Today was the first time I had the opportunity to visit Portlethen Cemetery since the access road was resurfaced. What a difference!

I also noticed Hunter Construction staff busy repairing potholes elsewhere in the town on behalf of the council. Even the brander on Muirend Road near the entrance to Asda has been replaced (there was a large cone over the drain for months).

It has been a long road (sorry) to get to this point but finally our roads are returning to a reasonable state.

Still plenty to do, not only in Portlethen, but in Newtonhill and Muchalls too. Work continues.

Aberdeenshire Council’s Roads Service has advised me the planned road closure on the C12K country road (see below) at Netherley has been cancelled and the works will NOT begin on Monday 7 February.

A new date for the drainage works will be scheduled in the coming weeks.

I have been in touch with the Waste Service about the mess at this location just north of Portlethen Swimming Pool on Oak Drive.

What a mess, and litter bin on its side. It looks as if smokers have been gathering there. I understand the shed houses gas metering. Gas and smoking don’t go well together.

The site has now been cleaned up.

I hear this morning that residents in Kincardine and Mearns all have power again with the exception of about 40 properties in Glithno and the Ury Estate outside Stonehaven.

Anyone else still without electricity in Portlethen, Newtonhill and the surrounding countryside?

For those still without power the hot food outlet will still be available today in the Market Square, Stonehaven.

More information about the aftermath of the storms across Aberdeenshire can be found here: https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/apps/news/release.aspx?newsID=8448

More information has been provided today about the appointment of and Aberdeenshire Council digital engagement team which has been created to support residents, businesses and communities obtain better broadband.

The team of three – funded by the Aberdeen City Region Deal – is available to provide advice, guidance and support to utilise various programmes to obtain superfast broadband (30Mbps).
It will also play a pivotal role in helping residents and businesses access £400 interim vouchers, as part of R100, to obtain a temporary, superfast broadband solution while they wait for their full-fibre installation.

There is more here: https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/apps/news/release.aspx?newsID=8444

Here is the latest update on the storms situation from Aberdeenshire Council … there still are some people without power.
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Meanwhile, I have just read elsewhere that the police have asked the council to close the road completely at 10 Marine Terrace, Muchalls, due to the danger of falling trees and power lines. SSE have been informed.
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SSEN CATERING
SSEN catering facilities are available at the following locations today (Wednesday):
• Aboyne, Near the Huntly Arms Inn
• Alford, Transport Museum Car Park
• Ballater, Victoria Square
• Banchory, Bellfield Car Park
• Braemar, opposite the Fife Hotel
• Huntly, Bognie Arms Car Park, Forgue
• Insch, Church Hall Car Park, Western Road
• Kemnay, Kemnay Chip Shop, Aquithie Road
• Kintore, Kintore Fish Bar, Northern Rd
• Lumphanan, Next to MacBeth Arms Pub
• Monymusk, Location to be confirmed
• Stonehaven, The Square
• Strathdon, Bellabeg car park, next to shop
• Tarland, The Square
• Torphins, Learney Hall
• Turriff, Show Park Car Park

A welfare centre has also been set up at Drumlithie Village Hall, where tea and coffee will be available and charging points. Hot food will also be available from 1-2pm and 4-5pm.

Aberdeenshire Council has stood down the general public offer of hot food through our other welfare centres. Officers will continue to liaise with community groups to target hot food provision directly into affected communities.

COUNCIL FACILITIES open until 8pm today (Wednesday)
All Live Life Aberdeenshire facilities are available until 8pm for access to a hot shower and phone charging, etc.
• Aboyne Swimming Pool and Deeside Community Centre
• Banchory Sports Village
• Deveron Community & Sports Centre
• Ellon Community Campus
• Fraserburgh Community & Sports Centre
• Huntly Swimming Pool
• Inverurie Community Campus
• Mearns Community Campus
• Peterhead Leisure Centre
• Portlethen Pool
• Stonehaven Leisure Centre *hot food available from 1-2pm*
• Turriff Sports Centre
• Westhill Swimming Pool

SSEN support for accommodation and meals
For customers without power who need support and are unable to make alternative arrangements to stay with family or a friend, SSEN will reimburse reasonable costs for alternative accommodation. Customers unable to access welfare facilities and who remain off supply may claim back the cost of meals up to £15 per person. Customers are being asked to keep copies of receipts for any claims.Keep up to date on the progress of power reconnections at: http://news.ssen.co.uk/…/2022/january/storm-malik-update/

TREE CLEARANCE
The latest storms have caused further substantial damage to our parks and forestry across the region and affected many roads across our network. Our teams and outside contractors continue to undertake felling and clearing works around Aberdeenshire and we thank you for your patience as we undertake this significant task. Please remember, fallen, overhanging and hung-up trees represent a serious danger to safety and affected areas should be avoided at all times.

LATERAL FLOW TESTING
We continue to provide lateral flow testing and community collect provision at the following locations today (Wedmesday):
• Inverurie Burn Lane car-park – 10am-3pm
• Stonehaven Market Square car-park – from 10am (collection only)
• Kellockbank Country Emporium near Insch – 10am-noon (collection only)
• Kintore Forest Road car-park – 1-3pm (collection only)

PHONE NUMBERS
• To report fallen trees on the roads network – 03456 08 12 05 (during office hours)
• Power outages – via SSEN on 105
• Non-urgent medical issues – via NHS on 111
• Emergency council housing repairs – 03456 08 12 03
• Emergency social care – 03456 08 12 06

Aberdeenshire Council’s Trading Standards latest bulletin has warnings about scams in the area.

COVID TEXTS

One resident from the Formartine area recently received a text on his mobile phone purporting to be from the NHS. The text claimed that the resident had recently been in contact with someone who had tested positive for the Omicron variant of covid-19.

The resident felt fit and well and had had no positive Lateral Flow Test (LFT) results.

The text went on to say that the recipient should order a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kit from a named web address (which was nothing to do with the NHS or the www.gov.uk website) and that they would have to pay for postage, which was substantial. Rightly discerning that the text was a scam, he ignored it and reported the matter to Trading Standards.

Please bear in mind that PCR tests are used only when someone already displays symptoms of covid, otherwise it’s a LFT that’s required. These can be ordered, completely free, from https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapidlateral-flow-tests or if a PCR kit is required these can be ordered from https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test regardless of where you live in the United Kingdom.

One last point; spam texts where possible should be forwarded to 7726 so that telecoms companies can collate information on the sender, with a view to blocking their texts.

CHARGEBACK

In a previous Bulletin, we addressed the subject of Section 75 protection for some transactions made with credit cards. A similar facility called Chargeback exists for most transactions made by debit card, and some credit card transactions where Section 75 doesn’t apply or the cost of goods and/or services is below £100.

Chargeback can apply when the goods you ordered arrive and you find that they have been damaged in transit, or if the goods are not as they had been described in the advert which caused you to make the purchase.

Chargeback can also apply where goods are not delivered at all, perhaps because the trader has ceased trading.
Unlike Section 75 protection, there’s no joint liability between the trader and the debit card issuer. Where there is a problem, the customer should make a complaint to the bank which issued their card within 120 days of the date of the transaction or expected delivery date for the goods. This bank will then seek to recover the money from the trader’s bank for returning to the customer.

There are some conditions to be aware of though: there is no guarantee that the complaint will be successful; not all banks subscribe to the Chargeback scheme (which is a voluntary scheme); the customer will have to provide some evidence of breach of contract (such as wrongdoing by the trader or failure to fulfill their promise). There may also be insufficient funds in the trader’s bank account to cover the sum of the Chargeback.

There is no upper limit to a Chargeback claim but it can only be up to the same amount originally charged to the customer’s card. Cash withdrawals are not covered and payments via PayPal may also not be covered.
Should a claim be turned down, a customer can appeal to the Financial Ombudsman (https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/). If in doubt, Trading Standards can provide advice on Chargeback and Section 75 protection.

AVIAN INFLUENZA

This article has been included at the request of the Animal Health & Welfare Team.

On 3 November 2021, the whole of Scotland was declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone by Scottish Ministers.

Avian Influenza (commonly known as bird flu) is a group of over 20 highly infectious viruses which occur in wild and domesticated birds. These viruses can be easily transmitted from wild birds to domesticated birds of any type, usually through physical contact, feathers or faeces. Most commonly, the H5N1 strain has been detected in the UK.

The Order to house all kept birds came into force on 29 November 2021. The Declaration of an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone brings with it certain responsibilities under the Animal Health Act 1981 on the owners of all domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks and geese. Where domesticated birds are kept, these responsibilities include:

• Precautions being taken to prevent the transmission of the disease by means of disinfection and good biosecurity practices.
• Effective vermin control is carried out.
• Feed, water and bedding are stored in a way which minimises the risk of virus contamination.
• Effective measures are in place to keep domesticated birds separate from wild birds, their feathers or faeces.
• Additional measures are placed on the owners of more than 50 birds and again further measures on the owners of more than 500 birds.
• Poultry keepers are encouraged to register their flock with APHA, this is compulsory if you keep more than 50 birds.

These provisions also apply to captive single birds such as parrots, parakeets and budgies.

If you suspect that your captive birds may have Avian Influenza you must report it to APHA or on discovery of dead wild birds report it to the Defra Helpline on 0345 933 5577.

For further advice on the housing requirement, please contact the Animal Health & Welfare Team at Aberdeenshire Council at animalhealth@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Due to the potential damage bird flu could cause to industry and the environment, failure to abide by the legislation may amount to an offence which may be punishable by a fine, imprisonment or both. Further information can be found at https://www.gov.scot/publications/avian-influenza-prevention-zoneincluding-housing-november-2021/

CONTACTS

For urgent Trading Standards matters, contact Aberdeenshire Council’s Trading Standards at 01467 537222. For non-urgent enquiries, please contact Consumer Advice Scotland at https://www.consumeradvice.scot/ or on 0808 164 6000.

Contact Police Scotland on 999 if you need urgent police assistance or 101 for non-urgent matters.

For more information about scams please visit Friends Against Scams at https://www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/ or Take Five at https://takefivestopfraud.org.uk/

The replacement of the water mains into Newtonhill is well under way, with excavating the trench on Newtonhill Road beginning on 10 January. Traffic lights are in place at the east end of the road. But when the work finally reaches the west end, the junction with the A92 dual carriageway will have to close.

That will mean a diversion for traffic coming into the village from the Aberdeen direction. Traffic will have to travel further south to come back to Newtonhill and over the flyover. Stonehaven is the safe junction for this diversion.

Yes, it will add 10 minutes to journeys. However a significant concern is how will buses serve not only Newtonhill but Chapelton.

I asked council officers about this, and here is their reply:

“The conclusion was that no buses will get access through the slip road closure (Phase 4) and the possibility of overnight working has been ruled out.

“However, Bear Scotland has agreed to our suggestion that the ‘old’ bus stop outside Tesco on the slip road south from Newtonhill towards Stonehaven be reinstated for the duration of the works. Caledonia Water Alliance can arrange to deploy additional signage on Newtonhill Road to ensure that traffic exiting to A92 southbound are aware that buses would be using this bus stop.

“This means that all southbound services from Aberdeen will only serve the above bus stop during Phase 4 of the works.

“This includes Service X7 operated by Stagecoach East Scotland plus journeys on Stagecoach Bluebird Service 7B currently scheduled to terminate in Chapelton. These Service 7B journeys will continue south to Stonehaven and return northbound to Chapelton, from where they become inbound journeys to Aberdeen, therefore passengers on the outbound journeys, wishing to alight at stops within Newtonhill, can stay on board the bus as it heads northbound to Aberdeen via the village.

“The three ‘school’ buses operated by Stagecoach Bluebird, which are registered to carry farepayers to Portlethen Academy, will go into Newtonhill village, but of course will have to follow the diversion via Stonehaven in the afternoons to achieve this.

“Caledonia Water Alliance said they would be aiming to reduce the slip road closure (Phase 4) to a minimum but they won’t know until they start excavating.

“The possibility of delaying the closure until the school holidays in the first two weeks of April, to minimise the disruption to school transport, is also being considered and an update on this will also be provided when possible.

“Regarding Phase 3 of the works and the concerns raised regarding southbound traffic potentially queuing on to the A92, the traffic signals on Newtonhill Road are vehicle activated and therefore should prevent this happening in the evenings, when people are returning home.”

Here is the latest round-up from Aberdeenshire Council about the aftermath of the latest storms to hit the North East.

SSEN SUPPORT
For customers without power who need support and are unable to make alternative arrangements to stay with family or a friend, SSEN will reimburse reasonable costs for alternative accommodation.

Customers unable to access welfare facilities and who remain off supply may claim back the cost of meals up to £15 per person. Customers are being asked to keep copies of receipts for any claims.

Keep up to date on the progress of power reconnections at: http://news.ssen.co.uk/news/all-articles/2022/january/storm-malik-update/

COUNCIL FACILITIES
LLA facilities open until 8pm tonight (Tuesday) and from 9am-8pm tomorrow (Wednesday). All Live Life Aberdeenshire facilities will be available from 9am to 8pm tomorrow for access to a hot shower and phone charging, etc.
• Aboyne Swimming Pool and Deeside Community Centre
• Turriff Sports Centre
• Banchory Sports Village
• Deveron Community & Sports Centre
• Inverurie Community Campus
• Ellon Community Campus
• Portlethen Pool
• Westhill Swimming Pool
• Fraserburgh Community & Sports Centre
• Huntly Swimming Pool
• Peterhead Leisure Centre
• Mearns Community Campus
• Stonehaven Leisure Centre

SSEN CATERING
SSEN catering facilities will remain in place at the following locations from 9am tomorrow (Wednesday), unless otherwise stated below:
• Aboyne, near the Huntly Arms Inn
• Alford, Transport Museum Car Park
• Ballater, Victoria Square
• Banchory, Bellfield Car Park *Tuesday from 5.30pm, Wednesday from 9am*
• Braemar, opposite the Fife Hotel
• Huntly, Bognie Brae Arms Car Park
• Insch, Church Hall Car Park, Western Road
• Kemnay, Kemnay Chip Shop, Aquithie Road *open from 11am, Wednesday*
• Kintore, Kintore Fish Bar, Northern Road
• Lumphanan, next to MacBeth Arms Pub
• Mintlaw, The Mintlaw Chipper, South Street *Tuesday from 4.30pm-8pm*
• Monymusk, location to be confirmed *Tuesday from 4pm-8pm, Wednesday from 9am*
• Stonehaven, The Square
• Strathdon, Bellabeg car park, next to shop
• Tarland, The Square
• Torphins, Learney Hall
• Turriff, Show Park Car Park *Tuesday from 6.30pm, Wednesday from 9am onwards*.

PHONE NUMBERS
• If you need help, or need to report fallen trees on the roads network – via Police on 101
• Power outages – via SSEN on 105
• Non-urgent medical issues – via NHS on 111
• Emergency council housing repairs – 03456 08 12 03  
• Emergency social care 03456 08 12 06

Liberal Democrats today unveiled Portlethen resident Mel Sullivan as their candidate for the North Kincardine ward in May’s council elections.

Mel has lived in Portlethen for more than 20 years and has been an active volunteer with many local groups and organisations.

She is hoping to follow in my footsteps as I am standing down after 15 years. It is a demanding job and after three terms in office it is time to step aside and hand over the baton.

Mel has impressed me since telling me she would be interested in standing. She has never been afraid over the years to put her hand up and get stuck into community projects. She cares deeply about our community. She has my full support and I hope the voters will give her the backing she deserves.

Mel says: “Ian is a tough act to follow. If elected I will do my best to live up to the example he has set. In particular, Ian’s communication with residents has been stellar. I may not be able to turn a phrase as well as an ex-newspaper man, but I’ll do my best to keep everyone informed and involved.”

A graduate of Aberdeen University, her track record of volunteering includes being treasurer of the Scottish Archery Association, Portlethen Primary PTA and Parent Council member, a campaigner for the new Hillside School, a member of the Jubilee Hall management committee and secretary of the Portlethen Gala committee.

Currently she is a volunteer with Home-Start, a charity which helps families with young children through their challenging times, as well as continuing to act as a parent helper in school when called upon. Mel also helps at the Fine Piece Café in Jubilee Hall and runs a free boardgames club – Tabletop Portlethen.

“I’ve always volunteered to help and been involved in local groups when I felt able. I grew up watching my father, a paraplegic, constantly going out to committee meetings – from campaigning for disabled rights, to being on the Parish Council. Now that my four children are all in school, I have time and energy to spare.

“My priority will always be the wellbeing of folk in this area. We need to support a just transition from oil and gas to renewables, keeping jobs here. I will also push for great places to exercise and play, including a youth centre in Portlethen. Lastly, we also need to get the basics right. Potholes and bins matter too.

“If elected in May, I will be a vocal and approachable advocate for Portlethen, Newtonhill and the surrounding villages and countryside, working hard to ensure this is a great place to live, visit and work.”