In brief for 27 January 2011

Road cash

ROAD damage caused by the harsh winter weather has provoked the Scottish government to hand out an extra £15 million to local authorities to carry out repairs, including £243,000 to Shetland.

The amount of cash is three times last year’s level and will go towards the cost of extra snow ploughing and gritting, filling in pot holes and paying for extra road salt.

SIC head of roads Ian Halcrow welcomed the extra cash, saying it was especially useful at a time when budgets were running tight at the end of the financial year.

Man in water

SHETLAND coastguard and the Lerwick lifeboat were called out on Thursday morning after a man was reported in the water at Lerwick’s Morrison Dock.

The man had slipped while trying to disembark his boat but had already been rescued by the time the coastguard arrived on the scene, and the lifeboat was stood down.

Found jewellery

POLICE are looking for the owners of two pieces of jewellery found in Brae this month.

A male item was found on 1 January and a female item on 20 January, police said. Any claimant should contact the Lerwick police station on 01595 692110.

Eastern airways

AZERBAIJANI Airlines have just announced they are to start flights to Aberdeen, as well as Amsterdam and the Czech resort town of Karlovy Vary.