Benches hit in county-wide "crime wave"?

[wellinghall]

“A real crime wave” was reported at Monday night’s meeting of Stromness Community Council.

This was how chairwoman Linda Lennie described news she had received from the community council liaison office, that 44 public benches across the Orkney Mainland has gone “missing”. This included 18 from Stromness.

Police Sgt Niall MacLean commented, however, that he could not believe that 44 had been stolen.

http://www.orcadian.co.uk/index.html

Comments

[asklepia.livejournal.com]

Thank you for that, though
1. I find it difficult to believe that Orkney could have 44 public benches to start with, and
2. Where on earth could anyone hide them?
There's a fascinating story there, I just know it.

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

Does Orkney have uni halls of residence...?

Anyway, this IS a major crime wave. Such a thing would *never* happen where I live ;)

Thinking about it, maybe the problem is that Orkney has no bench-purveying garden centre?!

Random comment to finish: I saw some Kittiwakes yesterday, through a nice RSPB man's telescope...the most inland colony in the UK. Including babies. Aaah.

[wryelle.livejournal.com]

ROFL

I'd love to know what the story behind that was. What does anyone want with 44 benches indeed. Perhaps they are making a boat in a desparate attempt to leave Orkney...

[mrkinch.livejournal.com]

Perhaps they should look for a smallish bandstand or outdoor stage, tastefully furnished with civic benches?

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

If I hear any more, I'll let you know! But I can't imagine anyone ever wanting to leave Orkney ...

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Yes, they do - Orkney college (or whatever it's actually called) is part of the University of the Highlands and Islands.

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

I think you are getting to Mastermind Specialist Subject status where Orkney is concerned.

It's nice to have an interest...

Lol.

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

Question 5.

Does Orkney have a garden centre?

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

Except any other time than summer...

"To adopt a Stevensonian phrase, the climate of Orkney is one of the vilest under heaven." - Hugh Marwick (overstating the case, perhaps)

This is why people like to *visit*.

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

And then there are the long, dark winters.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Not that I know of. Most plants don't grow very well up there! Incomers keep planting trees round their house to shelter it from the wind, and end up with only a very sorry-looking belt of trees on the leeward side of the house.

There's a rumour that the Navy once planted a whole bunch of conifers on Flotta, to shield some sensitive installation from public site / to make the site look better (depending on who is telling the story). A few months later, they all disappeared; the wind meant that they grew with branches on one side only, which made them ideal Christmas trees to put up against a living-room wall.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Or they might be hidden under the inflatable pier cover that was stolen (also from Stromness, IIRC) a few years ago.

[(Anonymous)]

Chuckle.

The very same thing (well, artificially) has appeared in our Woolworths the past couple of years. This would be very good for our house, the minij's are objecting to the little fibre optic one that I chose...I personally like it.