The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Golfers’ takeover could save course CUPAR:
Saturday, October 24, 2026 The clubhouse and pro shop of a Fife golf club is set to close today, with the course to be shut in months unless members take over its operations. Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) has said that Elmwood Golf Course at Cupar...
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Fife quarry protesters gain significant victory
Fife campaigners have secured a significant victory in their fight against plans for a controversial quarry expansion. It has been ruled by natural heritage organisation NatureScot that part of the Balmullo site earmarked for development could be...
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Sheriff praises Fife actor as attacker found guilty
A sheriff heaped praise on evidence given by Baby Reindeer star Richard Gadd from Fife as she convicted a man of attacking one of the actor’s neighbours. Gadd, pictured, was hailed as an “impressive witness” in the trial of 22-yearold Lucas Bains by...
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Tributes to Fife father killed in car collision
A man who died after being hit by a car on a Fife road has been named. Emergency services were called to Lumphinnans Road in Lochgelly at around 1.30am on Saturday after reports of a crash. The incident involved a black Volkswagen Golf and a...
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Tributes paid to teacher who died in A92 crash
Tributes have been paid to a Fife PE teacher who died in a crash on the A92. Daren Baillie, pictured, has been named as the male pedestrian who was killed in an incident involving a red Suzuki Swift near Freuchie shortly before midnight on...
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Council visited 72 hours before Fife carer’ s arrest
A Fife Council early years development officer visited the home of disgraced childminder Amanda Mathewson three days before her arrest. The childcare employee met Mathewson – who earlier this month admitted wilfully neglecting and abandoning 20...
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Jail for Fife officer in will forgery plot
A disgraced Fife police officer has been jailed after he took part in a forgery scheme to get his friend a bigger payout from a will. Steven Muir, pictured, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in the plot, which occurred when he was a...
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Disgraced childminder ‘holidayed with mole’
A disgraced Fife childminder went on holiday with a Care Inspectorate employee suspected of leaking information to her, the parents of children she neglected have claimed. Amanda Mathewson admitted wilfully neglecting and abandoning more than 20...
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Fife has highest number of school violence cases
More than 5,500 violent incidents have been recorded in Fife schools – higher than any other local authority in Scotland. Some 5,664 incidents were reported in the kingdom’s primary and secondary schools in 2025-26, figures obtained by the Scottish...
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£2k raised to aid legal challenge of Fife Uber licence
More than £2,000 has been raised to fund a legal challenge of Fife Council’s decision to grant a taxi office licence to Uber. Despite 431 representations, members of the licensing committee approved the application for a base in Rosyth last...
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Fife luxury hotel closes suddenly as firm goes bust
A luxury Fife hotel has closed suddenly after its owner went into liquidation. Kinnettles Hotel in St Andrews featured 15 bedrooms, a spa, bar and restaurant and is located just a couple of hundred yards from the world-famous Old Course. Liquidators...
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Man who crashed into bus during chase jailed
A Fife man drove dangerously through Dunfermline in a police pursuit which ended with him crashing into a bus. During the episode on August 25 this year, Jeorgio Dolan drove through five sets of red traffic lights and went the wrong way round a...
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School safety fears after boy walks out
An autistic seven-year-old was able to walk out of his primary school unaccompanied three times in just two weeks. Nicola Grant was left enraged after her son Cameron, who is supposed to have a pupil support assistant (PSA) with him at all times, was...
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Childminder tipped off by care watchdog mole
A disgraced Fife childminder was tipped off about an impending care inspection before being caught neglecting children she was meant to be looking after, a bombshell letter has revealed. Amanda Mathewson this week pled guilty to wilfully neglecting...
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Former lecturer jailed for killing couple in crash
A former Fife College lecturer has been jailed for six years after killing a couple in a head-on crash following a boozy Christmas party. Sophie Hynd downed cider, spritzes, prosecco, shots and spirits after finishing the last day of term at Fife...
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Minder admits neglect of 27 children
Parents who put their trust in a Dunfermline childminder entered her unsecured home while she was out and found abandoned children screaming and shut away. Amanda Mathewson yesterday pled guilty to wilfully neglecting and abandoning nearly 30 children...
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‘Psychopath’ prisoner spotted on Fife streets
A rapist once branded a “psychopath” by experts has been spotted out and about in Fife on day release from prison. Mark Greer was seen in Cupar yesterday being escorted by two guards. The Courier understands Greer was on supervised community access...
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Businesses may pay £10k in tourist tax set-up fees
Accommodation owners in Fife could face a collective bill of £630,000 to implement a tourist tax in the kingdom. And ongoing annual costs of £550,000 may also be incurred by businesses. According to Fife Council operators, small B&Bs and short-term...
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Police officer guilty of Fife will forgery
A serving police officer’s career is in ruins over his role in a fraudulent plot to help a friend gain a larger share of his late father’s estate. Steven Muir, pictured, was found guilty of fraud by a jury at Falkirk Sheriff Court. The charge shows...
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Fife woman ‘violated’ by deepfake AI images
A Fife businesswoman has been left feeling violated and anxious after discovering explicit AI deepfake images of her were shared on a messaging app. Kate Carter-Larg, pictured, owner of The Cheesy Toast Shack in St Andrews, said the experience had...
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English-based councillor is dropped from Fife role
A Fife councillor living 220 miles away in England has been removed from the authority’s standards, audit and risk committee after just one month in the role. Conner Young only replaced fellow Conservative councillor Dave Dempsey on the standards...
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Union rep quizzed over her transgender views
A union officer was quizzed on her own views of transgender women during Sandy Peggie’s tribunal against the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Gillian Tait, pictured, who represented Ms Peggie during her dispute with NHS Fife, was asked about the April...
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Councillor ‘can do job’ – from 220 miles away
A Fife councillor who has been carrying out his role while living more than 200 miles away has insisted he is still representing his constituents “on the issues that matter most”. Councillor Conner Young, pictured, has been living in Southport while...
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Fife man battered by teenage gang on bus
A Fife pensioner who tried to stop a gang of youths “terrorising” bus passengers has been left battered and bruised after being attacked by the mob. Teenagers, thought to be aged around 13-15, assaulted retired nurse Kevin Mackie, pictured, on a bus...
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Cost rises threaten Enchanted Forest
Enchanted Forest event is at risk of becoming “unsustainable” due to rising costs, the attraction’s new boss has warned. Chief executive Gordon Morrison said the cost of holding the Pitlochry lights show has increased by 12% in the past year. He...
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Fife sex offender struck again after early release
A sex offender from Fife took just four days to strike again after being given early release from prison. Levi Taylor tried to break into a woman’s home, then struck a 73-year-old man who confronted him about it with a metal pole on August 17. The...
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Trust to invest millions in Fife golf attractions
St Andrews Links Trust has pledged to invest millions of pounds back into the town’s golf courses and attractions. Latest accounts show the charity raked in more in £50.6 million in revenue, up from £48.5m the year before. More than 296,700 rounds...
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Fury as 400 objections over Uber ruled invalid
Fife Council officers have been accused of “rank incompetence” after more than 400 objections were ruled invalid and permission for Uber to open a booking office in Rosyth was granted. Uber Scot Limited applied for a licence to operate from the town’s...
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Radical plans place Fife Council future in doubt
Fife Council could be abolished under radical plans by the Scottish Government to slash the number of local authorities across Scotland from 32 to as few as six. The shake-up would create between six and 10 powerful regional authorities covering huge...
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Red tape blamed over Fife ferry link failure
The businessman behind the RosythFrance ferry plan says a “one-off opportunity” for Scotland has been lost after key figures dragged their heels and decisions got snarled up in red tape. Derek Sloan says Forth Ports’ surprise commercial decision sank...
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‘Butlin’ s’ jibe riles holiday park boss
A St Andrews holiday park owner will appeal Fife Council’s decision to refuse his £20 million expansion plan – and has taken aim at comments comparing his resort to Butlin’s. William Stewart, of Stewart’s Resort, said the comment by SNP councillor...
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Fife distillery strike set to bring plant to ‘standstill’
Production at Europe’s largest grain distillery could be brought to a standstill by more than two weeks of strike action, union bosses have threatened. Workers at Diageo’s Cameronbridge distillery in Leven will walk out as part of a dispute over jobs...
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Bid for a new European ferry link dead in water
The bid to create a new Fife to France ferry link has collapsed after partners could not agree on a long-term plan. Forth Ports confirmed yesterday that the line from Rosyth to Dunkirk would not go ahead, explaining the parties could not reach...
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Woman says she is ‘living in fear’ of council tenant neighbour
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 Fife edition No. 54,008 £2.40
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Calls for more powers to tackle antisocial ‘misery’
Cash-strapped agencies are passing the buck over antisocial behaviour in Fife that is making life a “misery” for residents, a councillor has claimed. Tom Adams told The Courier councillors are “increasingly on the frontline” but have limited powers to...
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Test drive car thief stole 10 days after jail release
A compulsive car thief with a “fixation” for motors stole a vehicle just 10 days after being released from prison. Connor Davidson had been jailed after stealing cars during test drives but 19 months in custody proved no deterrent. Instead Davidson...
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Victory in battle over Peggie case NHS documents
NHS Fife has been ordered to hand over documents relating to the Sandie Peggie trans row after The Courier fought for their release. The health board was told it had to produce records relating to a statement it released as a tribunal brought by Ms...
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Fife father facing trial for murder of baby son
A Fife father is to stand trial charged with the murder of his baby son. Ryan Lumsden, 28, is accused of killing Elijah Edwin Lumsden in late July 2025 at a property in Glenrothes. Elijah was just under three months old at the time. Prosecutors...
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Planners back holiday . park £20m expansion
Plans to double the size of a Fife holiday park have been recommended for approval, despite fears over road safety. Stewart’s Resort near St Andrews has submitted an application to add another 216 lodges to its park beside Cameron Reservoir. However,...
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Mobiles could be banned in schools
A Fife-wide ban on mobile phones in schools could come in from next year. A region-wide survey will be sent out to parents, pupils and teachers from next week as Fife Council moves towards introducing a blanket policy. Respondents will be asked to...
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Fife mum who ran teen drugs courier is jailed
A cocaine-dealing Fife mum who used a teenage boy as a drug courier to rake in more than £200,000 has been jailed. Elle Taylor, pictured, was sentenced to three years in prison having earlier pled guilty to charges relating to proceeds of crime and...
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Shock as man charged over graves ‘vandalism’ FIFE:
Several families have been left in shock after a number of graves at a cemetery in Lochgelly were damaged. A man has been charged with robbery and vandalism after an incident Ballingry Cemetery on Saturday. The 25-year-old is due to appear...
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Climate crisis fears for island’ s puffins
Experts fear “extreme climate events” are behind a dramatic drop in the number of puffins on the Isle of May. Naturescot and the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology made a count of burrows at the island’s National Nature Reserve in the Firth of Forth...
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Fife drink-driver caused couple’ s death in crash
A college lecturer spent hours drinking on a Christmas night out, then got behind the wheel and killed a couple on a Fife road. Sophie Hynd, 33, caused a head-on crash with Jatinder Kaur while driving, despite having drunk heavily throughout the...
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Brother of tragic mum criticises abuser laws
The brother of murdered Fife mum Stacy Hunter has criticised Scottish Government plans to tackle misogyny as not “anywhere near good enough”. The comments were made by Sean Hunter on the same day Justice Secretary Neil Gray gave his commitment to...
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Parents and pupils given say on school mobile phones ban
Parents and pupils are to be consulted on the possibility of banning mobile phones in Fife schools. Fife Council has been looking at introducing a blanket policy across its primary and secondaries amid a range of fears arising from phone use. These...
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Emergency search for pair missing in mine
A major emergency response was launched after two people failed to return from exploring a mine. Fire crews and paramedics were deployed to the area between Cupar and Freuchie at around 8.40am yesterday. Police Scotland said the response was sparked...
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Resident hits out over broken Fife road signs
Concerns have been raised over broken road signs being left untouched between Anstruther and St Andrews for two years. Several signs along the B9131 are broken, dirty or are missing, claims Anstruther resident James Braid. Mr Braid, chairman of...
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Game on:
Chris Purdie needs no medal to be a winner for Scotland Shopping district is bucking the trend of decline
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Family slams sentence on drug-stealing carer
The family of a nursing home resident left to “suffer unnecessarily” by a carer who stole her medication say they are devastated by the sentence handed out to the woman. Fiona Sweet, pictured, was ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work after...
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Chemical giant fined over Fife plant leaks
Faulty pipework led to five separate leaks of highly flammable hydrocarbons at the Mossmorran chemical plant in Fife, a court has heard. Petrochemical giant ExxonMobil was fined £267,000 after pleading guilty to an offence which contravened the...
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Family says huge data centre will ‘spook’ its horses
A massive 600-megawatt data centre planned on farmland just yards from a Fife family’s cottage “will spook their horses and endanger their children”, they say. Russell and Adele Seath’s home is the closest to the Auchtertool farmland earmarked for...
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Health board cuts service for parents over staff shortage
NHS Tayside has been forced to scale back health visitor input for new parents due to lack of staff. The health visitor service supports families from late pregnancy until a child reaches school age. Contact is made with families by the service at a...
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High street is bucking trend of town decline
While other high streets are struggling, Newport is buzzing with independent businesses thriving on the town’s main thoroughfare. With its mix of independent shops, bustling atmosphere and just one vacant unit – now being renovated and seemingly soon...
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Pregnant woman made escape through window
A violent boyfriend twice assaulted his pregnant partner before she was forced to escape from her own home through a kitchen window. A sheriff told abuser Ben Clark, pictured, to expect a jail sentence after his vicious attacks in April this...
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Anger over delays in ‘badly managed’ town revamp work
A local politician says he has “lost faith” in Fife Council’s ability to deliver a £4.7 million regeneration project in Inverkeithing, following a series of “embarrassing” delays to the works. Several projects have been beset by a raft of delays and...
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Eatery boss hits back at Reform UK’s visa claims
The manager of a popular Indian restaurant has hit back at Reform UK after the rightwing party claimed the business brought up to 200 workers and dependants to Britain on sponsorship visas. Zulfiqar Ali, who runs Jahangir in St Andrews, says he is...
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Kiltwalk a steptacular effort by all for charity
The Dundee Kiltwalk brought a wave of tartan, fundraising and community spirit to Dundee and north Fife yesterday, as walkers took part in one of Scotland’s best-known charity events. The event offered participants two routes, giving walkers the...
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Stroke survivor is back singing again
A Fife singer-songwriter has returned to the stage eight years after a stroke left him struggling to speak. David Kilgour, 54, is a long-standing folkrock and indie musician known by his stage name Saus. David, pictured, spent years performing around...
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Fife teacher found guilty of sex attack on teen girl
A Fife secondary school teacher has been convicted by a jury of sexually assaulting a 15-yearold girl on two occasions. Cameron Montgomery, 28, touched and rubbed the girl’s leg as they watched a movie at his home in June last year. At the time he...
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Repairs to fire-hit waste site building cost £150k
Fire crews spent 15 days tackling a blaze at Ladybank Recycling Centre in May, with the complex only reopening to the public on June 15. More recently, firefighters battled a large blaze at the site for around seven hours on July 22.
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Bus station disorder crackdown revealed
Police have revealed how they are tackling youth disorder at a Fife bus station after a series of high-profile incidents. Last month, an exclusive The Courier Focus survey revealed Fife residents had been left “terrified” of travelling on buses due to...
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Doctors said poet’ s MS was depression
A Fife woman living with multiple sclerosis has told how her symptoms were initially dismissed as depression. Georgi Gill, 51, from Burntisland, was 28 when she was finally given the news she had relapsing remitting MS – the most common form of the...
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Fife jobs under threat at drinks firm plants
Staff at two Fife plants owned by drinks giant Diageo have been put at risk of redundancy as the company prepares to start a major cost-cutting programme. Chief executive Dave Lewis, pictured, unveiled the plan to make £742 million of savings to boost...
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Party exodus sees Fife Tories hit ‘rock bottom’
Fife Council’s Conservative group has hit “rock bottom” after yet another councillor left the party, its leader has admitted. James Leslie, pictured, became the fifth Fife Tory to quit the party in 15 months. His decision on Monday afternoon comes a...
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Fife mum’ s death sparks fears over new bail laws
Domestic abusers should not benefit from new bail laws, a victim support charity has said in the wake of a Fife mum’s murder. Stacy Mair, from Falkland, was found dead at her home in Renfrewshire alongside the body of her husband Jim last Monday. Mrs...
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Man arrested after girl found injured at industrial estate
A man has been arrested over the suspicious death of a nine-year-old girl after she was found critically injured at an industrial estate in Arbroath. Emergency crews were called to Elliot Industrial Estate at 12.02am yesterday. The youngster was...
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Action to boost Fife child vaccine uptake
Work to increase the uptake in MMR2 vaccinations across Fife is continuing as the region falls below the target of 92%, sitting at just 87.3%. Lochgelly, Cardenden and Benarty councillor Rosemary Liewald raised the issue of the vaccine for measles,...
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Medals haul:
What’s the secret of Games success for Stirling University athletes? Mum of autistic son created support group to make him feel included
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Fourth Fife Tory councillor quits in last 18 months
A fourth Fife Conservative councillor in the past 18 months has quit the party, nine years after he was first elected. When he won the seat in 2017, Darren Watt, pictured, became the first Tory ever to represent Cowdenbeath. But now he will sit as an...
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Police treating death of Fife mother as murder
A Fife mum’s death is being treated as murder after she and her husband were found dead at their family home. The bodies of Stacy Mair, 35, and Jim Mair, 43, were discovered by police at a cottage in Houston, Renfrewshire, on Monday morning. Stacy...
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Village activists display opposition to data hub
Fife villagers made their opposition to a planned £5 billion data centre on their doorstep plain as developers arrived to speak to them yesterday. Activists with placards and loud hailers gathered at Auchertool village hall to voice strong objections...
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£6m for NHS to reduce surgery waiting times
John Swinney has given NHS Fife £6.8 million to try to tackle surgery wait times. The first minister, pictured, announced the cash during a visit to the orthopaedics National Treatment Centre at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy yesterday. As of May 31...
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