04/12/2015 Reporting Scotland

Weeks of travel disruption - the Forth Road Bridge will be

closed until the new year, as engineers work to repair

11-mile tailbacks at the Kincardine Bridge this morning

and more pain for commuters on both road and rail tonight.

It is just a pity that some of idiots could not have thought of the

need for extra carriages on the trains. It is a nightmare. Really

long, cramped, not very enjoyable. and a year before it's replaced, we

look at a bridge built for a programme: A fall in the number

of drink drivers a year on And trouble in the dressing room

at Celtic - manager Ronnie Deila says Anthony

Stokes was suspended for more than The Forth Road Bridge is to be

closed to all traffic until at least the new year,

after inspections found a crack The closure began at midnight last

night and has led to severe disruption elsewhere, as motorists

tried to find alternative routes. The Transport Minister says

the decision was not taken lightly and measures are being put

in place to lessen the impact. In a moment we'll hear from our

reporters at the Kincardine Bridge, which is on the diversion route, and

at the Forth Road Bridge itself. But first this report from Steven

Godden on the day's developments. This should have been rush-hour.

Instead, the carriageways were empty and the Forth Road Bridge was eerily

quiet. The electronic signs carrying a short message with huge

implications. Drivers jostled for space on alternative routes. The

tailback to the Kincardine Bridge reached 11 miles at one stage. It

took an extra hour because of the road closures and the bridge being

closed. They closed Kincardine Bridge as well which made it worse.

We needed to go five or six miles to get here. The question was how long

would it last, and the answer came mid morning, with the transport

Minister confirming a three-week closure necessary to fix cracked

steelwork. The work will take us between Christmas and the New Year

and the assumption is that the bridge would be open by New Year. I

appreciate the disruption and inconvenience that will cause but

safety has to be paramount for the travelling public and those working

on the bridge. This image shows the 20 millimetre crack in the steel

frame, beneath the southbound carriageway. By yesterday

afternoon, after two days of assessment, the worst fears were

confirmed. We were not concerned about it falling down but we were

concerned that this component would have failed and resulted in an

immediate split in the bridge deck, so the only real decision we had to

make was to make the recommendation the bridge was closed. To reach

Edinburgh from Fife, that means an inland diversion, adding around 30

miles onto the journey. With the bridge off limits, other forms of

transport will need to take the strain. The idea of a ferry has been

floated, but the Railway offers the most realistic alternative. ScotRail

say repeating today's effort to add extra carriages will be challenging.

Commuters face a long three weeks. There should be more carriages on. I

travel every day. Today is the first time I struggled a lot. Even with

two extra carriages, they should at least build up some more carriages

so people can travel back and forth. In the morning, just crowded.

Alarming, too, for businesses, with goods and customers to transport in

the run-up to Christmas. There is always a rush to get deliveries done

for Christmas. If you speak to any tradesperson they will say that

their customers always ask if they can get it done for Christmas. There

is always a big rush in the run-up to Christmas. They will be badly

affected. The aim is to have the barriers lifted by the New Year, but

tonight's high wind underlines the fragile nature of a timetable that

will be under the utmost scrutiny. The scale of the problem facing the

engineers is best seen from the air. Aileen Clarke flew over the bridge

by helicopter and saw how difficult The view of the famous Forth Road

Bridge from above, but this is a view you will never have seen

before. Not one car travelling across the road bridge. Over the

decades it has coped with everything other than the strongest of storms,

but today it stands idle and still and empty. On a normal day, 70,000

cars, buses and lorries would cross that bridge, but this is far from a

normal day. The only vehicles on that bridge today are those that

have been taken on by engineers that bridge today are those that

trying to fix this problem. This morning, engineers were on the

bridge assessing the damage which has been discovered. The

bridge assessing the damage which been found in steel under the North

Tower but all of the steelwork is being examined for signs of stress.

It is difficult to work in challenging conditions, and shortly

after we saw these engineers carrying out checks beneath the

other tower, all of the team had to leave the bridge Jew to

deteriorating weather. The train has been an option for some commuters

today but with few spare carriages to bolster them, even ScotRail

wearing ker-ching people not to travel. On the other side of the

road bridge, the new Queensferry bridge is taking shape but it

road bridge, the new Queensferry not be taking the strain for another

year yet. We are told this is the first time that a main bridge in

Scotland has been completely closed because of a structural problem. But

Scotland has been completely closed that will be little consolation to

commuters and businesses worried about how this closure will affect

them up to Christmas and into the New

The Forth Road Bridge is more than 50 years old and in recent

As we've heard a new crossing is being built but

David Henderson has been assessing whether today's news was inevitable

for a bridge designed for a different era.

It is half a century since this bridge was built to link Fife with

the Lothians. At the time, this was a cutting edge design with a span of

more a cutting edge design with a span of

been a victim of its own success. Back then, traffic was light, but

over the years more Scots took to the roads. The bridge now carries

about 24 million vehicles every year. Far more than it

about 24 million vehicles every for. And now, there are signs of

wear and tear. It was for. And now, there are signs of

longest suspension bridges in the world when it was built. Certainly,

the volume of traffic and the weight of the vehicles using it is much

greater than would have been anticipated that in the days when it

was designed. It is not the first time the bridge has needed major

repairs. In recent years, the main cables had to be fixed after they

were weakened with corrosion. But this latest problem is more serious.

A structural fault below the North Tower, with a crack in the steelwork

some 20 millimetres wide. Without the emergency repairs now underway,

the problem could have spread. The first sign probably would have been

that the deck would just drop at one corner when it came against the

tower. The load would be transferred to the links that had not failed,

and all traffic would stop immediately. Soon, a new bridge will

help to spread the load. The Queensferry Crossing is due to open

at some point next year. And when that new crossing comes into

operation it could mean much lighter duties for the Forth Road Bridge,

like a limit on the number of cars allowed to cross each day, all like

this much more modest structure in Glasgow, limiting much of its

traffic to just buses. In a moment we'll be speaking to our

reporter at the Forth Road Bridge. But first to Andrew Black,

who's at the Kincardine Bridge on How busy has it been tonight,

Andrew? If you take a look behind me, you

will probably be able to see traffic snaking its way across the

Clackmannanshire Bridge, one of the alternative routes try those have

been using today to get across. This whole area has been a traffic pinch

point today. It is also the part of the world where motorists have been

trying to get onto the Kincardine Bridge as well. You probably saw the

tailbacks this morning. Police have been in the area all day looking at

traffic management, changing the plans as things have been changing

throughout the day, and they are still here this evening to keep an

ion things. Definitely until there are more permanent plans put in

place, it is fair to say that if you are a motorist in this part of the

world you are probably going to experience a lot of misery in days

to come. Let's go to the Forth Road Bridge, where Lisa Summers is in the

control room. This is transport Scotland's control

centre for the whole of Scotland, from where they will keep an eye on

developments on the Forth Road Bridge over the next few weeks. If

we look at the big screen Jew can see Clackmannanshire Bridge, and

Kincardine Bridge. You can still see traffic snaking across

Clackmannanshire Bridge. Next that, you can see the Forth Road Bridge

absolutely deserted. On the live camera, you can see the scene

outside tonight. We have the lights on the towers of the Forth Road

Bridge, and just to the left, the lights of the new crossing. It is

absolutely deserted. We will have to get used to that for three weeks, as

only emergency vehicles and engineers will be allowed to cross.

Hopefully, in terms of the transport, things will calm down

over the weekend. There are bad weather warnings as well, so that

should help to keep traffic off the road. But the next critical point

will come on Monday morning. Lisa Summers at the Forth Road

Bridge and Andrew Black at the You're watching Reporting Scotland

from the BBC. Still to come

on tonight's programme: Judy Murray's controversial plan for

a development on green belt land We're in Belfast with

Edinburgh Rugby the day And we'll hear from the Celtic

manager on why he suspended one And you'll find out what happened

next at the The number of drink-driving offences

in Scotland has fallen since the Government lowered

the legal limit a year ago, But some people say they'd still

drive themselves home One continuous breath until it

clicks. Convincing drivers not to drink before they get behind the

wheel has been a challenge for police for years. Our police

Scotland winning the fight? We saw a 12.5% reduction in drink and drive

detections, which is really encouraging. Speaking to friends and

colleagues, everybody knows there is a lower drink-driving limit in

Scotland. The safety message about drink-driving is starting to be

driven home. An online survey has shown that 82% of people thought

drinking anyhow cold before driving was wrong. But one in 20 say they

would still drive themselves home after a night out thinking, a figure

the government wants to crack. We are moving in the right direction

but we want to continue to build on that, to get the message across to

those who persist in thinking they can drink and drive, to get the

message to them that it will not be tolerated and there will be robust

enforcement measures being taken over coming weeks and months. Our

attitude is really changing? That cannot happen any more because we

all live in the country and if we lost our licence that would be it.

But there are probably more general things, that habits have changed and

we have to change with them. But there are concerns that those

changing habits are draining pub profits. We have seen a much lower

trade of older, retired people who would drive out to the country, have

a half of beer, a glass of wine and drive home after lunch. A lot of

them have stopped coming. The message is clear, police Scotland

will be on the road this Christmas looking out for unsafe drivers. For

anyone thinking of knocking back a pint or spirit before getting into

the car, perhaps settle for something softer instead.

The findings of a fatal accident inquiry into the Glasgow bin lorry

Six people died and 15 others were injured when the lorry went out of

The driver, Harry Clarke, had blacked out at the wheel.

The inquiry examined the circumstances

of the tragedy over five weeks of evidence at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Sheriff John Beckett's determination will be issued at noon on Monday.

The former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has made

a last-minute plea to councillors to back controversial plans to

build tennis facilities and luxury homes on green belt land between

The development is being promoted by Judy Murray, in the face

Our environment correspondent David Miller has this exclusive report.

Judy Murray wants to see this land transformed, providing new sports

facilities for future generations of young Scots. The development on

green belt land between dumb Blaine and Bridge of Allan would include

tennis courts, golf and football facilities, all set in a new country

park. New luxury homes would be needed to help pay for it. But these

are anxious times for the woman behind the scheme, who wants to

create a sporting legacy for her two sons. Great Britain have done it in

the most spectacular sons. Great Britain have done it in

Murray! We will have a starter golf course to the right. For Judy

Murray, this is shaping up to be another nail-biting finish.

Murray, this is shaping up to be officials recommend the plans are

rejected at a crucial meeting next Tuesday. For us as a family

rejected at a crucial meeting next about legacy of what Jamie and Andy

have achieved. None more so than what they achieved at the weekend,

two brothers from a small town in Scotland with no track record in

tennis, taking on the world and winning. For ma'am it is not

necessarily about creating the next Andy Murray, but giving kids in the

area an opportunity to play tennis, even if they don't like tennis,

there will be a 6 hole golf course, a football pitch. In his plea to

councillors, Sir Alex says... But campaigners opposed to the plans

say the loss of valuable green belt is too high a price to pay. This is

a hugely important piece of green belt are both communities of bridge

and -- Bridge of Allan and Dunblane. We have had objection to development

as opposed to letters of support. Luxury housing is not what we need.

It will just make private profit out of what is at the moment a resource

for all of us. Not long now until we learn which side has emerged

victorious in this contest. A look at other stories from across

the country. A memorial to infants at the heart

of the Mortonhall baby Ashes scandal has been opened in Edinburgh. The

memorial garden sits on the grounds of the crematorium and includes

Blacks inscribed with the names of 149 babies. Another memorial is

proposed in Princes Street Gardens. We have been through different

emotions and some parents still do not know how they feel about the

garden or if they want their baby's name there, but for me I feel it has

given me comfort. And somewhere for us to come and remain with my

daughter. Changes could be made to the controversial ways school

qualifications are put into practice at Hermitage Academy. We told you

about a local row about people is not sitting exams in fourth year

under review by the Council suggests there should be more flexibility.

The Scottish Government says it will continue to try to find a buyer for

Tata Steel plants now that the 45 day minimum consultation with

workers has been reached. The Indian firm announced plans to close

Scotland's last two steel plants in October, threatening 400 jobs.

Plans to build a 67 turbine wind farm near Fort Augustus have been

overturned after judicial review. A judge said the Scottish

Government's decision to approve SSE's wind farm was defective. A

conservation charity challenge the decision, saying the development

would destroy the character of the area. SSE say they are disappointed.

It is difficult to be delighted. We never thought building 67 huge

industrial scale developments in a wildlife area should have come

forward. The Celtic manager Ronny Deila says

he has the full respect That's as he explained the decision

to suspend Anthony Stokes following Not the only open show of dissent

from a Celtic player this season. Anthony Stokes watching from the

stand in Inverness. He has become a bit part player at Celtic this

season and the frustration of being left out again was too much for the

striker. He tweeted... A subsequent apology did not placate

Ronny Deila, as Stokes was banned for two weeks. I think everybody

understands it is not about that single coincidence, there have been

issues in the past. We felt we had to put down a marker. Stokes was

started once this season and was disciplined previously by Ronny

Deila. This is what sets his case apart from Chris Coleman's, for

instance. Is there an issue over lack of respect? I feel I have

complete respect from players and that is no issue. I said before

there have not been issues, then that is a group that does not care

and that is the worst thing. These players care and want to achieve

things with the team and individually. So, can Anthony Stokes

re-establish himself as a key member of the Celtic squad? I think he is

good enough to do a job for Celtic and can score goals and I was

surprised he has not been seen and now this has happened and he has

been suspended for two weeks you would think it would be hard to find

a way back into the first-team. Ronny Deila said Stokes can have a

future here but only they will determine how that lasts.

Edinburgh Rugby's head coach has extended his contract with

Alan Solomons is now signed up till the summer of 2017.

The South African is in Belfast for Edinburgh's match

And our rugby presenter Dougie Vipond joins us.

The weather in Belfast is challenging. Chucking it down here.

Andy Nichol the former Scotland captain is with me. Let's talk about

Solomons and the extension to the contract. It is important because it

gives continuity. The players know who the coach will be for next

season as well. There are a lot of players out of contract and that is

the next job for the MD, to get players contracted now they know

which coach they will have. A good win last week, and a bonus point win

at home. Tonight in Belfast the conditions are tough and it will

have an impact on the game? Massively. This is a filthy night

for rug recover with swirling winds, very wet. The pitch is very firm. A

horrible for rug be. The forwards will have to do everything -- for

rugby. What do you think will be key tonight from the Edinburgh point of

view? Possession. Maybe not having possession but having good defence.

The wind is flying down. If you are a winger tonight you will not see

much of the ball because it is so difficult. We are going to put our

hoods up. You can enjoy yourself in the warmth of the studio!

And you can watch Ulster versus Edinburgh tonight live on BBC Two

Or listen with the Radio Scotland Sportsound team -

The sailing partner of Scots Olympian Luke Patience has

Patience, a London 2012 silver medallist, and

Elliott Willis were among the first named in Team GB for Rio 2016.

The impact on their campaign for Rio will be

assessed in due course depending on the treatment recommended

There will be no Scots in the quarter-finals of the

The last man standing John Higgins losing a thrilling match 6-5 to

They were both upstaged by a moth.

That was its biggest mistake.

Although it did evade the grasp

Alas he got it

at the second attempt and for the moth it was game over.

Chris, the weather. You might not want to listen to what

is coming. Pretty grim. Wet and windy weather on the way over the

next 24, 36 hours, courtesy of Desmond, our fourth named storm. You

can see the trailing weather fronts and tightly packed isobars. The rain

is across the country and it will continue to reign for the next 24

hours nonstop at least. We have a warning from the Met Office for the

strength of the wind. Even inland up to 60 mph at times. A difficult

night with surface water spray. In the north-west, the wind will ease

down. Tomorrow it remains windy, but rainfall is the highest concern with

an amber be prepared warning from the Met Office for the Borders and

over to Strathclyde, Perthshire. Likely to see flooding as a result

of that persistent rain falling on already sodden ground. River

flooding and surface water flooding make difficult conditions on the

road. As we head through to the middle part of the afternoon, it is

wet and windy. At least it is mild. You can see the black arrows

indicating the wind, still 50 mph at times. Some shelter from the

Cairngorms, but that is the exception to the rule. Wet and windy

and the rain continues to fall. Across the Northwest, it will be

cooler than the rest of the country. Continuing on Saturday night when we

could see gusts up to 70 mph in parts. The rain will continue to

fall as we head through to the early hours of Sunday. But then,

thankfully, it stops. Showers across the north-west but for many, Sunday

is a better day. We will still feel the effect of the rainfall because

as the water runs into the rivers, we could still see flooding. The dry

interviewed does not last. We have low pressure on Monday. It means

more rain, wind and more warnings. There we have it. Monday, rain

working northwards. Likely to be further issues.

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news, the Forth

Road Bridge is to be closed to all traffic until at least the New Year,

after inspections found a crack in part of the steelwork.

I'll be back with the headlines at 8.

The late bulletin just after the Ten O'clock News.

Until then, from everyone on the team the