News in brief

● Organisers of Perth’s Party at the Park festival have postponed their June 27- 28 event.

The event, headlined by indie stars The Charlatans will be rescheduled and tickets will be valid for the new dates. Full refunds will be available.

● The Montrose Live music event will not be going ahead. The annual event – which replaced Mofest – usually takes place in various pubs in May.

● Elsewhere in Angus, Hospitalfield House in Arbroath is closing until the end of May and Strathmore Highland Games has been cancelled.

● Fife Walking club has called off all walks until further notice. Anstruther Harbour Festival, due to take place in June, is postponed until next year. Kirkcaldy’s inaugural Langtoun Jazz Festival, due to be held in June, is also off.

● The path across Pitlochry Dam has been closed to protect workers at the hydro electric plant. Operators SSE Renewables say the walkway is too narrow to allow walkers to keep the necessary two metres from its staff as they carry out essential work, with the power station working as normal to support the UK electricity network.

● Members of the public have been told to stay away from courts across Scotland, with only essential business going ahead.

Sheriff courts across Tayside and Fife convened yesterday morning to deal with custodies, remand cases and any urgent civil business but all other cases were continued to a later date or adjourned.

Only legal professionals were advised to attend and social distancing was observed.

Court of Session and High Court cases called on the same basis and only time-critical hearings of the Mental Health Tribunal are continuing to run as telephone hearings.

All other non-urgent tribunal hearings have been stopped.

● Dundee bus drivers are being hit with a reduction to their monthly salary in an effort to cut costs. Xplore Dundee insists the move is a deferral in the wake of the deepening coronavirus crisis and that the funds will eventually be paid back. Managing director Christine McGlasson said the measure would help to save jobs in line with temporarily service reductions which started on Monday.

● Fife Council is restricting the number of people attending funeral services at its cemeteries and crematoriums.

It is understood funeral directors have been told those attending should be “in the region of five of six” and restricted to immediate family.