28/03/2012 Reporting Scotland

Welcome to Reporting Scotland. Tonight: The owners of the

abandoned Elgin North Sea platform save the flare burning on board may

take days to go out. A warning from bus companies over

the cost of concessionary travel for the over-sixties. The elderly

say they depend on it to get about. Sterling, Falkirk, Glasgow. I have

been to Aberdeen and I am going to Inverness next week. Bus operators

say they may have to increase costs for the passengers that to play.

Also tonight: Gone fishing. The hot weather keeps on coming, especially

in the South East. From Rochdale to Greenock. We

report from the new set of the BBC soap Waterloo Road as it moves

North. And flare burning on the abandoned

Elgin oil platform in the North Sea is not reducing in intensity and

may continue to burn for days. However the club macro formed by

leaking glass is blowing away from the open frame. -- cloud formed by

a leaking gas. Total say that the flare is reducing in intensity. The

company's handling of this situation is coming under

examination. That is right. After last night, having to forcibly

admit that the flare was still burning brightly days after the

platform was abandoned because of a serious gas leak, today Total were

basically clarify in. Originally they said it would take a couple of

hours to burn itself out and their latest estimate is a couple of days.

They also said that the flare had been deliberately left on to vent

some gas. They later said it had been left on because such was the

urgency to get workers off that there was no chance to turn it off.

This has called for Total to be much more open. These pictures,

taken some time ago, show the flare burning brightly above the Elgin

platform. Tonight it is still burning. Despite the serious gas

leak forcing the abandonment of the installation at the weekend,

despite an air exclusion zone to reduce the risk of an explosion,

operated Total only last night was forced into admitting that the

flare was still alight. On Monday a spokesman said this. There is no

danger of explosion. The platform, when people left it, the power

generation was isolated so there is no source of ignition. I cannot

promise that it will not ignite but we have done everything possible to

minimise the risk. Total says that flare is much higher up than the

gas cloud and the wind is in the other direction. They maintain the

risk of explosion is low. Total are trying to expend their efforts on

fixing the problem. They also have to put all the information that

they have available into the public domain. They need a principle of

openness and transparency. believe that we have been opened.

We have been discussing issues and releasing information to the media.

In Aberdeen today around 100 senior oil and gas safety experts met.

There was praise for the way Total was handling things. The operator

has conducted itself in an exemplary fashion as far as safety

is concerned. 230 people evacuated from a pretty dangerous situation.

Total believes the flare will burn itself out but nobody knows when.

Put aside the row over the flare, the basic fact is that tonight, for

for flight, there is an and controlled gas leak on the Elgin

platform. Total said that as well as the gas cloud being visible, you

can now hear from a distance the gas escaping.

Thank you. Detectives investigating the murder

of Perthshire pensioner Jenny Methven have detained a man. The 80

year old was found dead by her son David five weeks ago at the home

they shared near the village of Forteviot. Tayside Police say a 46

year old from the Perthshire area is currently assisting with their

enquiries. Nearly 60% of secondary pupils in

Scottish schools are struggling with basic arithmetic. The finding

was revealed in their late survey of numeracy across the school

system. -- the latest survey. But primary four pupils were mostly

doing well and very well. So what happens between primary and

secondary? It used to be called arithmetic.

Now it is numeracy. Scottish kids have a problem with it. Look at

this simple task. In a survey, more than 40% of second years could not

fill in the box correctly. In fact, overall, only 42% of second years

were classed as doing well innumeracy. Compare that to 76% of

primary fours doing well. Hopes are pinned on the new curriculum of

excellence. It puts the focus on teaching subjects like maths in a

way that applies to the real world instead of just being in a textbook.

Going into the real world for timing, counting and measuring are

meant to see that numeracy Matters. Going up tenfold in the loosest

sense. The Scottish Government says that the lessons are making a

difference. The results no longer dip as children move up from

primary. It shows us that excellence is working well within

our primary sector and beginning to work well in the secondary sector.

But is it the curriculum that counts? Let's ask the experts.

have got a good teacher, Miss Smith. She collaborates and does not make

you feel left alone in the class. She gets too involved in everything.

I feel it is down to a good teacher a lot of the time, making maths fun

but making you realise the real life elements of it. It is also the

influence of the family as well. Difficult to say for sure what the

reason is and if results are being turned around. Lessons and this

format have changed since the last report two years ago.

We will have some news from the fictitious school Waterloo Road

later in the programme. Plus: Another scorcher as temperatures

soar once more. This time the South East is a hot spot.

And in sport, there could be more trouble than Neil Lennon from the

Scottish Football Association. We will have the details later and we

also catch up with one of the all- time greats of world athletics.

Find out what he is doing in Scotland.

Bus companies are warning that the concessionary travel scheme for the

over-sixties is not sustainable. They argue that the money they

receive from Government is not keeping pace with actual costs. The

company says they may have to increase fares for paying

passengers and cut services to cover the shortfall.

It was not just the children making the most of a ride on a bus today.

Benton has poured off the buses arriving at the seafront, set for

sunshine and ice-cream. -- pensioners. For many this was just

the latest of their regular outings around Scotland for free on their

travel pass. On Friday we went into Glasgow. On Monday I went into town

on my own. I would not get out as often if I did not have free travel.

And where have you been? We go to sterling, Falkirk, Glasgow. I have

been to Aberdeen and I am going to Inverness next week. The pensioners

here might be enjoying free bus travel to lovely days out like this

in the sunshine, but the bus operators cannot share their

enthusiasm. Bus companies say that the money they receive from the

Scottish Government is just not keeping pace with the real costs of

free passage for pensioners all over Scotland. We think the scheme

cannot be sustained in its current format. This year we are expecting

�7 million-�9 million overshoot in the Budget. That means that

operators in Scotland will be carrying people for a totally free

in the last few weeks of the financial year. The Scottish

Government does not seem to be climbing aboard with more money.

The concessionary travel scheme, the biggest part of the Budget,

goes directly to support passengers and not to subsidise the bus

industry. We do have a subsidy to make sure we can cover as many

routes as possible, but beyond that, the operators have to set the fares

and decide the roads. The bus companies say they may have to rise

fares for the people that do play and cut some routes. -- that do pay.

As the debate rages on, concessionary travellers will

continue on their free buses. A Fife property developer has been

jailed for life at the High Court in Edinburgh for ordering the

killing of his millionaire brother over a business dispute. Mo

Siddique will have to serve a minimum of 25 years before he can

be considered for parole. Businessman Toby Siddique, who was

38, was shot dead in Glenrothes two years ago. The man who carried out

the killing, Tencho Andonov, and another man, Deyan Nikolov, were

also given life sentences and were ordered to serve at least 29 and 18

years respectively. The cost of Government plans to

upgrade the central Scotland motorway network has risen by �95

million to 415 million. The A8 between Baillieston and Newhouse

will become a motorway, the Raith Interchange in Lanarkshire is to be

improved, and sections of the M8, M73 and M74 are to be widened.

Transport Scotland says the scheme is more ambitious than originally

planned. Well, it has been another cracker

of a day. They did not quite match yesterday's record-breaking

temperatures but most of us were basking in beautiful sunshine.

Temperatures were well into the 70s. Today it was the turn of the South

East to get the best of it. Christopher will join me in a

moment to explain why it is happening.

They say that even a bad day's fishing beats a good day at the

office and this was a very, very nice day to go fishing. No weather

records were beaten in the Borders today but nobody really care.

Across Scotland, millions of pounds were spent to get ready for winter.

This time last year the gritting depot was nearly empty. This time

last year you were down to your last reserves. Yes, 500 tons of

salt was one day's spreading from this depot. We were very short.

unusual is this weather? Well, think back to last year. This time

last year the temperatures were about half what they are today,

about 10 degrees. Go back to 2010, they were down to three degrees. In

fact there were snowdrifts in the Highlands and blizzards. Do you

feel happier in a good weather? Absolutely. It is perfect for

getting a tan. It makes you happy when it is sunny. It makes you feel

great. It makes me feel happier to be able to get out of the house and

to get up when it is not dark and dreary. Does a few days in the sun

really put a spring in our step? Unfortunately, if you look at the

population as a whole, it does not. It may do for one individual at any

one time but overall there is no correlation between weather and

mood, if you define it as something that lasts for 15 minutes and

longer. Regrettably, it does not. Next week, spare a thought for

others. Not everybody has been enjoying warm temperatures today.

It is already decidedly cooler in Shetland and that weather is

heading South soon. They had to go and spoil it! Now

the science. What has happened to give us the wonderful weather in

March? Christopher joins us now. We have had an area of high

pressure sitting overhead. It has been dreamt up the from the

Mediterranean or Africa, delivering dry, warm air to us in Scotland. It

has also been generating its own heat because it is a very strong

area of high pressure and within areas of high pressure, it

naturally decent within antique cyclones. As it descends, it warms

up. It does it add about three Celsius per 1000 feet. Let me put

it into context. At 5,000 ft, if it was ten Celsius, by the time it

reached sea level, it could be up to 25 Celsius and that is what has

been happening in the last few days. The record holder yesterday was

23.6 Celsius, beating the Scottish record for the third day in a row.

But it does take all these factors combined for us to break these

records. Until yesterday, the temperature record had not been

broken for about 50 years. where is it going? Yes, the weather

is already changing. Much cooler conditions are coming down from the

Arctic. If you follow the isobars down, introducing cloud and

moisture laden air as well. So about average for March. The falls

forecast is at the end of the programme. -- the grit forecast.

What else has been happening across the country?

A public inquiry will be held this summer into controversial plans for

a �43 million waste incinerator in Invergordon.

There will be four extra police officers at the Cairnryan ferry

port. The Scottish Government will fund the jobs after budget cuts by

the UK Border Agency. And MSP wants a ban on

irresponsible parking. He is consulting on proposals to stop

vehicles being left beside curbs which have been lowered for

wheelchair users. We are trying to tackle double parking which can be

a real danger when it comes to it for emergency vehicles needing

access. Fire engines are much bigger vehicles and cars or vans.

It can be a problem. The Russian skipper of a cargo

vessel that ran aground last week of the Western Isles has been fined

�3.5000. The captain pleaded guilty to failing to alter course, causing

the boat to crash on rocks. Campaigners against the Aberdeen

bypass say they have to reduce pledges of �100,000 within days --

raise pledges to bring a new legal challenge.

Workers at Dundee airport are to be balloted next week on strike action.

Staff including air traffic controllers and firefighters are

involved in apron -- long-running pay dispute.

The mountains animal sanctuary in four FA had its first baby donkey

delivery this morning. Her mother is a rescued derby from Ireland.

More on those and other stories on the BBC Scotland website.

Filming of the BBC TV series Waterloo Road begins in Scotland

next week. The show, previously based in a school in Rochdale, is

relocating to Greenock. The set is being constructed in the old

Greenock Academy. The entire assembly hall, where

later on we will have the cast and crew from the first two episodes

participating. Their first glimpse of the sect for Waterloo Road.

Props have been brought in from the current set in Rochdale.

We had an ambition for a long- running drama for a Scotland. Once

you have the long running security of jobs for people, it changes the

landscape for protection. Rank lesson. I need that!

230 cast and crew will be here, including the Scots actor who plays

the headmaster. Arriving here there is stuffed to

mind in terms of the man's past and family and that will be exciting

but the reason that the score moved is not entirely to do with his

background. The big gamble is whether fans followed the show

north. Too many people it is still a quintessentially English drama.

But the show is confident its fans can handle the change, and will

soon adapt to its Scottish setting, not to mention the impact of having

a show the scale made on your own doorstep. It will generate a full-

time jobs and a lot of investment and other employment opportunities

in terms of extras, and in terms of generating business opportunities

in the local community. While most Scottish schools are

closing up for the holidays, Waterloo Road is open for business,

with filming beginning on Monday. David, stand up straight at the

back! Neil Lennon could be in bother with

the football authorities again, this time over alleged pre-match

comments about referees. The Scottish Football Association has

written to the Celtic manager for the third time in over a week. It

comes as European football's governing body find Neil Lennon's

club. Some recent refereeing decisions

have not been to Celtic's liking, particularly this one. The manager

was later removed from the dug-out. He had an appearance before the

football authorities. He was already in trouble for his reaction

to this, and now he has been written to take their time in

little over a week. He was quoted looking ahead to the weekend game

with St Johnstone. The should be a positive time for Celtic, on the

verge of their first title for four years. But now European vines and

defeats are dampening the mood. The club has been fined �21,000 by UEFA

over an offensive banner at a Europa League match in December.

On the track, they did not come much more successful than Ed Moses.

The double Olympic champion is in Scotland to pass on his experience

in high performance to the Scottish Institute of Sport. Not only that

but we have been to meet him. Ed Moses was not just one of the

best. For a large part of the 1970s and 1980s, he was the best. I was

not interested in just beating everyone else. At one point I was

so far ahead that it would have been disastrous to my improvement,

to any concentrate on the other athletes. It is hard to believe we

will see his like again. A two-time European -- Olympic champion who

revolutionised the sport. He took 13 steps between hurdles when

others took 14. His nine nine-iron record is the most famous -- his

999 record, where he did not lose for nine months, nine days and nine

hours. We have a lot here to work with, more than most countries in

the world. Do we have the hunger Within athletes, they? I do not

know. That is up to the athletes. With the Olympics and Glasgow 2014

to come, Moses plans to return to Scotland breaching his winning

mount threat to our medal chasing stars. -- preaching his winning

mantra. Those who stick with the sport for longer become better.

I wonder what he would make of this. Not quite an Olympic final but to

celebrate the Scottish Football League's extended deal with

sponsors Ramsdens, they decided to find out who is the fastest runner

in the lower leagues. The final was today and I had to be there.

Welcome. You are about to witness something that comes as close as

you're going to get to Scottish One of these flying machines will

hightail it with �500 in his pocket while his team will be �2,500

better off. Let's meet the men about to run for money. Grant

Plenderleith from Stenhousemuir. I'm from Queens Park. What will you

do if you win? John Robinson, A false start, there. And bear.

Third time lucky, then. There, it is the quiet man, Grant

I was in the Falkirk harriers in the under 15. By better let you go

because there is a man over there with a novelty check for you. Well

done, Craig. Grant, Surrey. -- sorry!

High quality stuff from bent. A few false starts from me and not just

from them. You do what they do in the

athletics coverage, you spoke to them when they have just finished

and have no breath. We went for a fish supper straight

afterwards! Our financial adviser, Fergus

Muirhead, will be joining us on lunch time Reporting Scotland a

fortnight today, talking about general financial problems, so if

Christopher broke up it to us earlier. The great weather will not

It was still respectably warmth We are back to a average

temperature in the northern areas. Dry and fine this evening. More

cloud in the North. Quite breezy there, too. A strong north-westerly

wind. But lighter wind. Another dry start to tomorrow morning. Plenty

of sunshine from the well at -- from the word go for many areas.

But by the time we reach the afternoon, the cloudier, cooler

conditions will be across the Hebrides and further south. Inland

the temperatures should be better, Glasgow faring well. Potentially

some spits on spots of rain for Shetland. Back to some sunshine,

too, for the likes of Inverness, Moray, at Aberdeen. The further

South widow, Wiki the sunshine but we also see the high temperatures.

Very little changes as far as the rest of the day is concerned. Still

quite a strong north-westerly wind across more northern areas and

lighter wind further south. The high pressure is starting to

move away in the outlook but it is still influencing our weather,

keeping dry conditions across the country. We are looking at

guerrilla air coming across Scotland and temperatures returning

to normal values by the weekend. Friday looks many dry. Some fine

sunshine in the East. Temperature still above average, with quite a

The headlines: There are warnings tonight that motorists are panic

buying fuel after David Cameron suggested topping up in case tanker

drivers went on strike. Another minister advised motorists

to keep a jury can in the garage. We are just getting the first

pictures in off a flair that is burning on the abandoned Elgin oil

platform in the North Sea. You can see the deserted platform there.

That was taken yesterday. It is difficult to get any footage

because the platform is 150 miles off the coast at Aberdeen. The

intensity of the frame does not seem to be dying down. The back

four was a back to readied on Sunday after the gas leak began.

Us companies are warning that the concessionary travel scheme for the