News Archive

CAR FOUND ABANDONED IN SOLWAY

Tuesday 7th February 2012
POLICE and coastguards are trying to trace the owners of a Frontera estate found abandoned in the sea late on Tuesday. The Vauxhall made vehicle was discovered half a mile out into the Solway Firth in Cardoness Bay, near Sandgreen, Gatehouse of Fleet. But there was no trace of the owners and Dumfries and Galloway Police are trying to find out th...

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Leisure centre 'peeping tom' investigation

Friday 3rd February 2012
A STARTLED woman has raised the alarm over a 'peeping tom' in the changing facilities at DG One. The 31-year-old was getting changed in the flagship Dumfries leisure centre when she noticed a hand holding a mobile camera phone over the top of her cubicle -- quickly withdrawn when she shouted out in shock. A police spokesman said: “We know it’s a ...

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A75 upgrade project delay blasted

Thursday 16th February 2012
‘BITTER disappointment’ has been expressed over a decision not to fund upgrades to a crash blackspot stretch of trunk road west of Annan. Dumfriesshire MSP Dr Elaine Murray has voiced frustration that the Scottish Government has not awarded funding for a long-delayed improvement scheme between Hardgrove and Kinmount on the A75. While welcoming ne...

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Minister makes policing pledge

Wednesday 15th February 2012
ARGUMENTS over moves towards a merged Scottish police force are over. That was Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill’s claim during a visit to the region, insisting all parties are committed to making the new structure work. Asked about opposition voiced by Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary and its commanding officer, and his ability to offer assura...

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Brits in Gretna Green rush

Friday 3rd February 2012
IT WILL be a strictly British affair in Gretna this Valentine’s Day as a total of 48 couples travel from all corners of the UK to say ‘I do’. Registrars and members of the clergy will be rushed off their feet as lovebirds from Scotland, England and Wales descend on the border town to get hitched. But for the third consecutive year it’ll be only B...

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Open indie debate call

Friday 3rd February 2012
INCREASED campaigning on all sides in the Scottish independence debate has been welcomed by the man who oversaw the devolution referendum. Sir Neil McIntosh, CBE, who lives in Moffat, was chief counting officer during the vote in 1997 which led to a devolved parliament for Scotland with tax-varying powers. He said this week: “A lot of political d...

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Valley drugs operation

Tuesday 31st January 2012
POLICE say a cannabis cultivation site has been uncovered in the remote Westerkirk Valley, near Langholm. They state that plants with a street value of £114,000 had been found following an operation including local officers and the Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary drugs squad. Detective Sergeant Dean Little said the operation on Friday January ...

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Solway masts to shine on

Tuesday 31st January 2012
THE FUTURE of a Solway Coast landmark, the Anthorn radio station, has been secured for the time being. Towering masts, which are partly illuminated, have been a prominent feature of the southern night sky in the Annan and Powfoot areas for over half a century. The multi-purpose communications complex, located on a former Royal Naval Air Station, ...

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Double seafood jobs boost

Saturday 4th February 2012
SEAFOOD firms in Annan are promising a jobs boost with one company preparing to almost double its workforce. St James Smokehouse report strong exports as they prepare to open a new unit, while Scallops Direct say they will shortly be recruiting after surviving a choppy start to business in the town. Preparing a new unit opposite existing premise...

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Bid to keep pipe band championships

Friday 3rd February 2012
A BID to bring the British Pipe Band Championships back to Annan for a further three years has won firm backing. As Annan prepares to host the final event in a three-year contract costing an annual ‘lion’s share’ of £80,000, Dumfries and Galloway Council are preparing a bid to renew the agreement through to 2015. Confirming the bid, a spokesman f...

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