£24 million Edinburgh Airport upgrade complete in boost to passengers
Eight new scanners have been installed to transform security at the airport and add two additional lanes.
There was a £24 million investment into the security hall, and it should help passengers get through quicker.
It also means the airport will no longer issue single-use plastic bags, delivering a sustainability benefit to the project.
There is no limit to the amount of liquids that can be taken through but they must be in bottles or containers up to 100ml, while large electrical items such as iPads, tablets and laptops can also stay in hand luggage.
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Michael Hering, Head of Security at Edinburgh Airport said: 'This will be welcome news for the millions of passengers who travel through Edinburgh Airport every year, and we're glad to be able to complete this project and speed up the process.
'We've invested almost £24 million to install this cutting-edge technology to improve the overall experience for passengers, and 97% of passengers are already passing through in under 10 minutes.
'It's also important to note that our high safety levels have been maintained and improved on due to the 3D technology, meaning it is a faster, more secure process in time for peak summer.'
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The Herald Scotland
17 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
All staff redundant as Scottish tour company in liquidation
Gordon Dewar also highlighted the importance of the jobs provided by the airport and other employers on the 'campus', in an exclusive interview with The Herald. He observed this employment totalled nearly 8,000, including around 1,000 people employed directly by the airport. And Mr Dewar declared: 'It is obvious that airports are profoundly important for local economies, particularly island economies such as ours. I am a geographer by background. I am a transport operator my whole career.' He also underlined the attractiveness of Edinburgh as a destination for overseas visitors. And he flagged the lift Edinburgh Airport provided to the tourism sector, and vice-versa. Read Ian McConnell's story here Rangers deal underlines appeal of Scottish football in US The news came this week. (Image: SNS Group) It would be wide of the mark to describe them as 'overpaid, oversexed, and over here', as American GIs were infamously dismissed during their time in Britain during the Second World War. But the Americans are certainly over here.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
What is life like in Scotland's most 'popular affordable town'?
Earlier that afternoon, around two and a half miles away in the Macedonia area, Scott Hume is drinking tea in the sunshine outside of his new, temporary flat. Dandelion clocks the size of baseballs rise up from the unkept garden in front of the brutalist concrete cube of the council property. The retired army veteran, 59, narrowly escaped placement in a homeless hostel by the council. It came down to the wire, but a veteran's charity stepped in at the last minute. They helped him secure the temporary council flat in three hours, he tells me. He moved in last night. The idea that Glenrothes is the 'most popular affordable town for families' is a lie, Hume claims, his tone indignant. 'This is a bad place to try and get accommodation.' Welcome to Glenrothes (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) Scott Hume in his rented accommodation (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) The affordable tag was placed on the town in the heart of Fife by Zoopla in early May. The property website measured affordability by looking at the ratio of average three-bed house prices in locations across the UK, compared with average earnings in the local authority area. The popularity ranking was based on the average number of Zoopla listing views for a typical three-bed home in each area, with the research based on the first quarter of 2025. Glenrothes topped the list (which was dominated by Scotland and Wales) with the average price of a three-bedroom home listed as £136,900 and the house-price-to-earnings ratio at 1.8. Wishaw, in North Lanarkshire, was second in Scotland and fifth on the list with £168,600 for the average three-bed and an earnings ratio of 2.1. Leven, a seaside town in Fife where a three-bed is £164,600 on average, came in at third for Scotland (eighth in Britain) with an earnings ratio of 2.1. 'The willingness of many to consider different regions or compromise on property features further highlights the adaptive strategies families are employing in today's market,' said Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla. READ MORE: Glenrothes 'UK's most popular location for family house-hunters' Glenrothes is within commuting distance of several Scottish cities. It's just over 30 miles to Edinburgh, and a train from nearby Markinch Station will get you into the capital in just under an hour. By car, you can commute to Glasgow in about an hour, Perth in 40 minutes and Dundee, about 35 minutes. Family house hunters and first-time buyers from the city might migrate to a commuter town like this, where they can stretch their deposit further and get more space for a growing brood. 'We came from Kirkcaldy, but we liked this area better than some other areas,' Mounsey says. 'It's quieter and it's very handy to everywhere.' The commute from Glenrothes to Edinburgh Airport, where she works, is only around 40 minutes, she adds. Basically, the same time it took from Kirkcaldy with traffic. Mounsey's fiancé is training to be a police officer. They don't know where he will be stationed yet, but the ease of access to the motorway means they do not have to worry too much about it. 'We would like something bigger, maybe when we do start a family,' she says. 'Maybe just a slightly bigger garden, but we're not fussed about leaving here.' 'In Glenrothes, you get a lot more for your money than in cities,' explains Dylan Kimmet, a local property partner at Purple Bricks. 'You'll get more garden space, a bit more room. I think overall it's quite a nice place to live. It's got a really good community vibe and a lot of people know each other on a community level.' Kayla Mounsey in her Bellway home (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) Bellway advertisements (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) A general view of Glenrothes (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) Glenrothes was Scotland's second new town (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) Glenrothes was designated as one of Scotland's first post-war new towns in 1948, with most of its housing built by the Glenrothes Development Corporation and later managed by Fife Council. From the 1950s through the 1970s, large council estates were built in areas like Auchmuty, Macedonia, Pitteuchar, and Collydean, their curved roads complemented by the clean lines and flat roofs of modernist housing. At the time, renting your house from the council was commonplace. But by the 1980s, the attitude towards council housing shifted. Margaret Thatcher's Right to Buy scheme, founded on the idealisation of home ownership and the ideological idea that it would shrink the need for social housing, forever changed the make-up of towns like Glenrothes. As in many other places, it created a two-tier housing market that separated new homeowners with equity and renters grappling with a dwindling supply of housing options within their means. Now, 10 years on from when the SNP ended the Right to Buy scheme, its legacy still haunts those who were left behind. The affordability touted by Zoopla's figures makes sense on paper, but when I put this to people in Glenrothes, many asked, affordable to whom? Inside his new temporary flat, veteran Scott Hume explains he has been struggling to access accommodation in the town since the breakdown of his relationship during the pandemic. His things are piled around him, brought over from his former flat with the help of the Armed Forces charity SSAFA. Hume retired from the army in 1996 but has kept close links with the Services. Scott Hume has kept close links to the army after retiring (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) A playful grin flashes across his face when his satirical t-shirt is pointed out (it reads, 'Royal Engineer (Rtd) – responsible adult supervision is required at all times.'). He's a proud man, but the distress of coming so close to being placed in a homeless hostel is ever-present behind his eyes when we speak. Last February, Hume fell off a roof. The accident left him with a disability, unable to work and with new accessibility requirements for accommodation. 'Being out of work destroyed me,' he says. But his journey through the housing system started four years prior, this is just the latest knock in his quest to find a home. When Hume first reached out to the council for help with accommodation, he says he was advised to secure a private let and told the waitlist was 'about 16 months'. As part of Fife Council's Covenant Commitment, the local authority allocates a minimum of 40 properties annually to Armed Forces personnel. But this is 'ideally at the point when they leave the forces,' according to Gavin Smith, Fife Council's access service manager. Hume says: 'After 16 months, I inquired about it and [they] said, 'you're not on the list, you've got a roof over your head'. So, I was stuck then,' he says. His private rental was around £500, and Hume enjoyed a good relationship with his landlord. But a few years after he moved in, Hume's landlord broke the news that she had to sell the flat so she could retire. She gave him as much notice as she could, around 15 months. The last time he had to look for a flat, Hume says there were 'hundreds' on the private market. 'Now you're lucky if there's a couple.' And the rents have jumped from £500 per month to between £750 and £850 for a flat the same size. 'That's not affordable,' he adds. Glenrothes is close to Scotland's major cities (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) He and his landlord have been navigating the Scottish Government's eviction process since. Landlords must go to the First-tier Tribunal to legally evict a tenant, and the whole process can take weeks or months. But councils do not treat someone as 'homeless' until they are formally evicted, leaving vulnerable people like Hume in limbo. 'How long is temporary? Not knowing is worse than anything,' he says. He claims the temporary council flat is costing £623 a fortnight, £1246 per month. "The council's rent policy is reviewed annually, but the costs of temporary accommodation are higher than standard council rents,' says Smith. 'Where households have no choice but to enter temporary accommodation, we'll make arrangements with them to pay what they can afford based on an income and expenditure calculation. We always try to ensure that people aren't negatively financially impacted because of homelessness and charges.' Hume's landlord, who didn't want to be named, says the decision to sell up was not one taken lightly. The stress of making someone homeless is clearly eating her up. 'It's not as stressful as the risk of being homeless, obviously,' she says firmly. I ask her what she thinks has been the biggest contributor to the housing crisis. 'Right to Buy,' she replies quickly, acknowledging that is how she came to own two properties in the area. 'If you look online at what's to rent in Glenrothes for the price, they're like pigsties,' she says. 'It may be, in comparison to the rest of Scotland, a relatively so-called 'cheap place to live', but I would say rents are quite high for the standard of the properties.' 'Glenrothes is by no means a mecca for getting a house,' she adds. Glenrothes (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) Kayla Mounsey with her dog (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) 'When the Right to Buy came on the scene, it allowed people who had council homes to buy them at a heavily discounted rate,' explains Dr Kim McKee, a professor of housing and social policy at the University of Stirling. 'But the issue was that we never really replaced these homes. We lost tens of thousands of homes in the social rented sector in Scotland, but we've not replaced them.' Mortgages became more affordable during that period, and home ownership boomed. But in the last 20 years, Dr McKee says, the private rented sector has grown exponentially. 'If you look back 20 years ago, the private rented sector was mostly for students, and perhaps migrants and professionals who had to move around for their jobs. But that's not the case now. 'It's now housing a really wide cross section of society, with one in seven households in the private rented sector, and that's one of the real difficulties. The affordability of rent is very different between social and private, but you also have different housing rights in terms of security of tenure as well. It's very difficult for people.' The three leading contributors to the current housing crisis are fallout from the Right to Buy scheme, a broken allocation system for social housing, and a lack of investment in new council houses. 'In the 1980s, it was pretty common to rent from a social landlord,' Dr McKee explains. 'Big urban centres house a lot of the population, but now it's more difficult to access social housing if you're not coming through the homeless system. If you're applying for a general waiting list, you can wait a very, very long time.' 'It's very difficult for people, they're stuck,' she adds. 'They're languishing on temporary accommodation lists and often the only option they have is to rent privately, which obviously, budget-wise, can be more expensive for them than renting from a social landlord would be.' Those who do not have the means to save for a deposit are shut out of the housing market. Bad credit, precarious work, disability and rising rents can make climbing the property ladder inaccessible to many. Wider shifts in the economy related to the cost of living crisis (rising energy bills, inflation, surging cost of food) have also contributed to the trade-offs young families are making to stretch their budgets. Hence, the uptick in first-time house hunters seeking out communities like Glenrothes. Peter Gulline, 59, moved to Glenrothes aged 13. The Conservative politician was elected councillor of the Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch Ward in 2022. He says wherever new housing estates are built, the properties are always 'gobbled up'. A lot of the market is people in Glenrothes moving to another property, he claims. The current strain on services is temporary. 'We just have to get through this hiccup of everything being really, really busy and weather the storm,' he says. The private rental market has also 'gone through the roof', but councillor Gulline does not see that as a 'bad thing'. He does not agree that the Right to Buy scheme has contributed to the housing crisis. 'People say we've lost 40,000 houses because they were sold off,' he says. 'Well, actually, we haven't lost 40,000 houses. We've lost the responsibility of having to maintain 40,000 houses, but they are still houses. 'There is still somebody living in them. They've not been bought, bulldozed and replaced with a car park.' He describes the wait for social housing as a game of snakes and ladders when I ask about the backlog for council homes. 'Everybody thinks there's a list. And the list has got 17,000 people on it,' he says. 'There are actually multiple lists.' He rattles off some of the categories: homelessness, disability, domestic abuse, and prison leavers. 'It's not a list that you just crawl up. It's a list you can move up and get knocked down a couple of pegs if people come along that had more justification.' Marissa MacWhirter in a Glenrothes park (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) The town is known for its public art (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald&Times) As far as Gulline is concerned, 'Glenrothes is a fantastic town for families.' It's easy to navigate, it has plenty of decent schools, there are lots of parks and green space, and clubs and activities for the young and old. The administrative capital of Fife, the town also boasts the largest shopping centre in the council area (Kingdom Shopping Centre) and decent transport links from the bus station. The number of outdoor artworks dotted around town, the carefully landscaped roundabouts, and the spring flowers blooming from every public space give Glenrothes a wholesome community feeling, even for those just passing through. The town, like many in Scotland, is caught between two narratives. Its affordability gives many the chance to get on the housing ladder and provides young families with a safe, quiet community in which to raise children. But the housing crisis has made the security of home ownership increasingly out of reach for many. Fife Council acknowledges the 'extreme pressure' it's under to meet housing needs in the crisis. The local authority has created the Fife Housing Register, a shared list providing a single access route to available homes, in partnership with local housing associations. "We're actively reducing waiting times for those assessed as statutorily homeless as part of our short-term housing emergency response, though challenges remain, especially for larger families and those with specific health or disability needs,' says the authority's housing access service manager. 'Precise information about housing prospects is difficult to provide. We understand the uncertainty this creates and remain committed to supporting applicants through the process." I ask Hume how he feels about his new temporary accommodation. 'I've got no storage, but it's better than a hostel,' he sighs. Marissa MacWhirter is a columnist and feature writer at The Herald, and the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. The newsletter is curated between 5-7am each morning, bringing the best of local news to your inbox each morning without ads, clickbait, or hyperbole. Oh, and it's free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Wales Online
Shark's 'impressive' cordless vacuum automatically empties itself now £200 off
Shark's 'impressive' cordless vacuum automatically empties itself now £200 off Shark's PowerDetect cordless vacuum cleaner automatically empties and charges itself after every clean, with users saying it's 'so much better than Dyson'. 'This gets up so much dirt and the auto-empty is so satisfying to watch' Shark has cut £200 off a vacuum cleaner that can automatically empty itself in a mega price drop. The Shark PowerDetect Clean and Empty Cordless Pet Vacuum Cleaner has been reduced from £549.99 to £349.99. This 37% discount is also available at Amazon, where the same model costs £349. Shark touts its PowerDetect as a 'powerful, intelligent, deep-cleaning' vacuum cleaner, equipped with two brush rolls and multiple sensors that automatically enhance its cleaning power for optimal performance. It can also detect edges, corners and different floor types, and will increase suction when necessary. But the standout feature of this model is the Auto-Empty Base, which automatically empties and charges the vacuum while it's docked, so it's always ready to go. READ MORE: Virgin Media is handing customers free iPads right now - but be quick READ MORE: 'Brilliant' Clarkson's Farm book narrated by Jeremy Clarkson is free in Father's Day deal The base is said to hold enough dirt and debris to last 45 days, so the vacuum needs emptying less frequently than an a standard model, while Anti-Odour Technology protects against bad odours. Unlike many competing vacuums, this model collects dirt when pulled backwards as well as forwards, while the Anti Hair Wrap Plus feature removes hair from the brush-roll as it cleans. This makes it perfect for homes with pets, along with the included motorised pet tool that can be used to remove hair from upholstery. The Shark boasts a powerful battery capable of running for 70 minutes, with the charge level displayed on an LED screen that also includes the 'Dirt Detection' feature, reports the Express. Shark PowerDetect Clean and Empty Cordless Vacuum Cleaner £549.99 £349.99 Shark Get the deal here Product Description Shark shoppers can save £200 on the PowerDetect Clean and Empty Cordless Pet Vacuum Cleaner Shark's deal matches the price of Dyson's V11 Advanced, which the brand says is the most powerful V11 and currently comes with a free 'Floor Dok' worth £100. But for those looking for a more affordable vacuum cleaner, Amazon will knock £50 off the Smoture Cordless Vacuum Cleaner with a coupon on the product page, taking the price from £169.99 to £119.99. But the Shark PowerDetect Clean and Empty Cordless Pet Vacuum Cleaner has been earning praise from customers, securing a 4.4-star rating 247 customers – 205 of which left four or five-star reviews. One satisfied shopper said: "Great vacuum for all your needs. "We've had three Shark's, this one is fantastic. No worries about emptying, just pop it on its stand and it's all done. Great pick up to, just vacuum away. No need to change setting when going from carpets to solid floor and vice versa. Plenty of tools for other cleaning too." The Shark vacuum has a 'Flexology' wand to clean underneath furniture Another said: "I have dogs and this is so much better than Dyson, which I had to spend hours pulling bits of dog out of it to make it work. This gets up so much more dirt and dust and the auto-empty is so satisfying to watch." Article continues below This buyer was less-impressed, saying: "Works fine, picks up everything but it gets blocked very quickly and you need to put it onto stand to empty more than we would like." But this five-star review said: "Better than my Dyson. The vacuum seems well made and has much better suction than my Dyson, it vacuums to the edges and definitely does a better deeper clean. Having three dogs we need a vacuum that can cope with all the hair. The anti hair wrap function works really well. Battery life is really impressive and allows me to clean our four bedroom house in one go."
