Breaking news

An obscure Broughton byway has entered the limelight.

Scotland Street Lane (East), connecting Bellevue Crescent and Scotland Street, has featured locally for:

• Foot and carriageway reconstruction/upgraded lighting (starting 3 May and lasting for a month); restricted parking during works
• A  recent burglary resulting in the loss of a computer and car
• Attempted theft (unsuccessful) of lead from the rear of Broughton St Mary's Parish Church.

The latter incident resulted in a broken window, and dislodgement of a coping stone (see photo).

Spurtle's printed May edition will hit the sun-drenched streets and sundry shady interiors of Broughton tomorrow.

We have gulls, puffins, pelicans and a displaced pigeon, lollies, funfairs, hammer-throwing records and a wandering dead president (no connection), lively ivy, heavy drenchings, upmarket downpipes, trout, two items of lamp-post news, fund raising, gallery previews, drunken youth, bongo drums and inebritated mice.

And other stuff, some less serious, some more.

Enlivened by sunny days and public bank holidays? Moved even a little by royal-wedding joy?

Uplifted by hints of economic upturn and an unaccountable sense of things locally and worldwide slowly, gradually getting less worse?

Thought not. Neither is the street artist who tersely adorned this St Andrew Square lamppost (pictured right).

Political advertising seemed to flower overnight, prompting one anonymous reader to email us these Spring election thoughts first thing this morning.

Further literary contributions from across the political spectrum are welcome.

Police have named the cyclist killed yesterday in a collision at Broughton Point.

He was 32-year-old Craig Newton from Musselburgh.

Spurtle staff were too busy to attend the royal wedding today, but we did follow it off and on through Twitter.

Below is the (edited) pick of the tweets, a few containing strong views, sometimes fruitily expressed, which a few readers may feel are not strong enough.

There is still a sense of shock in Broughton as locals take in the news of this morning's fatal collision between a bin lorry and a cyclist. Flowers have been left at the site, and parents collecting children from the adjacent school this afternoon talked in clusters, digesting the implications.

Although there is no proof that these factors contributed to the incident, residents are raising concerns about vehicle speeds on East Claremont Street, and traffic volumes (significantly increased lately during the temporary closure of Broughton Road).

It has now been confirmed that the cyclist injured in this morning's collision at Broughton Point died at the scene.

The 32-year-old male had been struck by a Council bin lorry.

Police have requested witnesses to come forward.

A serious collision happened this morning around 7.50am at Broughton Point.

A cyclist who had just moved off from the pedestrian crossing outside Broughton Primary School and turned left into East Claremont Street from Broughton Road was crushed under the wheels of a dumper truck which had also turned left.

An ambulance was immediately called, but the condition of the cyclist is not yet known.

The incident was witnessed by several passers-by, including a number of young people on their way to school.

An observer who attended last night's Poverty Alliance hustings at the SYHA, Haddington Place, tells us the level of debate was high.