Borders farmer Kate Rowell has been appointed by Scottish ministers as the new chair of Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).

Mrs Rowell, who has been a member of the QMS board since April 2015, will take over the role on October 1st when current chair Jim McLaren steps down after almost eight years at the helm.

She is a fifth generation farmer running the 750 hectare Hundleshope farm on the Haystoun Estate, where the family have been tenants for 150 years.

She runs the hill unit near Peebles with her husband Ed and their four children.

A qualified vet, Mrs Rowell worked in a mixed practice in the North of England for eight years before she returned home to take over the reins of the family business.

The Rowells run 75 suckler cows and around 800 sheep on the farm which was previously a monitor farm, part of the successful QMS programme.

Mrs Rowell is an Honorary President of Peebles Agricultural Society and took part in the Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership Programme in 2015 and 2016, attending the 2018 Oxford Farming Conference as an Emerging Leader.

She is also actively involved in supporting the work of the Royal Highland Education Trust which aims to encourage children to have a better understanding of the farming industry and where their food comes from.

Mrs Rowell said she was delighted and very much looking forward to taking up the role of chair at the start of next month.

“I feel privileged to have this opportunity to play such a pivotal role in the Scottish red meat industry.

“I am very much looking forward to getting out and about in the coming weeks and months to hear more from people working in all parts of the red meat industry,” said Mrs Rowell.

A steam train experience operating on the Borders Railway last month has reported a second successful year, bringing more than 1,200 visitors to the region and providing a major boost for local businesses and visitor attractions.

The Scottish Railway Preservation Society’s Railtours (SRPS) steam special ran four trips from the Fife Coast to the Borders every Sunday in August.

The Black Five steam locomotive travelled along the Borders Railway, stopping at Galashiels and Tweedbank, with passengers given the opportunity to travel onto Abbotsford House for lunch and a tour, or onto Seasons in Gattonside for lunch.

The successful rail tour came as the railway celebrated its third birthday this month.

As part of the Borders Railway Blueprint Partnership, VisitScotland says it is seeking to maximise benefits from the rail route which re-opened in September 2015.

VisitScotland regional leadership director Paula Ward said: “We are delighted that the steam train excursions have proved another success and attracted more than 1,200 visitors to the Borders in August, and benefiting local businesses directly.

“A dedicated social media campaign reached more than 600,000 people, helping to once again shine the spotlight on the region to the rest of the world.

“Scotland is about building bridges, connecting places and bringing people together. Tourism is at the heart of this and VisitScotland plays a role by championing collaboration, spearheading digital innovation, promoting local areas and events and ensuring that tourism is recognised for the ripple effect of success, well-being and prosperity it brings to all sections of society.”

Councillor Mark Rowley, Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for Business and Economic Development, said: “The steam train experience has brought almost 3,000 people to the Borders in the last two summers, which is a fantastic boost to the area and would not have happened without the opening of the Borders Railway three years ago.

“It is great to hear a number of passengers returned this year, showing how much they enjoyed the steam train experience and the local attractions and restaurants we have to offer in the Borders.

“We look forward to welcoming steam trains back to the region in 2019 and to many visitors using the Borders Railway to visit year-round.”

Roger McKie, owner of Seasons restaurant in Gattonside, offered lunch to passengers from the train.

He said they used the opportunity to showcase local produce and suppliers and welcomed guests from as far afield as the US.

“We put on special menus focusing on local suppliers from within the Scottish Borders for our steam train diners.

“The steam train excursions were an opportunity to highlight the outstanding natural larder on offer in the region and it was very well received.

“We had a few diners from the US, but most of the guests were from elsewhere in Scotland and were travelling to celebrate a special occasion or a birthday.

“What we have found from taking part last year was that many guests have returned to dine in our restaurant after taking part in the steam train excursion.”

For more information on the Borders Railway, and its steam packages, visit www.bordersrailway.co.uk

A Hawick man told a police officer after he had been detained: “I know where you live – you should be worried.”

The officer was concerned about the threat because he realised 36-year-old Jason Lowe did in fact know where he lived.

Jedburgh Sheriff Court was told that safeguard measures had to be put in place to protect the officer and his family .

Lowe pleaded guilty to a charge of behaving in a threatening manner at Hawick Police Station on June 18.

Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser said Lowe had been taken into custody in connection with another matter.

He became abusive towards officers and threatened to injure himself before making the threats to an officer he recognised.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow insisted they were “empty threats” adding: “He understands it is unacceptable.”

He explained Lowe was frustrated at being detained in connection with another matter which subsequently a not guilty plea was accepted for.

Sheriff Peter Paterson deferred sentence until October 1 for the production of background reports.

Background reports have been ordered into a 20-year-old man who admitted obstructing police and possession of a lock knife.

Jake Osborn, now living at Maxmill Park, Kelso, climbed out of a window of a house in Howden Road, Jedburgh, on June 18, and tried to run away from officers.

He will be sentenced at Jedburgh Sheriff Court on June 18.

Not guilty pleas to placing a pillow over his mother’s face and struggling violently with her and also threatening to harm himself were accepted by the crown.

A Hawick man stole 10 packets of razor blades from a local chemist’s shop, Jedburgh Sheriff Court has been told.

Robert Ramsay, 34, was spotted acting suspiciously in the Superdrug premises in High Street, Hawick, on May 8.

An inspection of the shop’s CCTV revealed Ramsay placing the packets into a bag and leaving the premises.

The court was told the packets of razor blades were valued at £206.91 and there was no recovery.

When cautioned and charged by police, Ramsay of Silverbuthall Road, replied: “Guilty.”

Sentence was deferred until October 1 for the production of a Criminal Justice Social Work Report and a Restriction of Liberty Order assessment.

An Innerleithen woman has appeared from custody at Jedburgh Sheriff Court accused of assaulting her husband and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.

Shauna Pirie, 50, pleaded not guilty to the offences which are said to have happened at the family home at Kirklands on Monday, September 3.

It is alleged she repeatedly punched him on the head and kicked him on the body.

Pirie is then said to have been shouting and screaming, making offensive and abusive remarks and struggling with police officers.

A trial date was fixed for October 11 at Selkirk Sheriff Court with an intermediate hearing on September 24.

Bail was refused and she was remanded in custody – a decision which is set to be appealed.

A Jedburgh teenager who admitted having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl will be sentenced next month at the town’s sheriff court.

The 17-year-old male – who cannot be named due to his age – pleaded guilty to being involved in sexual activity with the under-age girl in woodland at Hartigge, Jedburgh, between March 1 and March 31 last year.

He also admitted sending an image of his penis to her and repeatedly asking her to send pictures of her naked body.

The teenager also pleaded guilty to asking two other 14-year-old girls to send pictures of their naked bodies to him.

A not guilty plea to a similar charge involving another 14-year-old girl was accepted by the crown.

Sentence was deferred until October 15 for the production of background reports.

A drink driver from Innerleithen has been banned from the road for six years at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

A drink driver from Innerleithen has been banned from the road for six years at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

Fifty-three-year-old Stephen Scougall pleaded guilty to the offence which happened in his home street of Plora Terrace during the early hours of the morning last month.

He admitted driving with a breath/alcohol count of 32 microgrammes – the legal limit being 22.

Scougall also pleaded guilty to having no insurance or the appropriate licence.

Mark Keane, proseucting, said police officers had spoken to Scougall only 10 minutes earlier and noticed he was smelling of alcohol.

They were in Plora Terrace when Scougall appeared driving a Ford Focus.

Sheriff Andrew Webster noted Scougall’s previous convictions which included driving while disqualified.

He said Scougall had shown contempt for road traffic laws over a number of years and imposed a six-year ban, along with a fine of £400.

Drivers are warning that a single-lane bridge near Lauder is an accident waiting to happen.

Concerned residents say there have been a number of near misses on the B6362 Eagles Bridge, which crosses the Leader Water on the approach to the town, in recent weeks.

Speaking at Monday night’s meeting of Lauderdale Community Council, Stephen Potts said: “Issues have been raised by members of the public about the Eagles Bridge entrance. They think it’s an accident waiting to happen, and having driven over it a few times, I think they might be right.”

Mr Potts said he had been surprised by the amount of traffic, and the number of skid marks on the bridge when he had crossed it earlier that evening.

“It’s narrow, it’s on a bend and it’s obscured by trees,” he said. “The signs say ‘oncoming vehicles in middle of the road’, but there’s no indication of who should give way. Vehicles coming down the hill are going too fast.”

Alistair Smith said: “It would improve quite a lot if the vegetation was cut back. You can’t see across to make the judgement.”

The meeting heard that the signage had been installed a few years ago after similar concerns were raised, but Mr Potts asked if give way markings should be added. He will visit the site with Scottish Borders Councillors and members of the roads department to see if improvements can be made.

A Scottish Government policy to double free childcare provision has put a strain on a Borders nursery piloting the scheme.

The nursery class at Langlee Primary School has faced challenges since the pilot, to increase funded childcare hours from 600 to 1140 for all three and four-year-olds, began there last year.

Following an unannounced visit in June, the Care Inspectorate rated care and support at the nursery as good, while environment, staffing and management and leadership were labelled adequate.

Staff were found to be “committed and capable” and providing “a good level of nurturing care”.

However, inspectors found that the steep rise in the number of children attending, and the length of time they were being cared for, had caused difficulties, with lunchtimes particularly chaotic.

In the report, published last week, they said: “Providing lunch for a large number of children provided a significant organisational challenge and resulted in a poor experience for children.”

Inspectors also found that activities before and after lunch were affected, with children “disinterested” and “disruptive” during those times.

The report said: “Whilst we acknowledge that preparing to serve lunch to upwards of 50 children needs organisation, children should not be encouraged into one area to accommodate this process.”

The space allocated to the nursery – two playrooms and central area – was not working well, and inspectors said that play activities for children over three “needed to be significantly improved”.

They also found that there were not enough mats for younger children to sleep on, with some children sleeping on been bags or cushions, which was branded “unsafe”.

The report also highlighted a high number of accidents at the nursery, with senior staff asked to audit these to find any patterns in time, the type of accident or the children involved.

A spokesperson for Scottish Borders Council said that the council had already taken “significant steps” following the care inspectorate visit, and had addressed a number of the matters raised, such as improving lunch routines.

They added: “The council takes very seriously any recommendations made during these inspections and regularly monitors progress.

“We are confident that the matters raised in the report are being addressed and additional support will be provided to ensure good progress is achieved quickly.”

The owners of a rare bird centre in the Borders have become the first people in Scotland to hand-rear flamingos.

Mark Haillay and Owen Joiner of new Oxton visitor attraction, Bird Gardens Scotland, took delivery of nine flamingo eggs last month.

Laid by the established Chilean flamingo flock at Chester Zoo, the eggs, which take 30 days to develop, were incubated there before being carefully transported to Oxton to hatch.

The two-week-old flaminglings are now being hand-reared by Owen and Mark in the centre’s baby barn.

“It’s a special moment when you first hear a flamingo egg grunt, and you know that within 48 hours there will be a chick asleep, resting after its epic journey from inside the egg out into the world,” Mark said.

“It’s incredibly exciting to think that these little balls of grey fluff will grow to be majestic flamingos.”

The flaminglings require round-the-clock care, with Owen and Mark currently syringe-feeding them every two hours.

“Rearing flaminglings is hard work,” Mark said. “It takes the energy of both parent flamingos to rear just one chick. We’re hoping to rear more than 10 chicks each year from surplus eggs.”

Established next to Oxton Pottery in 2017, Bird Gardens Scotland has this year erected a crowd-funded rearing barn, which was built by volunteers, with a visitor centre and cafe set to be developed next at the Riggsyde site.

“The lovely thing is that the rearing facility, or the baby barn as it is now known, was built with the help of people from across Scotland and around the world,” Owen said.

“There is a wet rearing room for chicks of the rare ducks, geese and swans we work with through the summer months, and then for flamingos in the autumn and their first winter.”

After that, the flamingoes, which can live for up to 70 years, will move to the flamingo house and pond in the grounds.

“Working with birds that are threatened or endangered is our lifetime’s work,” Owen added. “Being able to create a new flock of Chilean flamingos is virtually unheard of. It’s very special, and we’re grateful to the Borders community for supporting our efforts.”

To help raise the money needed to buy materials for the flamingo house, Bird Gardens Scotland is offering the opportunity to name a flamingo, for a minimum £500 donation.

Visitors will soon be able to catch a glimpse of the fluffy bairns through the baby barn’s viewing window. You can also follow their progress at www.birdgardensscotland.com

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Hosts Hawick have handed the baton to Ettrick, Yarrow and Selkirk following the runaway success of the 24th Borders Walking Festival.

With hundreds of walkers flocking to the town from all over the UK and further afield, the 2018 festival has been hailed a great success.

Marion Short, chair of the Hawick Walking Festival Group, said: “Visitors came from as far as Switzerland, America and Luxembourg.

“It was lovely to meet such nice people from all over the United Kingdom as well as those from abroad. They seemed to take great pleasure in meeting up with old friends from past walking festivals.

“Most walks were fully booked with the sections of the Borders Abbeys Way particularly popular.”

The six-day event included all manor of walks from easy strolls to strenuous hikes, and evening entertainment.

Fresh fruit was provided by Morrisons and Sainsburys for the participants, who were also gifted Hawick Tartan souvenirs and Hawick Balls, as well as refillable water bottles from Scottish Water.

The weather was mixed, with some days dogged by wet conditions, but the rain failed to detract from the enjoyment of the event.

“Monday was very wet, but that did not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of all who took part,” Mrs Short said. We have already received e-mails thanking us for the festival.”

She added her thanks to the hard-working committee, walk leaders and countryside rangers, as well as individuals behind the scenes, who helped stage the event

Members of the 2018 and 2019 hosting committees will meet later this month to facilitate the official handover, which began when Mrs Short handed the festival walking stick to Alistair Pattullo and Barbara Richardson from the Ettrick, Yarrow and Selkirk committees on the opening day of the festival.

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More youngsters than ever before are getting to grips with gardening in Peebles, thanks to a funding boost of almost £10,000.

Peebles CAN, a not-for-profit organisation working towards building community resilience and sustainability, has received £9,504 from Awards for All.

The group, set up in 2011, is using the money to bring youngsters from Peebles High School into its King’s Meadow-based community garden to grow produce to share in the community, as well as starting up a weekly sharing hub there, where people can share their crafting and gardening skills with others.

Peebles CAN manager Amy Alcorn, said: “We will also be working with Tweeddale Youth Action to build raised beds in their garden on School Brae Road. We’ll then show them how to design their garden and grow fruit and vegetables in the space.

“We held a consultation with young people from the youth club to find out exactly how they’d like the money spent, and their ideas were a zen garden and a place to grow food that they could cook with in the youth club.”

High school pupils have already been busy harvesting apples and leeks in the garden to sell at the town’s farmers market.

“We’re enjoying strengthening our links with the school and youth club and we’re delighted to be working hand in hand with them,” Amy added. “Our ‘Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds’ project aims to get young people active in the garden and helping them feel more positive.”

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The group is one of 94 good causes awarded a share of almost £640,000 from the National Lottery this month.

Border Arts Development has also received £5,000 to fund workshops, a school competition and youth arts activities at their annual arts fair.

Peebles-based Tweed Togs has been granted £1,50 to help increase its capacity by purchasing shelving bays to support the supply of clothing to families in the area who may be struggling.

Miles of gruelling training in the Borders hills helped an Ettrickbridge couple complete an epic charity cycle ride.

Before this year, Barbara Harrison and Linda Jackson, who are both 60, had never cycled more than 15 miles at a time.

But last week they peddled the 240 miles from London to Paris in just three days, raising £4,000 for three cancer charities.

Part of a 147-strong Women v Cancer team raising money for Breast Cancer Care, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action, Linda and Barbara said tackling the Borders hills in training had stood them in good stead for the arduous challenge.

“The fact that we have so many hills in the Ettrick and Yarrow Valleys really helped us with our training,” said Barbara, who has twice been treated for breast cancer.

“We were not keen on them at the time, but once it came to the event, I was passing women who were a lot younger than me on the hills. We are good examples of the fact that it is never too late to get fit.

“I hope that exercising regularly will help to keep my cancer at bay.”

“This has been the toughest challenge of my life – having to peddle 80 miles every day and with very little sleep,” Linda added.

“We did six months of training and thank goodness we did, otherwise we would not have made it.

“The support that we have had from friends, family, the local community and local business has been tremendous.

“We would like to thank everyone who has supported us and donated to our fundraising effort.”

The duo cycled with three friends from Edinburgh and the Scottish group were first over the finish line in Paris.

“That wasn’t really down to our sporting prowess, but the fact that we used our initiative and good sense of direction when cycling into Paris,” Linda admitted. “We had friends meeting us at the finish line near to the Eiffel Tower and it was a very emotional moment.”

To make a donation, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lindaandbarbara

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A 66-year-old woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries, after being hit by a car in Earlston.

The incident happened on Melrose Road, just after 6.50pm on Saturday.

It is believed that the woman was accessing her car boot when a car ran into her.

She became trapped between the two vehicles and was freed by firefighters.

A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were alerted at 6.52pm on Saturday, September 15 to reports of a two vehicle road traffic collision in Earlston.

“Operations control mobilised two fire engines to Melrose Road, where firefighters used specialist cutting gear to remove one casualty who had become trapped.”

She was taken by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

A man accused of two assault charges has been cleared at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

Peter Morey, 20, had denied assaulting a man and a woman near his Dalatho Crescent home in Peebles on June 8.

He also pleaded not guilty to threatening or abusive behaviour and possession of an offensive weapon, namely a knuckleduster.

After witnesses failed to appear for a trial diet, the prosecution decided not to offer any evidence against him, leading to Morey being found not guilty.

His co-accused Valentino Cariello, also 20, of Gilmerton Dykes Drive, Edinburgh, was also cleared after denying assault.

Community councillors in Galashiels have been tasked with making more of an effort in keeping the town tidy, by their own chairperson.

At last Wednesday’s meeting, Judith Cleghorn said how “ashamed” she was after returning from a holiday to find the streets of her home town in a mess.

She said: “I have recently returned from a holiday in Normandy, where I was delighted to see busy shops, very few of them empty, lovely floral displays, especially on their roundabouts, but most importantly, lovely clean streets.

“Then I came home and, on Tuesday, walked up Channel Street – and I was ashamed.

“There were dirty overflowing bins, cigarette ends outside what was the Douglas Hotel, weeds growing out of the side of buildings, dirty chewing gum-strewn streets.

“I was ashamed, not so much with Channel Street, but with myself, because I am chair of this community council and should be helping to take responsibility for the look of this town.”

She said that budget restraints meant that the council could no longer give the service it used to.

She added: “What can we do to help get this town ready for the Great Tapestry of Scotland coming to Galashiels in 2021? We have two options; 1) We can do nothing, or 2) We can get together a working party and set an example to the folk of this town. Hopefully people will join us, but we have to lead by example, or we do not deserve to sit at this table, and I certainly do not deserve to sit at the head of it.

“By this time next year when people think of community council I do not want them to say ‘Who?’ I want them to say ‘Wow’.”

She tasked members to come up with ideas for next month’s meeting.

Community councillor Drew Tulley replied: “The state of the streets are a matter for Scottish Borders Council, you should take the matter up with local councillors.

“You have got to bear in mind that there is a hell of a lot of work done in this town by volunteers, with the waterways group and Galashiels in Bloom.

“There is a limit to how much certain people can do.”

Mrs Cleghorn said: “We do need to get more volunteers on board. We need to stand up and be counted.”

A man currently serving a 14-month prison sentence for drug-dealing has been given further jail terms totalling four months for other offences but won’t spend a single day longer behind bars.

John Chapman, 28, was convicted of being concerned in the supply of heroin and possessing the class-A drug at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on August 28.

He appeared from custody at Selkirk Sheriff Court and pleaded guilty to another three complaints against him.

They involved being in possession of heroin and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner in Croft Street, Galashiels, on February 2.

Chapman also admitted the reset of a TomTom satnav found in his Laurel Grove home in Galashiels on May 4.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow requested that any jail sentences imposed not affect his original release date of December 21.

Sheriff Kevin Duffy sentenced Chapman to a total of 120 days in prison for the three complaints, reduced from five months due to his guilty plea.

That extra time will run concurrently with his current sentence so he will still get out of prison on December 21, he was told.

A popular tattoo parlour in Galashiels threatened with closure has been saved by councillors following a disagreement over planning permission.

Timebomb Tattoo, at 52 Bank Street, applied to Scottish Borders Council to convert its premises into a tattoo parlour, after the shop had already opened.

Officers from the council’s planning department took a dim view of that change and refused the application, forcing Timebomb Tattoo to appeal against their decision in an attempt to keep the business open.

Outlining the reasons for refusal, officers said that a retail or a food shop would better suit the location, despite the town centre suffering from an increasing amount of derelict shop fronts.

“The level of contribution of the proposed use to the town’s core retail function will not be so significant as to justify its occupation by the proposed use and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise,” said planning officer Carlos Clarke in a report to councillors.

“The development would potentially detract from the vitality and viability of the town centre, and no other material considerations would outweigh this potential harm.”

Footfall in Scottish Borders town centres has fallen dramatically over the last decade, leading to an increase in empty shops. 

Galashiels has been especially hard hit, with a recent retail survey showing that 37 retail units are currently standing empty in the town centre.

Recently, the council agreed to relax restrictions on businesses opening up in Galashiels as part of a retail pilot aimed at reversing the decline in footfall and occupancy rates.

Following the introduction of the pilot scheme, the owner of Timebomb Tattoo, Craig Oliver, appealed to the council’s local review body to overturn the officers’ decision and allow the shop to remain a tattoo parlour.

Speaking at a meeting of the local review body today, Kelso councillor Simon Mountford said: “I think it’s obviously material, from our point of view, that this was determined before our new policy was introduced, and, in a sense, this is a test of how flexible our new pilot scheme is.

“I have to confess that I am completely ignorant about tattooing. It’s not something I can claim any expertise on. However, it does appear to be a quality business. It has been shortlisted for some awards. It attracts people from outwith the area and even from overseas.

“I think it’s analogous to an artist’s workshop. It is selling artwork. Someone’s body is in fact the canvas and the art is being portrayed on that.

“Although it’s not strictly speaking retail, it is selling something. It’s selling the skills of the artist. Undoubtedly, it contributes to the vitality of the town centre.”

Jedburgh councillor Scott Hamilton agreed, saying: “I’m very much on the same lines as councillor Mountford. It has an attractive shop frontage. It does add to the street.

“Our policies have changed, and I’m very welcoming of any businesses wanting to open on our high streets.”

Councillors voted unanimously to overturn the officers’ decision, meaning Timebomb Tattoo is free to continue trading from 52 Bank Street.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Oliver said: “I’m very relieved, and I’m glad the council can see that there is a viable, vibrant business here. It’s busy. It’s good for the high street, and it is bringing people in.

“It attracts all walks of life – social workers, police, everybody is coming in. Gone are the days of tattoos being taboo.”

The potentially sensitive task of making headstones safe is currently being undertaken by Scottish Borders Council staff.

The local authority’s programme of headstone testing continues this month – and several of the region’s graveyards are on the list.

Sections of 18 cemeteries will be tested over a six-month period in a bid to make sure that anyone who visits or works in the 154 cemeteries the council is responsible for is safe.

However, only the older and larger memorials in these cemeteries, the ones which carry a greater risk to public safety, are being inspected.

Councillor Sandy Aitchison, the council’s executive member for neighbourhoods and locality services, said: “We know how important cemeteries are to communities and families which is why it is vital we make sure these public places are safe.

“The council is fully aware that this is a sensitive matter and will ensure the work is undertaken with due respect and only where absolutely necessary.

“This is a big programme of inspections, with around 17,500 of the 90,000 headstones in our cemeteries being tested, and as a result we have tried to let as many people know as possible.

“I would encourage anyone who is seeking more information to visit our website for further details.”

In an effort to make the public aware of the latest inspections, the council is putting up signage at each affected cemetery, posters and flyers are being distributed in communities, stakeholder updates are being issued and a dedicated webpage – www.scotborders.gov.uk/headstonetesting – has been created.

The webpage contains a video providing details on how the testing takes place and why it is needed, maps of each area of the 18 cemeteries which will be inspected and FAQs.

The webpage will also be updated with estimated dates for inspections at each cemetery as the project progresses ... Earlston Old Cemetery being the first to be tested in week commencing Monday, September 24.

The testing process starts with a memorial being checked to see if it is safe. If deemed unsafe it will be cordoned off, and signage put in place to make the public and family members aware of the issue.

However, if there is an immediate safety concern, the memorial will be made safe as soon as possible.

If the memorial is cordoned off, the family – who is responsible for the memorial – can contact the council and arrange for the headstone to be made safe themselves.

In all, the programme will last five years, using a phased approach of inspections, based on footfall, age, location and other factors.