LOCAL NEWS OCTOBER 18

Strong winds and high tides warning for Skye and Isles

A yellow weather warning for strong winds and high tides has been put in place by the met office for Skye, the Western Isles and part of the north west coast.

The warning came into effect from 7am this morning and is in place until 3pm today.

The Met Office has said that delays to road, air and ferry transport are likely due to the conditions, and that some coast routes, sea fronts and coastal communities are likely to be affected by spray or large waves.

The Met Office have also cautioned that a short terms loss of power and other services is possible.

CalMac has taken the decision to cancelled all sailing today on the Armadale to Mallaig crossing as a result of the conditions.

The ferry operator said the decision was made due to a forecast of strong south easterly winds gusting up to 47 miles per hour.

In the north of Skye, the 6am sailing from Tarbert to Uig, which was due to arrived 7.40am was cancelled, while the Uig to Tarbert sailing scheduled for 2.10pm and the Tarbert to Uig sailing planned for 4.20 have also been cancelled.

Highland Council warns residents of text scam

The Highland Council have issued a warning for people to be on guard following report of a text scam.

The council’s trading standards team are cautioning residents to be aware of unsolicited text messages claiming to be form the UK Government Living Allowance Office

The fraudulent messages states that the UK Government has decided to advance the living subsidy following the reduction of winter heating payments.

It asks people to apply for the subsidy via a link as soon as possible or you will not be eligible for the funds which will then be reallocated.

Mark McGinty the team leader of the Highland Council’s trading standards team said never clink on links or give any personal information and always go to the source website to check, such as the UK Government.

Mark McGinty Trading Standards Team Leader said: “Please be careful when you receive a text message from a Government Body, it’s not usually something that Government Bodies do, and if you think the text means something to you please go to your original source and check things out that way”

People receiving such a message are advised to:

• Never click on any links in the text
• Be suspicious
• Beware of pressure selling tactics. These can include being told time is of the essence
• Always check with the Government body in another way,  such as checking their website as a good starting poin
• Do not rely on a number provided in the text
• Do not provide any personal information
• Report the text by using 7726

Mr McGinty added: “Scam texts are designed to get your interest and mislead you into thinking you are doing the right thing by responding.

“Responding will only give the scammers what they need to exploit you, usually financially, by emptying your bank account. Please take a minute to think and if in doubt do not engage.”

Skye to return to action after passing of club legend

Skye Camanachd are back in action this weekend as they welcome Lovat to Portree in the Premiership on Saturday.

All matches involving the club were postponed last week as a mark of respect to former Camanachd Cup winning coach Ross Cowie, who funeral took place last Saturday.

The Islanders come into the match in sixth place but could move level on points with Kinlochshiel and Newtonmore in third and fourth, respectively, with a win.

Skye has lost their last three matches in the league in what is their worst run of the season.  A 5-3 defeat on the road against Kyles at the end of August was followed by back-to-back losses against Kingussie by a combined score of 14 to one across the two games.

The fixture was originally scheduled to take place on 10th August but was postponed due to a road closure which impacted Lovat’s journey to the island.

The sides last met in the league back in May when Lovat recorded a 2-1 victory thanks to a brace from Calum Macaulay, while Skye struck through Kenny Cushnie.

Lovat also get the better of Skye in the Camanachd Cup quarter-final in July with a 3-1 win.

The match is a 3pm throw-up at Pairc nan Laoch.

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