The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
ANTISOCIAL:
Police in Perth say a single 13-year-old youth was linked to almost 60 crimes in the city last year. According to Police Scotland data, Perth’s most prolific youth offender had 57 crime reports against their name in 2025. They included carrying an...
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PERTH:
Police say a fire which caused a huge explosion at an industrial estate in Perth this week is not being treated as suspicious. Firefighters were called to Elder and Paton’s premises on North Muirton Industrial Estate on Thursday afternoon. Plumes of...
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Museum boss confident of finding cafe operator
The boss of Perth Museum is “very confident” of finally landing an operator for the venue’s loss-making cafe. Culture Perth and Kinross chief executive Helen Smout appeared before Perth and Kinross Council’s policy and resources committee on Wednesday...
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Business tycoon hits out at pub’s rates hike hell
A Scottish business magnate has blasted the Scottish Government’s rates system following the closure of a Perthshire pub. Sir Tom Hunter said the loss of Brown and Blacks in Scone “sums up everything wrong” with rating valuation of licensed...
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Shock as care home shuts down suddenly
A popular Perthshire care home has closed suddenly, with residents told to vacate and almost 40 staff losing their jobs. The shock closure of Glencairn House in Auchterarder has been described as “a devastating blow to residents, their families, staff...
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Profits soar at Highland Spring despite costs rise
Perthshire’s Highland Spring has consolidated its position as the UK’S largest bottled water company after posting revenues of more than £163 million. Annual accounts for the Blackford business to December 31 2025 show the company ’s pre- t ax profits...
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Call for action as probe into fuel spill continues
Environmental protection agency Sepa is facing calls to take action against whoever is responsible for the diesel spill at Loch Tay as the investigation enters its eighth month. Homes and businesses across Highland Perthshire were left without...
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KINROSS:
A Kinross-based showjumper who suffered a serious brain injury in a riding accident has left hospital after eight months. Louisa Milne Home fell from her horse during a showjumping competition in Aberdeenshire on February 27. She suffered a diffuse...
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COURT:
NHS Tayside has pled guilty to health and safety failings that led to an 82-year-old woman suffering fatal injuries in a fall at a Perth hospital. The health trust has accepted criminal responsibility for the death of patient Andrea Imrie. She had...
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Historical complaints on Eljamel ‘disappear’ INQUIRY:
All complaints against disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel prior to 2012 may have been destroyed, a public inquiry has revealed. During the latest bombshell evidence session into the NHS Tayside scandal, the health board’s executive medical director Dr...
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Fastest civilian jet makes short stop at Dundee Airport
The fastest private jet in the world landed at Dundee Airport as Tayside and Fife prepare to host the Dunhill Links golf tournament. A Bombardier Global 8000 arrived at the airport yesterday morning following a seven- hourand-20-minute flight from...
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Future of village’s post office services in doubt INCHTURE:
The future of post office services in Inchture is in doubt as the village postmistress announces her retirement. Fifth-generation postmistress to run the business Jennifer Ford has announced her intention to retire early next year. She owns the post...
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WARNING:
Perthshire’s Enchanted Forest event is at risk of becoming “unsustainable” due to rising costs, the attraction’s new boss has warned. Chief executive Gordon Morrison said the cost of holding the Pitlochry lights show has increased by 12% in the past...
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Eljamel was ‘standout candidate’ for NHS role INQUIRY:
NHS Tayside pushed the UK Government to speed up disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel’s work permit because he was the “standout candidate” for the job, new files have revealed. Hospital bosses who hired him in 1995 “unanimously” agreed he was the obvious...
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Opposition to centralisation of services agreed
Perth and Kinross councillors have unanimously agreed to strongly oppose further centralisation of services as talk of a possible Tayside merger intensifies. The Scottish Government has outlined plans to reduce the number of councils to between six...
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NHS: GPS say guard often calms down situations and helps vulnerable patients
Safety concerns have been raised at a Perth medical centre after NHS Tayside axed the facility’s in-house security guard. Drumhar Health Centre on North Methven Street will lose its in-house security guard on Friday after 30 years. The decision has...
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Perth residents hit with costly parking permits
Residents face an “eye-watering” £274 a year to park in Perth city centre – almost three times as much as in some other Scottish cities. The permit covers several streets in the city centre and inside the inner ring road. An outer-zone permit costs...
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Land dispute stalls city park and ride upgrade BROXDEN:
Council bosses say a “land ownership matter” is holding up plans for more than £300,000 of improvements to the Broxden Park and Ride depot. A February start date was slated for work on upgrading the entrance to the site but no works have begun – seven...
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MEDIEVAL:
Archaeologists believe they may have “struck gold” in a major dig in the heart of Perth. Researchers have spent the week excavating the grounds of King James VI Hospital in search of treasures from the Pe r t h Charterhouse – the monastery founded by...
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Museum stone hammer suspect returns to court PERTH: Man accused of attack on historic exhibit reappears six months later
A man accused of taking a hammer to the Stone of Destiny exhibit in Perth Museum has made a surprise reappearance in court – six months after failing to turn up for a previous hearing. Arnaud Harixcalde Logan, is accused of smashing open the glass...
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New drone shots of ‘ghost’ golf course Emergency meeting on possible merger plans PERTH AND KINROSS:
Perth and Kinross Council has announced an emergency meeting to discuss a possible merger with other local authorities in Tayside. More than a dozen councillors previously wrote to the provost demanding a debate on the issue in a bid to decide a...
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GP services under pressure as house building increases
GP practices in the west of Perth are being put under pressure by t he pace of housebuilding, local health bosses say. Hundreds of new houses have gone up on the edge of Perth in recent years and many more are in the pipeline. The Almond Valley...
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Villagers in path row as beavers cause flood risk
Villagers are embroiled in a bizarre dispute involving beavers, the former owner of St Johnstone FC and some missing council paperwork. For three years, Bridge of Earn residents have been trying to find out who owns the path behind homes next to the...
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LOCH TUMMEL: Bid to contain sickness bug after staff and guests fall ill Perthshire hotel shuts due to virus outbreak
A hotel in Highland Perthshire has temporarily closed after staff and guests fell ill. Loch Tummel Hotel, near Tummel Bridge, said a norovirus outbreak has spread among visitors and employees and the hotel has closed to contain the illness. A group...
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Doubts over NHS bosses’ claims on Eljamel timeline
NHS Tayside would have likely seen the results of an investigation which sparked the suspension of Sam Eljamel days earlier than it claimed. A senior surgeon told the inquiry into the disgraced surgeon that claims by the health board it first saw the...
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Kinross woman cites NHS failings after third miscarriage
John Swinney has told a Kinross mum he is “terribly sorry” after she suffered three miscarriages in 16 months – but the woman has rejected his apology until she meets him face to face. Elizabeth Crammond, pictured, wants to explain to the SNP leader...
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Patients brand evidence of NHS boss a ‘car crash’
Campaigners and survivors of disgraced surgeon Sam Eljamel have branded a top NHS Tayside boss’s evidence a “car crash”. Health board chief executive Nicky Connor was grilled on day two of the inquiry about the destruction of logbooks chronicling the...
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The day victims have waited for as Eljamel Inquiry begins
T behe Eljamel Inquiry has revealed the key questions NHS Tayside bosses will expected to answer when they take to the stand as the investigation finally started. Jamie Dawson KC, senior counsel, explained when major topics such as the destruc t i on...
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Warning tourist tax may damage visitor economy
Edinburgh’s tourist tax could have a negative effect on Perth and Kinross’s visitor economy, the owner of Scone Palace has warned. William, Viscount Stormont says he fears the capital’s visitor levy will “soak up tourist budgets, shortening visits and...
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Tayside council merger ‘possible’ says Swinney
Bringing Dundee, Angus, and Perth and Kinross back together as a single local authority is “one of the options that could be considered” under radical SNP reforms. Thirty years after the 1996 dissolution of Tayside Regional Council, First Minister...
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NHS merger could ease waiting times
Tayside could receive extra treatment capacity from elsewhere in eastern Scotland under the new NHS East health board, according to one health chief. NHS Grampian boss Laura Skaife-knight told local leaders that early work on NHS Scotland East is...
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Drug user’s toilet flood destroyed medical kits
Bosses at a Perth health clinic were forced to throw away high value medical kit after a drug addict in the flat upstairs ripped his toilet off the floor, causing nearly £15,000 of damage. Blake Smith, pictured, deliberately pulled his toilet out of...
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Taymouth ‘operations village’ seeks approval
east of the main estate, would be the location of the new “village”. It would be the base for back-of-house services at Taymouth Castle, which is being transformed into a housing complex and luxury golf resort by its US owners. A canteen, bakery,...
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Fatal XL bully attack hearing will focus on licensing rules for kennels
A legal probe into the death of an Angus kennels boss is likely to focus on issues such as the handling of potentially dangerous dogs, a court has heard. A preliminary hearing ahead of the fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of businessman...
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Missing man’s dad in plea for life-saving kit
The father of a missing Perth man has joined forces with other campaigners to call for safety equipment at a popular River Tay beauty spot where a swimmer drowned last year. Thomas Cunningham’s son Declyn was last seen at nearby Smeaton’s Bridge a...
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Early prison release for Perthshire tea fraudster
A notorious tea fraudster, who scammed more than half a million pounds from top hotels, planters and retailers, has been released from prison after serving just a fraction of his sentence. Thomas Robinson, pictured, was jailed in June 2025 after he...
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Child rapist on run for day before alert
A dangerous escaped criminal evaded capture for a full day before the public were warned he was on the loose, The Courier can reveal. Child rapist Clifford Lyons Dobbie, pictured, absconded from an unknown location in Perth city centre while on...
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Historic business chamber to close
Per thshire C hamber of Commerce is being wound up after 85 years, with board members saying the organisation is “no longer viable”. The historic chamber has appointed an insolvency practitioner following “a period of financial challenges”. The...
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‘Shock’ as panel fails to reject killer’s parole bid
The family of a man stabbed to death at a flat in Perth say they are “shocked and appalled” after the parole board failed to kick out a freedom bid by his killer. Robbie Smullen was sentenced to more than nine years in prison for killing Barry Dixon...
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Man in court charged with murder of Minnie, 9
A man appeared in court yesterday accused of murdering nineyear-old Minnie Merriman in Arbroath. Christopher Rice, 35, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, faced a single charge when he appeared in private at Forfar Sheriff Court. He made no plea and was...
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Perthshire Pride official axed for ‘hate’ messages
A board member at Perthshire Pride sent “hateful” messages to a right-wing political party, telling members they would “die the most painful death”. The LGBTQ+ charity confirmed Pride organiser Philip Ross has left the group, less than 24 hours after...
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Town in shock after death of nine-year-old
A man has been arrested over t he suspicious death of a nine-year-old girl after she was found critically injured at an industrial estate in Arbroath. Emergenc y cre ws were called to Elliot Industrial Estate at 12.02am yesterday. The youngster was...
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Cafe duo shocked by council order to quit
A Perth gran is reeling after council bosses told her she will have to quit the bus station cafe that has been her life for the last 26 years. Since 2000, Mary Graham and daughter, Christine, pictured, have run Bus’y’ Bite cafe at the Leonard Street...
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Lifetime ban driver admits killing OAP
A drug- driver with two lifetime bans has pleaded guilty to killing a Broughty Ferry pensioner after crashing into his garden and hitting him with a stolen Maserati. The High Court in Edinburgh heard Fraser Garden reached speeds of 85mph moments...
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Big worries over future for city’s farmers’ market PERTH:
A drop in customers and traders has left Perth Farmers’ Market at a critical point. The number of vendors has dropped dramatically in the last year, say board members and stallholders Karen Steel and Francesca Casella. Smaller markets popping up...
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Ice sports lifeline could come from Saints owner
St Johnstone owner Adam Webb has revealed that plans to build a hotel on Mcdiarmid Park land have gathered pace. The Perth club could also be in a position to help solve the city’s ice facility problem. When Mr Webb bought the club two years ago,...
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Killer to seek freedom despite brutal attacks
Perth killer Robbie Smullen will go before the parole board again this week despite being convicted earlier this month of two brutal assaults while on temporary release from prison. Smullen was jailed for nine years for stabbing Barry Dixon to death...
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Mcgregor gives backing to teen’s movie project
Hollywood A-lister Ewan Mcgregor has given his backing to a Perth teen’s latest movie project. Andrew Hutchison was filming in the city centre when he spotted Ewan and his wife and asked them to pop by the shoot. He explained: “I did a double take and...
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Radio host hits out as Heartland axed
A Heartland FM presenter has hit out at the station’s bosses after it left the airwaves after 34 years. Roger Cartwright, pictured, claims there had been “very little explanation” for the Perthshire station’s closure, run by the Heartland Radio...
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Saints’ matchday alcohol licence bid
St Johnstone FC is seeking a licence to sell alcohol to supporters during matches at Mcdiarmid Park. Bosses at the club want to sell pre-match and half- time drinks when they host Kilmarnock next weekend. The Perth and Kinross Council licensing board...
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New owner lined up for Perth shopping centre
A new owner could soon be moving into the St John’s Shopping Centre in Perth after a whopping £29 million price cut. On sale for more than £2.5m, the centre is now “under offer”, says estate agent Savills. The asking price for the shopping hub, home...
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Recycling centre hit by second major blaze
F irefighters attended at Ladybank Recycling Centre after a fire broke out for the second time in three months. Smoke could be seen billowing from the recycling plant from as far away as Dundee at around 1pm yesterday. The Scottish Fire and Rescue...
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Report reveals £279k costs of murder probe
The cost of the investigation into the murder of Aberfeldy groundsman Brian Low has cost the public purse almost £280,000, it has been revealed. According to a report by Police Scotland, expenses for the probe amounted to £279,909. David Campbell,...
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Battery blamed for Perth recycling fire
A major fire at a Perth recycling centre over the weekend was caused by a lithium battery, the site’s operators have said. Fire crews spent more than 18 hours tackling the blaze, which started at around 4pm on Saturday. Officials from Enva say the...
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City shoppers urged to look beyond high street
A Perth retailer is urging shoppers and decision-makers to look beyond the high street as it marks 10 years in the city centre. Wilkies, one of six branches in a Scottish fashion and cookshop chain, opened in the city’s John Street in 2016. Its...
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Traders’ Whatsapp helps tackle crime
A Whatsapp group to raise awareness of instances of crime and antisocial behaviour has been set up by business owners in Perth. So far 47 firms have signed up to the chat, amid a flurry of disorder in the city centre. Shops are reporting frequent...
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FM meets Perth traders in bid to tackle city crime
Businesses in Perth have met First Minister John Swinney to help tackle disorder in the city centre. After Highland Health Store owner Victoria Ritchie wrote an open letter to Police Scotland, Mr Swinney and Perth and Kinross Council highlighting...
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Gym plan for unit after 10-year gap
controversial unit at a Dundee industrial estate that has been since it was built nearly 10 years ago could finally be filled. The unit at Dunsinane Industrial Estate was built in 2017 but, despite extensive marketing, the s i t e’s owner has been...
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Solar farm bosses seek public views
The developer behind what has been called the UK’S biggest solar farm between Perth and Dundee has broken its silence. A senior manager at global renewables developer Aukera said it would shortly be announcing a public consultation on the Carse of...
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