Police are investigating a spate of suspicious fires in the Montrose area, with a number of wheelie bins set alight.

About 4.20pm on Monday a mattress was found alight in a brick shed at a yard in Castle Street.

Later that evening, at about 6.55pm a wheelie bin was reported to be on fire in a court yard at a High Street address.

And last night elsewhere on the High Street, two further wheelie bins were found alight at about 7.05pm.

Anyone who has information that could assist officers with their enquiries should contact Police Scotland on 101. Alternatively information can be passed anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A man has been taken to Ninewells Hospital with serious injuries after a bungalow fire.

Fire crews were called to tackle the blaze at Fern in Angus at about 9.15am.

Over 20 minutes later paramedics were asked to attend the scene by firefighters.

The man, in his thirties, suffered serious burns in the blaze and was later taken to hospital in Dundee.

A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “Paramedics were called to the scene by firefighters at about 9.40am.

“A male casualty in his thirties sustained serious burns to his legs and hands.

“Due to the nature of the casualty, the Tayside Trauma Team were mobilised and assisted.

“The patient was then conveyed to Ninewells Hospital in a serious condition.”

Two fire engines attended and a third with specialist equipment was dispatched later to ventilate the converted attic which had filled with smoke.

The blaze has now been extinguished and a fire service spokeswoman said that there was no threat to surrounding properties.

Emergency services are at the scene of a one vehicle crash in Birkhill.

Police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene just before 4.40pm after a car overturned on the village’s Highfield Place.

A fire crew was asked to attend by police officers, but did not have to free anyone from the vehicle.

The driver was hurt in the smash, but any injuries sustained are not believed to be life threatening.

A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We attended a one vehicle road traffic incident at 4.39pm.

“Firefighters from Macalpine Road attended and made the safe scene.”

A suspected meteor shower over Scotland triggered calls to police from people claiming their homes shook.

The spectacle on Monday evening was witnessed across Scotland, and prompted many to report the sight of a “fireball” in the sky and a violent bang to the police.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said they began receiving calls at around 6.55pm on Monday evening.

She said: “One told us the sky had been lit up with an object like a fireball. Another caller said there was a very loud bang and others said the house shook.

“We know police in Inverness and in the south also received calls, it was seen by people across Scotland.

“We have checked and been told it was likely to be a meteor shower.”

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said they would not discuss if there was any link to any operations in the area.

Dundee and Tayside has been issued with a weather warning with snow forecast for the region.

The Met Office issued the yellow ‘be aware’ alert this morning and warned that travel may be disrupted in the morning.

The warning has been issued from 9pm today until 10am tomorrow.

Showers forecast for the early evening are forecast to turn wintry through the night until the early hours of the morning. A widespread covering of 2-5cm is expected and up to 10cm is predicted for areas above 100m after a ‘prolonged spell’ of snowfall.

Temperatures will be around the 1C or 2C mark, but will feel a lot colder at about -3C. The rest of the day is expected to feel bitterly cold with highs of only 4C expected mid afternoon.

A statement issued by the Met Office read:”Showers will turn wintry this evening across the warning area, with the risk of a more prolonged spell of snowfall late in the night and early Wednesday morning.

“This will give a covering of snow with 2-5 cm possible in many places and locally 5-10 cm, these higher accumulations mainly above 100m. Icy stretches on untreated roads and pavements are also likely to form.

“Please be aware of some difficult driving conditions and the potential for travel disruption into the Wednesday morning rush hour. Clear spells between showers will also lead to icy stretches forming on untreated surfaces.”

TWO people are to stand trial charged with murdering a woman and chopping up her body.

Steven Jackson, 40, and Michelle Higgins, 28, are accused of killing Kimberley MacKenzie at a flat in Montrose, Angus last October.

Prosecutors claim the 37 year-old was struck with a hammer, machete and knife or similar items.

Jackson and Higgins then face an allegation of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

It is claimed Kimberley’s body was dismembered using a saw, knives and a screwdriver or similar instruments.

Parts of the corpse are said to have been wrapped in bin liners and bags and hidden in bins at a number of addresses in Montrose.

It is further alleged Kimberley’s head and other body parts were put inside a rucksack and case and concealed in a shower cubicle.

Walls, floors and other surfaces of the alleged murder flat are said to have been cleaned.

Caustic soda and bleach are also alleged to have been poured into a bath. Clothes and footwear are finally said to have been disposed of.

The charge claims this was all done “with intent to avoid detection, arrest and prosecution”.

The accusation spans the day of the alleged killing and November 4 last year.

Jackson is further charged with two separate drugs accusations as well as having a machete in a public place.

Higgins faces a similar allegation of having a knife.

The pair today appeared for a short hearing at the High Court in Glasgow.

Jackson’s QC Donald Findlay and Higgins lawyer Mark Stewart QC each pled not guilty on their behalf.

Judge Lady Scott set a trial due to take place in September in Edinburgh.

A pensioner has been airlifted to hospital in Dundee after being hit by a cow.

Paramedics were called to Middleton Farm in the Balbeggie area following the incident at about 11am today.

The Scottish Charity Air Ambulance was dispatched to the scene due to the location of the man on the farm.

The casualty, in his seventies, suffered a chest injury.

A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: “A local ambulance crew, along with Helimed 76, attended Middleton farm in Balbeggie.

“A man in his seventies was injured after a cow ran into him.

“The casualty was airlifted to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee in a stable condition with a chest injury.”

A TAYSIDE mother whose son tragically took his own life is campaigning for full investigations to be held into all suicide cases in Scotland.

Catherine Matheson, 58, from Forfar, returned home on November 6 2012 to find that her son, David Gordon, had died aged just 35.

David, also from Forfar, suffered from long-term mental illness and had been on a compulsory treatment order after his release from hospital in April 2012. But unbeknownst to his mother, who was caring for him along with the community mental health team, he had been regularly cancelling appointments, and did so that day.

Now, Catherine is calling for legislation which demands that NHS mental health staff follow up on missed appointments, and for an independent body to conduct full inquiries into any suicide which takes place while the individual is or has been in NHS care.

Catherine told the Tele: “David was supported by the community mental health team but he had been missing appointments, which I was not aware of, even though I was providing a lot of care for him at the time.

“I had been away that day, and he had an appointment at 11.30am. I had a missed call from him at 11.40am and got home later that day to find him in his loft.

“I discovered that after I left, he had phoned and cancelled his appointment. These missed appointments should have been followed up on.

“There is no onus or accountability on the relevant healthcare professionals to take action in cases like this.

“I am calling for Parliament to consider a mandatory procedure to check in with patients like David.

“We want to ensure that other families don’t have to go through this. The Scottish Government will review the arrangements for the investigation of deaths in NHS care in accordance with the Mental Health Act 2015, and I think the remit of this review should be expanded to include the terms called for by this petition.”

The petition is in the signature phase on the Scottish Parliament website until March 21, so Catherine is hoping to gather as many signatures as possible in the coming weeks.

A Scottish Parliament spokeswoman said: “The committee looks forward to hearing this petition.”

NHS Tayside declined to comment, saying the campaign was now a matter for the Scottish Government.

Stargazers across Tayside and Scotland were treated to a dazzling display of the Northern Lights on Sunday evening.

The aurora borealis was visible as far south as Oxfordshire as skies cleared, painting the night sky with shades of green, purple and blue.

The ethereal spectacle is caused by charged solar particles interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field and is usually only visible in the far north of Scotland.

A “lucky combination” of conditions in the lower atmosphere and in spacemeant the aurora was visible across swathes of the country, Met Office spaceweather adviser Amanda Townsend said.

“Once in a while the solar winds are enhanced to levels stronger than normal, with particles at higher speeds, and on this occasion it has connected really well with the Earth’s magnetic field.”

In addition to the cosmic weather being just right, conditions closer to the ground favoured those who ventured out into the cold to see the spectacle.

These stunning images were captured in the skies above Dundee and Tayside.

Did you catch the Northern Lights on camera? Share your pictures on Facebook or on Twitter: @Evening_Tele.

A Tayside man has been charged with a string of sexual offences, including rape.

Scott Williams is facing a total of 10 allegations, which also include abduction and possessing extreme porn.

The 30-year-old man is also accused of indecently assaulting a child on a carnival ride in Dundee as well as telling a mother that he wanted to commit sexual acts on her children.

The offences are said to have occurred during a spell close to eight years long, between April 2006 and March 2014.

Williams, whose address was given as Great Michael Road, Arbroath, first appeared for a preliminary hearing at Glasgow High Court.

He denied the charges and is now set to face trial at the High Court in Aberdeen, beginning on March 18.

The earliest offences against one woman are said to have been committed by Williams between April 2006 and September 2008.

The allegations include indecently assaulting, raping and locking the woman in a house in Angus without food or electricity and against her will on various occasions.

Between 2007 and 2008, it’s alleged Williams indecently assaulted a child while on a carnival ride at Dundee’s Riverside. There are another two charges of indecent assault against Williams involving another woman, one of which is said to have occurred in the back seat of a car.

Williams has further been charged with a breach of the peace after allegedly repeatedly telling a third woman in Angus, between 2013 and 2014, that he wished to have access to her children so he could engage them in sexual acts.

His behaviour is said to have caused the mother of the children “fear and alarm”.

Williams also allegedly coerced the same woman to view various pornographic images without her consent and without a reasonable belief that she was consenting.

It’s claimed that he sought to induce her to comment on them for his own sexual gratification.

The final charge alleges that Williams was in possession of “extreme pornographic images.”​

A mum has issued an emotional plea for thieves to return her one-year-old daughter’s buggy that was stolen from her close.

Ashleigh Walton, 21, left her buggy in the close of her home on Emislaw Drive, Arbroath, after returning home from a trip to the shops.

She said that she woke up and found that her Silvercross Surf limited petal edition buggy had been stolen from the close.

She has now been forced to borrow a family member’s pram for one-year-old Charlie to travel in.

The buggy is characterised by its cream colour with a flower petal pattern and dark silver frame.

She said: “My daughter fell asleep in her buggy so we carried her up the stairs when we got home.

“We left the buggy at the bottom of the close.

“In the morning I went down with Charlie to put her in it to go out and it was gone — someone had taken it.

“It’s shocking that someone would take something that is clearly for a child.

“Now it’s a total nightmare because I have had to borrow my niece’s pram.

“She’s only seven weeks old and she has been having to be carried around in a sling because there isn’t another pram.”

Since reporting the theft to the police, Ashleigh, who is currently on maternity leave, has taken to trying to locate the buggy herself. She added: “There is definitely no one else in Arbroath that has the same buggy.

“It is quite rare and I have never seen anyone pushing the same one around.

“I have seen a few being sold online, but never in person.

“We just want it back.

“We need it back because it is expensive and my daughter obviously needs a buggy at her age.

“We can’t just walk everywhere and my niece is going to need her buggy back.

“You would never think that someone would take a baby buggy.

“It still had her blankets in it and everything. There were bikes and other things there, but the thief left them. All they took was the buggy.

“It’s horrible to think that you work hard for things like that and someone can just come and take it without even considering how difficult it makes it for us.”

Tayside Contracts has defended its health and safety record after one of its former workers received compensation for suffering a crushed leg at work.

Melvin Price, 60, was rushed to Ninewells Hospital when a tarmac chipper rolled on to his left leg and trapped him while working on Roods Road in Kirriemuir.

Police and ambulance teams were at the scene within minutes on November 6 2012, to help the then 55-year-old and he was quickly freed.

After raising legal action against his former employer in April last year, Mr Price, of Arbroath, has now received an undisclosed settlement.

Proceedings originally called at the Court of Session, which at the time only dealt with cases worth £5,000 or more. A spokesman for Tayside Contracts declined to elaborate on the value of the final settlement.

But he stressed a safety review of the incident had put forward no recommendations to change working practices.

He said: “On the matter of safety improvements, a full investigation and safety review was undertaken at the time of the accident by our safety and training section and put forward no proposals to alter working practices for safety reasons.

“Our workforce can be assured that Tayside Contracts investigates every safety incident and, when required, alters working practices to eliminate any identified hazard.”

He added: “We are happy that the matter has now been settled and wish Mel well for the future.”

Mr Price declined to comment when approached by the Tele.

It is not known how long the worker had to spend in hospital recovering, but he was said to have suffered “crush-type” injuries to his lower leg.

At the time of the incident, Richard Cranny, deputy director of Tayside Contracts, said Mr Price was in a stable condition, but had suffered “serious fractures” in two places of his leg.

One of the company’s safety officers was sent immediately to the scene to investigate.

The tarmac chipper was being used in the town to lay down aggregate and soften the road finish when Mr Price was hurt.

Tayside Contracts employs about 2,500 people and is the commercial trading arm of Angus, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross councils.

A woman has been charged with abducting Tayside police officers.

It’s alleged that the officers were detained inside a property by Cheyrell Davie while they were there investigating a separate matter. The 35-year-old, formerly of Dundee, was also accused of firearm and drugs offences following the incident in Angus on Friday.

Meanwhile, a 30-year-old man, Phillip Moreton, has been charged with a series of offences in connection with the same incident at Glen Prosen.

Moreton is alleged to have made or attempted to make use of a firearm or imitation firearm with the intention to resist or prevent arrest or detention.

Moreton is further charged with one count of culpable and reckless conduct.

The duo — whose current addresses were both given as the Kirriemuir area — also both face a charge that they possessed — or purchased, acquired, manufactured, sold or transferred — a weapon designed or adapted for the discharge of a noxious liquid, gas or other item.

Davie and Moreton are also charged with the production of a controlled drug.

Meanwhile, it’s alleged that Moreton twice attempted to pervert the course of justice.

He also stands accused of resisting, obstructing or hindering police who were at the scene. Moreton, also previously of Dundee, is further charged with threatening or abusive behaviour.

Davie is also accused of behaving in the same manner — while she has been charged with two counts of resisting, obstructing or hindering police officers.

Both made no plea or declaration when appearing at Forfar Sheriff Court on Monday and they were committed for further examination.

Moreton was remanded in custody and Davie was given bail.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Police Scotland can confirm that a 30-year-old man and 35-year-old woman have been charged in connection with an incident at Glen Prosen on Friday. A report has been submitted to the procurator fiscal.”

David Hamilton, chairman of the North Area Committee of the Scottish Police Federation, said the allegations were “concerning” and highlighted “the type of risks police officers can encounter anywhere at any time”.

Support arrangements have been put in place for the officers said to have been involved in what he described as a “difficult incident”.

A team of Tayside women are set to trek across the Arctic —and have raised a whopping £105,000 for charity.

The Åtte Huskyteers will fly out to Norway today (Saturday) to begin the six-day wintery adventure.

The women will live, eat and sleep in the Arctic, driving a team of huskies 285km from Tromso in Norway to Kiruna in Sweden.

The idea came about after Amanda Nisson, 44, revealed to the rest of the group that it was her mum’s dying wish to mush huskies across the Arctic.

All the money collected from generous well-wishers will be donated to charity as the women have funded all expenses for the trip themselves.

Carroll Gibson, 46, from Dundee, told the Tele that she is nervous but excited to embark on the adventure.

She said: “I just can’t wait to get out there and see what its like.

“I’m tired of people telling me what the weather is like and that the bears are now awake from their hibernation. I’m also glad all the training is finished and I don’t need to lift any more weights or flip tyres.

“I’m amazed at the support we’ve had — people are generous, but I had no idea that it would be like this.”

Kirriemuir’s Fiona Laird, 45, said the group, which also includes Georgina Spacey, 39, Sarah Moss, 47, Sabrina Simpson, 36, Amanda Wiewiorka, 47, and Julie Husband, 47, had initially feared they wouldn’t hit their £100,000 target.

But after organising events including a dress sale, car wash, fashion show and a ball for 350 people — the total now sits at £105,000 and is set to grow.

She added: “All our expenses are being paid for by ourselves and some of our equipment has been donated by companies.”

The charities set to benefit are Insight Counselling, Age Scotland, Medical Detection Dogs and Coppafeel. To donate, log on to attehuskyteers.co.uk

An overflowing dog waste bin at an Angus beauty spot has sparked anger.

A local resident has contacted the Tele to tell of his disgust at Riverview Park. It comes as Angus Council continues to issue a plea to dog owners to look after their pet.

One resident, who took a picture of the overflowing bins, said he couldn’t believe what he saw at the park at the weekend. He said: “I was shocked to see a dog waste bin overflowing with lots of used waste bags scattered over the grass at Riverview Park in Monifieth on a busy Sunday afternoon.

“Surely this must be a serious health and safety issue, where families with young children are playing nearby?

“It totally defeats the purpose of the public doing their part in maintaining a clean and tidy environment.

“This is not the first time I have come across this mess in the area.

“This time I am glad I had my camera on this occasion to highlight the problem.”

Local councillors have admitted dog fouling is a problem in parts of the region.

Councillor Lynne Devine, Forfar and District, said she was aware that the council’s environmental department was currently dealing with the problem.

She said: “Dog fouling is an issue in the area.

“The environment department have been working hard on it.

“I think most people realise how dangerous it can be for children and pick up after their dogs but the bins obviously need emptying too.

“It is great to see that people are picking up after their dog.”

Councillor Jeanette Gaul, the chair of Pride in Place environmental group, said staff regularly check the bins.

She said: “From my point of view, if the bins are overflowing then it’s a good thing as it means people are picking up after their dogs.

“However, if the increase of people using the bins means they are getting filled more often, then we will certainly look at increasing the patrols.

“Lots of people pick it up but then hang it on a tree branch so this is an improvement on that.”

Angus Council has been approached for comment.

A secondary school teacher has been struck off after he was convicted of having sex with a pupil.

Ryan McInally, originally from Monikie, admitted breaching a position of trust by engaging in sexual activity with the teenager in the Borders.

The modern studies and history teacher – whose former school cannot be named for legal reasons – was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid community work at Selkirk Sheriff Court on November 9 last year.

He was placed on the sex offenders register and, following a General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) hearing, he has now been removed from the teaching register.

McInally, who did not attend Monday’s meeting, agreed to be taken off the register following a complaint about his fitness to teach.

The teacher, who was 30 at the time of the court case, admitted kissing and having sex with the girl on various occasions between December 22, 2013 and January 16 the following year.

He is banned from applying to get back on the teaching register for two years.

A search has been launched after six and a half foot snake was reported missing.

The reptile was reported as lost from a home in Newton Avenue in Arbroath nearly a week ago on March 12.

However, the owner said the creature had been missing three days prior to that.

The snake is described as being 6ft 6in in length and is brown , black, cream and grey in colour.

Despite going missing, the constrictor could be hiding in a wall cavity or near to a heat source.

A Scottish SPCA spokesperson said: “Snakes need heat and can’t survive for long outside in the cold.

“However, it is possible a snake would manage to survive for a long time inside a wall cavity, provided it is able to feed and there is a source of heat.”

“Snakes are excellent escape artists so it’s important owners ensure their vivariums are completely secure.

“If a vivarium doesn’t already have a lock on it, we would recommend having one fitted.

“Anyone who comes across this snake can contact our Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.”

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “We received a report of a missing snake on Saturday March 12 at 5.50pm.

“The boa constrictor had been missing from an address on Newton Avenue since Wednesday March 9.

“Anyone who may have seen the snake is urged to contact Police Scotland on 101.”

Many will have heard the propellers, but the vital work of Scotland’s air ambulance often goes over our heads.

Ninewells was the most visited hospital by Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) in 2015, with 59 patients landing in Dundee for emergency treatment.

So the Tele headed out to Perth Airport to gain exclusive access to those responsible for saving lives from the air in Tayside and beyond.

SCAA is not supported by any statutory funding and the service is funded solely by donations from private individuals, companies and community trusts.

They have a crew of 10, consisting of five permanent staff members and five reservists, who manage to cover the whole of Scotland, including the remote islands.

Air paramedic John Salmond, from Arbroath, said: “We usually take people to Ninewells from Angus, Perthshire and North Fife.

“The furthest we’ve taken anyone is from Ninewells to Invergarry, because the weather was too poor to take them anywhere else.

“Running the service costs around £2,000,000 a year. Starting up the helicopter each time costs around £4,000 alone.

“I was a land paramedic for 18 years and I’ve been here for just over a year.

“It’s the challenge I was needing. Getting used to the aviation side of the job as well as focusing on the medical side is the hardest part of my job, but I did do some training though with SCAA beforehand, so I was quite prepared.”

The helicopter is occupied by three people at any one time — the pilot, and two paramedics.

One paramedic sits beside the pilot and deals with logistics, liaising with other emergency services to provide updates on the patient’s condition and speaking to hospitals to ensure that the process of rescue and transfer goes smoothly.

The second paramedic sits in the back of the aircraft and looks after the patients.

Upon landing at Ninewells, patients are met by an ambulance which takes them a further 150 yards into the hospital.

Lead air paramedic John Pritchard said: “Around 60% of what we deal with is trauma cases, which includes road traffic collisions, sporting injuries, equestrian accidents and sometimes agricultural accidents.

“But we also deal with medical emergencies such as cardiac arrests and strokes.

“With many call outs, we are able to get to hospital in half the time it would take for an ambulance, which can be vitally important for patients.

“We are able to offer both expert paramedic care at the scene and a rapid transfer to the most suitable hospital, working with 999 services who have really embraced SCAA.”

Senior pilot Captain Russell Myles was flying Boeing airliners before joining the SCAA.

He explained: “I started flying in 1981 and joined here in 2005.

“The helicopter offers more variety — no two days are the same.

“Every time you land it is somewhere different and so each has its own challenges, whether it be livestock, trees, sloping land and so on.”

The SCAA, which has been active since 2013, is due to reach its 1,000th call out next week.

Police Scotland has confirmed that they have traced missing teenager Charlie Behan in Arbroath.

The 16-year-old had not been seen since leaving the Montrose area at 7:45pm, Sunday.

In a statement, police said: “Police Scotland can confirm that 16 year-old missing person Charlie Behan has been traced safe and well in Arbroath this afternoon.

“Thank you to everyone for their assistance and concern. “

Inchcape Unit at Arbroath Infirmary has been closed to new admissions after a number of patients were hit with an outbreak of flu.

NHS Tayside said that patients in the unit are being monitored and appropriate infection control measures are in place.

Visitors are being asked to stay away and to wash or gel their hands as usual.

Dr Gabby Phillips, Lead Infection Control Doctor, said, “Inchape Unit has been closed as a precaution and we are closely monitoring the situation.”