Shetland Islands Broadcasting Company

The Met Office has published the figure on the amount of rain that fell at the Lerwick Observatory on Tuesday. The Observatory measured 60.8 millimeters, or 2.39 inches, slightly less than the 65.2 millimeters in August 2012 and about two-thirds of the all-time record for one day in Shetland of 94 millimeters in July 1935. However there could have well been a record rainfall in September 2003, which resulted in numerous landslides in the Cunningsburgh, Sandwick and Channerwick areas. But that rainfall was tightly concentrated over the hills above the areas affected, such as the Ward of Veester, and so the Lerwick Observatory recorded much less rain.

Landslips are common on hills with light soil cover, mainly peat, when heavy rain follows a dry period, waterlogging the ground on top of rock. The sites of some landslides can be seen on hills for decades, with parts of those slips that went across the road from the Hill of Dale, outside Lerwick, in the summer of 1951, 73 years ago, still visible.

Ahead of its annual general meeting, the Shetland Charitable Trust has highlighted its benefits to the community with £9 million spent each year on sport, leisure, elderly care and support for voluntary organisations.

The funds of the Shetland Charitable Trust have increased to £445 million, up from £396 million last year, but still less than the peak of £495 million in June 2021.

35 customers were affected by a power cut in the Weisdale and Kergord area. Power was restored in about 4 hours.

Along with all the other Liberal Democrat members of parliament, Alistair Carmichael voted against the UK government’s proposed cut to the Winter Fuel Payment. An estimated 8,840 pensioners in Orkney and Shetland are at risk of losing the £300 payment.

Shetland has the second lowest rate in Scotland of alcohol-specific deaths. This was confirmed in the age-standardised mortality rates in council areas covering the years 2019 to 2023, published by National Records of Scotland