, bunch of idiots work for the Scottish Govt, methinks.

Road Raga