Breaking news

A swathe of Twitter accounts acrosss Edinburgh was hacked or impersonated over the weekend, including ours: @thespurtle.

Our Twitter followers received a direct message – supposedly from us – inviting them to see a photograph of them which had made us laugh out loud. Spurtle possesses no such photographs and sent no such messages.

If you receive a DM like this from us or anybody else, do not open it. Just ignore it. If you do open it, more spam will be disseminated apparently from you.

By-election results were announced today at 12.30pm.

1. Alasdair Rankin (SNP): 1,368
2. Iain McGill (Con): 1,264

In the fifth and final round, 287 votes transferred to the SNP from 3rd-placed Labour beat 158 votes transferred to the Conservatives, and secured Alasdair Rankin the result. It was the first time he had been ahead throughout.

It's totally unscientific, we know.

Lacking the resources, stamina, administrative skills and expertise to run accurate citywide exit polls across all Ward 11 polling stations, Spurtle has fallen back on its website statistics to see how many hits each candidate's 'Soapbox' statements generated.

On the assumption that most people wanted to read about the candidate of whom they most approved, the order of first preference votes will go like this:

A canny parker has been causing no end of inconvenience and irritation at York Place in recent days.

The driver of the copper-coloured vehicle has noticed that after contractors resurfaced the road following tramworks in York Place, original street markings between the bus stop and traffic lights beside St Paul's and St George's Church were not restored.

The result – a substantial, free parking space on a major thoroughfare slap bang in the centre of Edinburgh – has infuriated many.

Has anyone else spotted this rather sweet creature, cuddled up beside a ghostly stone ball, at the southern end of Broughton Street Lane?

A quick search of the internet has, as usual, not led to any clear identification of the skilful artist responsible, or clues as to where other examples of his or her work may be found.

So, if you know where we can see more of the same, please let us know. Similarly, if you happen to know the artist, kindly ask them to give us a ring.

Local field athlete Kimberley Reed's sporting career goes from strength to strength. Here, father Scott Reed summarises the latest trials, tribulations and triumphs.

On 23 July, Kimberley helped Edinburgh Athletic Club to a fine win in the Scottish Young Athletes League final with a Championship record throw of 50.55m for which she was also awarded Athlete of the Match.

A frequent Twitter correspondent to the Spurtle, @dOSsDaz, has been racking his brains recently trying to remember what a local street artist's designs remind him of.

The Glasgow-based Iona Pub Partnership (which runs the 5-storey GHQ at 4 Picardy Place) seeks to erect a security fence on Broughton Street (Ref. 11/02616/FUL).

There's no point in re-inventing the wheel: CEC media staff have issued a perfectly decent press release which we reproduce almost in full below.

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VOTERS are being reminded that polling stations will be open this Thursday 18 August for the Edinburgh City Centre by-election.