Four things you should know this morning

Legal highs causing major health risks

Police are warning that the abuse of legal highs are burdening already stretched resources.

Police Scotland have said that the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) are putting officers in challenging and dangerous situations, after a consultation carried out by the home affairs select committee.

What legislation is being put in place? >>>

Teen girls have concerning changes in mental health

A study by the University of St Andrews shows that over half of 15-year-old females have psychological stress including nervousness, low mood as well as medicine use.

This is compared with only 29 per cent of males reporting these symptoms.

Researchers also looked at the health and well-being of those aged 11, 13 and 15 over the past four years, covering their feelings and habits, including those relating to family life, school, nutrition, physical activity, body image, substance use, sexual health and bullying.

The proportion of young people who feel very happy reduced with age, from 59 per cent of 11-year-olds to 27 per cent of 15-year-olds.

What is being done to help? >>>

Most haunted places in Edinburgh

With Hallowe’en fast approaching, the interest in all things that go bump in the night grows. So why not visit some of the most spooky places in Edinburgh?

The South Bridge Vaults are a series of subterranean chambers in the closed off arches of the South Bridge viaduct.

Originally home to local businesses, they were abandoned after just 10-years when they began to flood after not being sealed properly.

Soon after, the empty vaults became home to several illicit brothels and pubs, as well as slum housing for some of the city’s poorer residents. Crime was rife below street level, with robbery and murder becoming common. Infamous Edinburgh body snatchers Burke and Hare reportedly hunted for victims in the vaults, whose corpses the pair would go on to sell to local medical schools.

Unsurprisingly, this eerie place has more than a few ghost stories and tour groups regularly visit the vaults in the hope of witnessing some paranormal activity. From the spirits of those who may have lost their lives in the Great Fire of Edinburgh while trapped in the vaults to the evil demon supposedly trapped inside the stone circle in one of the chambers, the South Bridge vaults could well be the most haunted place in Edinburgh.

Where else is haunted? >>>

How Scottish is James Bond?

ON TODAY’S BBC Radio Scotland, Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane asks: how Scottish is fictional spy hero James Bond? 007’s enigmatic past is often debated among Bond fans. While typically portrayed as an English gentleman, one actor’s portrayal tends to stick in people’s mind: Sean Connery.

Coltrane’s documentary recalls how Ian Fleming’s childhood was spent travelling to his Scottish grandfather’s mini-estate in Arnestdale in the Highlands even after his father was killed during WWI (his mother thought it was important to retain their Scottish links).

Find out more >>>