Lucky puppy

AN 11-month-old puppy had a “miraculous” escape after falling 40ft off a bridge into a frozen river.

Monty the lagotto romagnolo crashed through the ice covering the River Ayr in Prestwick, Scotland, while his owners looked on in January of this year.

Phil Hobbins jumped into the water to rescue his dog then rushed him to a pet emergency clinic.

Mr Hobbins said his family were out for a walk when the puppy had run towards the 19th century Oswald’s bridge, skidded and fallen into the water below.

A DRIVER who ploughed his car into a friend after his car was vandalised has avoided jail.

Humza Rashid, 22, struck student James Wood, 20, who was walking in Yoker on April 19, 2019, sending him flying into the air.

Rashid drove at Mr Wood after a golf club and a beer bottle had been thrown at his Audi car, smashing the windscreen. Mr Wood suffered bruising and pain to the left side of his body.

Rashid, a first offender pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to the assault to Mr Wood’s injury.

Sheriff Lindsay Wood tagged Rashid for five months keeping him indoors between 9.30pm and 6am.

The court heard the Rashid and Mr Wood were college friends, but had fallen out. Mr Wood wrongly believed that Rashid had vandalised his car. The next day Mr Wood went to Rashid’s home in Ellerslie Crescent and smashed Rashid’s windscreen

Prosecutor Pamela-Jane Connelly said: “The accused drove the Audi at speed towards Mr Wood. There was an act of taking him off his feet and into the air and he landed on the ground at the side of the road.” Rashid then sped off. Lawyer Bob McCormack, defending, said: “There was a fight of sorts because Mr Wood had believed Mr Rashid had smashed up his car, but that wasn’t the case.

“Mr Rashid drove in an inexcusable manner and it wasn’t the correct thing he did but he was being attacked at his own home.”

The lawyer added that Rashid worked for DPD delivery but has since started his own business moving agency cars across the country.

LOCAL representatives have welcomed a U-turn on the closure of a vital post office.

Garthamlock Post Office was set to close on Saturday February 13, but the current operators have decided to delay the closure indefinitely.

Councillor Ruairi Kelly for Glasgow North East said: “I welcome the decision by the operator to delay the closure of this service and hope that it leads to the long-term security of the Post Office in Garthamlock.

“This is clearly not the right time to be altering this service given that we are being asked not to make unnecessary journeys and the ability to carry out as many activities locally is an important factor in keeping us all safe during this pandemic.”

In a statement from Post Office, a spokeswoman said: “We are pleased to announce that following discussions with SPAR Scotland, a decision to withdraw from operating 18 Post Office branches has been put on hold.”