:00:16. > :00:26.Welcome to Reporting Scotland. Tonight, torrential rain causes
:00:26. > :00:28.
:00:28. > :00:34.severe flooding. Roads have been closed and businesses affected.
:00:34. > :00:39.has risen all night. When I got up at first like it, it looked as big
:00:39. > :00:41.a flood as I have ever seen here. Also on tonight's programme...
:00:41. > :00:44.The Chancellor offers �50 million to safeguard the cross-Border
:00:44. > :00:47.sleeper service. We will have full analysis of what George Osborne's
:00:47. > :00:50.Autumn Statement means for Scotland. As Celtic's Europa League opponents
:00:50. > :00:54.arrive in rain-drenched Glasgow, captain Scott Brown is touch and go
:00:54. > :00:56.to face Spanish side Athletico Madrid.
:00:56. > :01:05.And police investiage a fresh attempt to topple this
:01:05. > :01:09.controversial Highland statue. Flooding has caused widespread
:01:09. > :01:12.disruption across much of Central, West and Southern Scotland. A night
:01:12. > :01:17.of torrential rain swamped homes and businesses and blocked some
:01:17. > :01:27.roads. In Glasgow, more than two weeks worth of rain fell in just 24
:01:27. > :01:31.
:01:31. > :01:35.hours. Sometimes assign it can see it all. This was the scene in
:01:35. > :01:42.Stirling Show today, after a wall gave way after the massive pressure
:01:42. > :01:47.of water. I looked out a few times during the night and it was
:01:47. > :01:52.rattling down against the roof. It has just risen all night. When I
:01:52. > :01:59.get up first light this morning, it looked as if it was the as bigger
:01:59. > :02:09.flood as I have ever seen here. the Bridge of Allan, you would have
:02:09. > :02:19.needed waders if you were waiting for a bus. Heading south down the
:02:19. > :02:22.coast to Greenock, VII had to be closed for hours at Langbank.
:02:22. > :02:30.have lived here for years and I am used to the weather been bad, but I
:02:30. > :02:38.have never seen it as bad as this. And there was no point going for a
:02:38. > :02:44.train, as this was the train station at Bishopton. At Greenock,
:02:44. > :02:51.the water did so high that sitting in the car was no longer an option.
:02:51. > :02:55.It even try at 60 people in a seafront hotel in Greenock. I saw a
:02:56. > :03:05.car and it was trying to get out, but ended up just floating
:03:06. > :03:06.
:03:06. > :03:11.sideways.. In Ayrshire, this video shows that some streets were turned
:03:11. > :03:14.into reverse. In Dumfries, by lunchtime, the flood waters had
:03:14. > :03:24.arrived. Our reporter Steven Duff is near
:03:24. > :03:24.
:03:24. > :03:28.Greenock for us tonight. How are things there? This part of
:03:28. > :03:33.Inverclyde was effectively an island for most of the day, such
:03:33. > :03:37.was the flooding. You can see the main road behind me to Glasgow is
:03:37. > :03:41.still closed and the efforts going on to try and clear the carriageway.
:03:41. > :03:48.The water is gone, but there is still a lot of debris. This was
:03:48. > :03:52.this the not too long ago, car strapped in the water and some
:03:52. > :03:59.people having to be rescued from their cars. It really was the
:03:59. > :04:04.perfect storm in this part of the country. The rain has stopped now,
:04:04. > :04:12.but the wind has now got up. It is a very difficult situation for the
:04:12. > :04:19.people in Greenock, who were cut off for a large part of the day.
:04:19. > :04:26.as the flooding actually caused any damage? A around the country, yet
:04:26. > :04:30.it has seen the likes of fields flooded, walls knock-down, but here
:04:30. > :04:36.you can see the economic effect of this. The 60 guests who in the
:04:36. > :04:41.hotel behind me have had to be there all night. Behind me, the
:04:41. > :04:46.call centre had to be closed today. Just imagine the economic effect of
:04:46. > :04:51.that. And there is issues Royal Bank of Scotland building nearby
:04:51. > :04:58.which was flooded and had to be closed today. Seoul, a big economic
:04:58. > :05:01.impact, as well as the flooding for people to have to cope with.
:05:01. > :05:04.Scotland is to get an extra �433 million for new roads, schools and
:05:04. > :05:06.other capital spending. The increase was announced as part of
:05:06. > :05:10.Chancellor George Osborne's Autumn Statement, which he delivered to
:05:10. > :05:14.the House of Commons today. But Scottish Finance Secretary John
:05:14. > :05:19.Swinney said the move fell far short of what was needed to boost
:05:19. > :05:25.the economy. Our Business and Economy Editor Douglas Fraser is
:05:25. > :05:28.here to tell us what Westminster's plans mean for Scotland.
:05:28. > :05:30.It is not the Autumn Statement George Osborne would have wished,
:05:30. > :05:33.with the independent budget adviser saying UK growth will be slower
:05:33. > :05:39.than previously thought, the recovery will drag on, we will have
:05:39. > :05:41.to borrow more and the cuts will continue longer. The best the
:05:41. > :05:45.Chancellor could say was that if interest rates were higher, things
:05:45. > :05:47.could be a lot worse. And while some budgets were further
:05:47. > :05:50.squeezed today, he released savings for transport, and an average of
:05:50. > :05:58.�150 milllion more will be coming to Holyrood's block grant in each
:05:58. > :06:08.of the next three years. Scottish ministers will decide how that is
:06:08. > :06:10.
:06:10. > :06:20.spent. The plans may be of track, but he does have a plan for rolling
:06:20. > :06:21.
:06:21. > :06:27.stock. A we are working to improve the links between our countries.
:06:27. > :06:31.The Chancellor has made Edinburgh as one of 10 "Super connected"
:06:31. > :06:40.cities. It has also given the Scottish government more money to
:06:40. > :06:46.spend on capital projects. If you look at the report, they say the
:06:46. > :06:51.overall spending is neutral and, as a consequence, the announcement by
:06:51. > :06:56.the Chancellor today will have no impact on the forecasts they are
:06:56. > :07:03.making. He may have shuffled around the numbers, but he has given us no
:07:03. > :07:11.real mule new economic stimulus. He should have delivered that, because
:07:11. > :07:16.only that can stimulate economic recovery. It took the Chancellor 40
:07:16. > :07:19.minutes before the word unemployment was mentioned. It is a
:07:19. > :07:23.serious problem in Scotland. It is important that the Scottish
:07:23. > :07:32.National Party does more to stimulate the economy and its
:07:32. > :07:35.courts working again. government says it is planning to
:07:35. > :07:43.upgrade the a name that to Perth, but that will be a few years down
:07:43. > :07:50.the line. It is good the government is looking at it and trying to help
:07:50. > :07:56.small businesses. The amount of bureaucracy and red tape it really
:07:56. > :08:00.is a lot of a turn-off as an employer. It is about getting
:08:01. > :08:07.people appear and then, once they are here, giving them a low-cost
:08:07. > :08:10.method of getting around the islands.
:08:10. > :08:13.Scotland also faces the impact of further pay restraint for public
:08:13. > :08:15.sector workers, who are already unhappy about their lot, with a
:08:15. > :08:19.widespread strike tomorrow. Our Westminster correspondent David
:08:19. > :08:28.Porter joins us now. And the strike is just one of the political
:08:28. > :08:31.challenges behind today's economic numbers? Yes, tomorrow possibly
:08:32. > :08:36.hundreds of thousands of public sector workers in Scotland or call
:08:36. > :08:43.on strike and that underlines why there are such challenges facing
:08:43. > :08:47.the economy. According to the government, everyone is having to
:08:47. > :08:57.take a share of the pain. Public sectors work workers say they're
:08:57. > :09:01.
:09:01. > :09:06.going to have to work longer and get worse pensions. What we will
:09:06. > :09:11.seek with the squeezing public- sector pay and the Chancellor deal
:09:11. > :09:18.that did delivering a very definite hint that there could be regional
:09:18. > :09:22.differences between public sector pay increases, there could be
:09:22. > :09:27.Loggerheads between the Scottish and Westminster government for many
:09:27. > :09:34.months to come. I think that many people, after today's statement,
:09:34. > :09:38.will realise that things may be very tough for a long time to come.
:09:38. > :09:41.There is more on that Autumn Statement on Newsnight Scotland
:09:41. > :09:43.tonight. You are watching Reporting Scotland
:09:43. > :09:46.from the BBC. Still to come on the programme...
:09:46. > :09:49.The number of Scots with a serious drug problem has risen, but there
:09:49. > :09:52.are fewer young addicts. And in sport, news of Scott Brown,
:09:52. > :09:55.who could be fit enough to face the Atletico Madrid. The Spanish giants
:09:55. > :10:01.arrived in Glasgow today ahead of the Europa League clash with Celtic.
:10:01. > :10:04.We will also have the latest from their camp.
:10:04. > :10:07.A former male nurse who pretended to be a lesbian and bisexual
:10:07. > :10:11.teenager, in order to prey on young girls on the internet, has been
:10:11. > :10:14.jailed and is to be monitored for life. Barry McLuskey from Glasgow
:10:14. > :10:17.admitted targeting 49 girls, some as young as 10. He also blackmailed
:10:17. > :10:23.some of his victims, contacting them on Bebo and an instant
:10:23. > :10:29.messaging service. Judge Rita Rae QC imposed a lifelong restriction
:10:29. > :10:32.order and jailed McCluksey for six years and eight months.
:10:32. > :10:36.Scotland is bracing itself for the biggest day of industrial action
:10:36. > :10:38.for more than a generation. Around 250,000 public sector workers are
:10:38. > :10:45.going on strike tomorrow against proposed changes to their pensions,
:10:45. > :10:47.which they say will leave many worse off. So just how will the
:10:47. > :10:57.strike affect the country? Here is our local government correspondent
:10:57. > :10:58.
:10:58. > :11:04.Jamie McIvor. In it is not a public service worker and is not on strike
:11:04. > :11:08.tomorrow, but she will feel the impact. The schools that her
:11:09. > :11:15.children go to are closed, so she will have to be looking after them
:11:15. > :11:22.instead of studying for a qualification. So, there will be no
:11:22. > :11:28.school, known nursery and their formal studying time for me.
:11:28. > :11:33.vast bulk of schools will be closed tomorrow, just one of the effects
:11:33. > :11:37.of this co-ordinated action. Some hospital operations may be delayed,
:11:37. > :11:41.council officials, job centres and libraries will be shut and the
:11:41. > :11:49.Glasgow subway will be closed. There could also be delays at
:11:49. > :11:55.airports. Even some police support staff will be on strike. The is no
:11:55. > :12:01.doubt that it impact on us as an organisation. We have planned for a
:12:01. > :12:07.number of weeks for this. But what is important is the we re assure us
:12:07. > :12:14.people that we will of police officers when they are required.
:12:14. > :12:19.The impact of the strike could be �500m. The say the figures are been
:12:19. > :12:23.overstated by the government. Others say there is a need for or
:12:23. > :12:33.reality check. Tomorrow may be the biggest the of industrial action
:12:33. > :12:40.since the 1970s. But everyone knows the impact then was very different.
:12:40. > :12:45.The strikes there lasted for weeks and led to national emergencies.
:12:45. > :12:48.For many people, the worst impact will be inconvenienced or
:12:48. > :12:51.disappointment. Our website is being constantly
:12:51. > :12:58.updated with the latest information about what local and national
:12:58. > :13:01.services are being disrupted. The address is bbc.co.uk/scotlandnews.
:13:01. > :13:06.Former X Factor contestant Gamu Nhengu and her family have won
:13:06. > :13:09.their immigration fight to stay in the UK. The Home Office failed to
:13:09. > :13:14.win its appeal to overturn a decision granting the 19-year-old,
:13:14. > :13:16.her two brothers and their mother leave to remain in the UK. The
:13:17. > :13:26.family have lived in Tillicoultry for several years after they left
:13:26. > :13:36.The number of Scots with serious drugs problems has risen, according
:13:36. > :13:37.
:13:37. > :13:43.to official figures just published. The raw figures are these, around
:13:43. > :13:49.60,000 people in Scotland have serious drugs misuse problems. 4000
:13:49. > :13:55.up on the last time the figures were collated. Is a problem getting
:13:55. > :14:00.worse? We don't know because of the statistical inexactitude. What we
:14:00. > :14:07.can say is that things are not getting better. The government
:14:07. > :14:13.introduced a new strategy a few years ago. They say that it is too
:14:13. > :14:19.early to say whether the new policy is bearing fruit. What are the
:14:19. > :14:24.hopeful signs in these figures? proportion of young people, under
:14:24. > :14:30.35, has dropped. That means the drug-taking population in Scotland
:14:30. > :14:34.is getting older. Probably because these figures include those on the
:14:34. > :14:39.method and a maintenance programmes. I have to say there is another way
:14:39. > :14:46.of looking at this, particularly here in Glasgow where the number of
:14:46. > :14:52.people with serious drugs problems is falling. But, the number who are
:14:52. > :14:56.older, is rising. Drugs workers were telling me today that a large
:14:56. > :15:04.number of young people are apparently abandoning drugs like
:15:04. > :15:07.heroin, and turning to legal highs and alcohol. These don't appear in
:15:07. > :15:17.the findings today but are a continuing problem for the
:15:17. > :15:17.
:15:17. > :15:20.government. Some of the other stories across
:15:20. > :15:23.Scotland this Tuesday: A 46-year- old woman who died following a fire
:15:23. > :15:26.in a block of flats in Aberdeen has been named as Selina Corrigan, a
:15:26. > :15:29.teacher at Woodside Primary School. She was taken to hospital after the
:15:29. > :15:32.blaze at Alexander Terrace in the Tillydrone area on Monday night,
:15:32. > :15:34.but died later. Grampian Police said the fire did not appear to be
:15:34. > :15:37.suspicious. A discount scheme for ferries is to
:15:37. > :15:40.be extended. A government report says the Road Equivalent Tarrif has
:15:40. > :15:42.increased journeys by almost a third, since it was introduced on
:15:42. > :15:45.routes to the Western Isles. Now, routes including the Sounds of
:15:45. > :15:49.Barra and Harris will also be included, with ferries to Colonsay,
:15:49. > :15:54.Islay and Gigha added next year. A pilot scheme for Arran will start
:15:54. > :15:57.in 2014. As many as 50 students have
:15:57. > :16:00.occupied Aberdeen University's main office building to protest against
:16:00. > :16:03.cuts. They've demanded the university's management protect the
:16:03. > :16:10.jobs of lecturers and staff, turn down any bonuses and speak out
:16:10. > :16:18.against the Government's economic policies. The university says it
:16:18. > :16:23.will respond to the points they've Scotland's largest college is to
:16:23. > :16:25.move into a new 200 million pound super campus. The City of Glasgow
:16:25. > :16:29.College formed through the merger of the Central, Metropolitan and
:16:29. > :16:35.Nautical College is the first of an expected wave of mergers, in a
:16:35. > :16:45.shake-up of further education across Scotland. Our Education
:16:45. > :16:47.
:16:47. > :16:56.Correspondent Seonag MacKinnon reports. Graduation day. A dream
:16:56. > :17:02.come true for students, and for college bosses to. Ladies and
:17:02. > :17:08.gentlemen, that is the green light for a new city campus in Glasgow.
:17:08. > :17:14.Forster to and of the future, a shiny new campus. One of the
:17:14. > :17:19.biggest in the UK. People without the greatest of backgrounds can
:17:19. > :17:24.attend a campus with great facilities, and participate in
:17:24. > :17:29.staff they never could before. much to celebrate, but under
:17:29. > :17:38.government plans this will be the first of many super colleges from
:17:38. > :17:44.mergers. Many have their own management teams, and ministers are
:17:44. > :17:53.looking at rationalisation of students, giving them fewer but
:17:53. > :17:58.better facilities. Some are wary. In principle, mergers can be a good
:17:58. > :18:05.thing if driven for educational reasons, not to reduce courses or
:18:05. > :18:10.numbers available for courses or reducing staff. The future of many
:18:10. > :18:14.of the students is mapped out, but the future of Scotland's colleges
:18:14. > :18:18.is in limbo. Now, is this sport or not? An
:18:18. > :18:21.American man has set a new record on the shores of Loch Ness. Ashrita
:18:21. > :18:25.Furman skipped 255 times on a skipping rope in five minutes,
:18:25. > :18:27.while wearing flippers. He's already in the Guiness Book of
:18:27. > :18:33.Records for holding more records than anyone else, with more than
:18:33. > :18:39.one hundred. Dougie's here with the real sport.
:18:39. > :18:45.Follow that. The Celtic manager Neil Lennon believes captain Scott
:18:45. > :18:47.Brown is close to agreeing a new contract with the club. But it may
:18:47. > :18:50.be touch and go whether the midfielder will have recovered
:18:50. > :19:00.sufficiently from an ankle injury to face Atletico Madrid tomorrow
:19:00. > :19:01.
:19:01. > :19:05.night in the Europa League. John Barnes reports. Neil Lennon was in
:19:05. > :19:10.the stand last night as Charlton faced Huddersfield, but he would
:19:10. > :19:15.not be drawn on whether he was looking at Jordan roads. More
:19:15. > :19:23.pressing is the future of Captain Scott Brown. Out of contract next
:19:23. > :19:27.summer, he can talk to clubs in a few days' time. It is just a
:19:27. > :19:34.question of talking to his representatives of soon as possible.
:19:34. > :19:40.I think he wants to stay, he knows the key terms and I don't think we
:19:40. > :19:44.are far away. Neil Lennon's men are looking to maintain their good form
:19:44. > :19:49.at Celtic Park in an attempt to reach the next stage of the Roper
:19:49. > :19:56.League. It is nearly two year since they last lost a European home
:19:56. > :20:04.match. We might still have a chance of qualifying with a draw but they
:20:04. > :20:10.were in its is what we need really. Probably our best performance of
:20:10. > :20:16.the season at the weekend. Atletico Madrid looked relaxed as they
:20:16. > :20:24.arrived at Glasgow airport. They are confident of a repeat
:20:24. > :20:30.performance from their winner in a Madrid. We have a team with a lot
:20:30. > :20:40.of qualities. As the Atletico Madrid players rushed to avoid the
:20:40. > :20:41.
:20:41. > :20:43.Scottish rain, at least stay had an element of a Spanish welcome.
:20:43. > :20:46.is turning into a bumper year for Scottish Sport after today's
:20:46. > :20:49.announcement that the Ryder Cup will be coming back to Gleneagles.
:20:49. > :20:53.The Perthshire course will host the event between 26th and 28th of
:20:53. > :20:59.September. Europe are the current holders of the Trophy, having won
:20:59. > :21:06.it at Celtic Manor in October of last year. The whole world coming
:21:06. > :21:12.back to Scotland to visit the old country, then the Games, one of the
:21:12. > :21:17.greatest, the Commonwealth, then the Ryder Cup. One of the absolute
:21:17. > :21:21.pinnacles for a TV audience coming home in every sense. The Ryder Cup
:21:21. > :21:24.back to Gleneagles where the original idea began so many years
:21:24. > :21:26.ago. Tickets for the London 2012
:21:26. > :21:29.football tournament went back on sale today with 1.5 million
:21:29. > :21:32.available across the six venues. Hampden will host eight matches in
:21:32. > :21:41.total including one women's quarter final plus some early rounds of the
:21:41. > :21:46.men's competition. It is quite easy to fill removed from what is going
:21:47. > :21:55.on in London when you are far away from it, but the chance to be part
:21:55. > :21:59.of it on your doorstep is amazing. The only tickets I got our for ham
:21:59. > :22:02.done, I am not going to London. An investigation's been launched
:22:02. > :22:05.into a new attempt to pull down the statue of the Duke of Sutherland in
:22:05. > :22:08.the Highlands. The huge statue is controversial because of the
:22:08. > :22:10.notorious role the Duke played in the Highland Clearances. Serious
:22:10. > :22:18.damage has been caused to the memorial in recent weeks, and
:22:18. > :22:25.police suspect it's deliberate. Jackie O'Brien reports. Love it or
:22:25. > :22:31.loathe it, this statue, the first Duke of Sutherland, has been part
:22:31. > :22:38.of the local landscape since the 1830s. The prominent landmark, even
:22:38. > :22:42.used as a marker by fishermen, can be seen from miles around. The 100
:22:42. > :22:50.ft structure has survived demolition the Thames in the past,
:22:50. > :22:58.but reports of a fresh attack took me to the top. A chance encounter
:22:58. > :23:03.with local walkers revealed an even more recent assault on the statue.?
:23:03. > :23:08.Damage occurred about three or four weeks ago, and since then we think
:23:08. > :23:13.there has been more. Police believe malicious intent occurred, because
:23:13. > :23:19.the stones removed from the plinth were left strewn in the heather. It
:23:19. > :23:24.is now feared a concerted campaign is underway to topple the Duke.
:23:24. > :23:29.This is not the first time it has happened. We have had it in
:23:29. > :23:34.previous years. It is assumed steam motive for the latest attack is
:23:34. > :23:40.political, because of his role in the Highland clearances, where he
:23:40. > :23:45.forced many local tenants to make way. The vandalism is not welcome
:23:45. > :23:55.for villagers at the foot of the hill. It is part of history, if you
:23:55. > :23:56.
:23:56. > :24:00.take it away, people won't ask. If he goes people will ask though.
:24:00. > :24:04.Duke's descendants, who still own the local Sutherland estate say
:24:04. > :24:08.they are disappointed by the damage. Time now for the latest weather
:24:08. > :24:18.forecast. Christopher Blanchett is with us. How are things looking,
:24:18. > :24:18.
:24:18. > :24:24.A lot of rain around today, the good news is the heaviest has
:24:24. > :24:28.pushed away towards the North Sea. We will see some heavy showers, but
:24:28. > :24:35.breezy for most parts. The westerly breeze, pushing some of the showers
:24:35. > :24:40.towards the east. If you are in the east, a dry night. Some showers are
:24:40. > :24:45.wintery over the hills. It will be cold, temperatures around two or
:24:45. > :24:50.three degrees. There is a risk of vice between those showers as the
:24:50. > :24:56.ground freezes. Into tomorrow, we start with showers. Later run, a
:24:56. > :25:01.risk of hail and thunder. Elsewhere across the country be picked is
:25:01. > :25:08.improving towards lunchtime, although showers fade away. Lots of
:25:08. > :25:13.dry weather around. South-westerly winds are strong at times. So, mid-
:25:13. > :25:19.afternoon, temperatures around eight or nine degrees. Mostly dry
:25:19. > :25:25.across the mainland. On the West Coast, gale-force winds that time.
:25:25. > :25:31.Rain waiting in the wings, into the northern isles pushing in later on.
:25:31. > :25:36.The second half of the afternoon, it all goes downhill. Rain pushing
:25:36. > :25:42.and from the West. We have another warning from the met Office, a
:25:42. > :25:47.yellow warning. Not as severe as last night. That rain will be
:25:47. > :25:53.falling on already saturated ground. We will have wins to contend with
:25:53. > :25:58.on Thursday, notice the tight isobars. We will see some severe
:25:58. > :26:03.gales across the northern parts of the country. We do have an early
:26:03. > :26:10.warning for the wind and gales, particularly affecting supplement,
:26:10. > :26:16.Orkney, among star other areas. The rush hour, it will be pretty
:26:16. > :26:22.noticeably Severe, with three wins. It will also feel quite cool on
:26:22. > :26:27.Thursday, on Friday, some sunshine to start with. It will be feeling
:26:27. > :26:35.cold, temperatures at around six or seven degrees. Keep up-to-date with
:26:35. > :26:37.all of that on the website. Thanks. Now, just before 7 o'clock, a
:26:37. > :26:41.summary of tonight's top stories: The Chancellor George Osborne has
:26:41. > :26:44.said public sector pay rises will be capped at 1% for two years, as
:26:44. > :26:47.he lowered growth forecasts for the UK economy in his autumn statement.
:26:47. > :26:49.The number of public sector jobs set to be lost has also risen and
:26:49. > :26:51.set to be lost has also risen and borrowing will have to increase.
:26:51. > :26:56.Labour's Ed Balls said the figures showed the government's economic
:26:56. > :27:00.and fiscal plans were "in tatters". Flooding has caused widespread
:27:00. > :27:02.disruption across much of central, west and southern Scotland. A night
:27:02. > :27:07.of torrential rain swamped homes and businesses, and blocked some
:27:07. > :27:10.roads. In Glasgow, more than two weeks worth of rain fell in just 24
:27:10. > :27:20.hours. Scotland is bracing itself for the
:27:20. > :27:21.
:27:21. > :27:24.biggest day of industrial action for more than a generation. Around
:27:24. > :27:28.a quarter of a million public sector workers will go on strike