Beer firm’s delivery fee pumped up

Charge: Costlier for local customers Police: Man held after high-speed A90 chase

BrewDog customers in the Highlands and Moray are being charged nearly double for their deliveries as those in the south of England – despite being hundreds of miles closer to the company’s Aberdeenshire base.

The Ellon-based beer company charges £5 for UK-wide deliveries but £9 to deliver to what its website terms “Scottish Highlands and Islands”. This covers all IV postcodes, meaning customers in Elgin are also charged more.

A BrewDog spokesman said that the company’s online orders come from its Northampton base and not from its headquarters in Ellon, enabling a better service to the whole of the UK and the 60 other countries it exports to.

He said the location of the base is why it costs more to deliver to the Highlands and Moray – but its beer is still brewed in Ellon.

Customers in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Isles of Scilly are also charged the £9 for standard delivery, which takes between three and five days.

Elgin City South councillor Graham Leadbitter said he went to purchase BrewDog beer online but was put off by the delivery charges.

He said: “We all know the delivery charges are a major issue for people across Moray and the Highlands and, frankly, it’s ludicrous that a company that’s based in the north of Scotland is subjecting customers to excessive delivery charges in their local area.”

Moray MSP Richard Lochhead (SNP) said: “It is pretty astonishing that a company based in Ellon will deliver cheaper to England than they do to Elgin.”

Mr Lochhead has written to BrewDog asking if it would speak to its courier to bring in a universal delivery charge for the mainland UK.

The BrewDog spokesman said: “We’re committed to getting BrewDog into the hands of everyone who wants to try it. That’s why we currently subsidise the shipping costs from our couriers so we can keep costs as low as possible for our all our customers. We are always on the lookout for ways to further reduce costs, and we welcome all suggestions that will ease the inconvenience for our passionate fans in the Highlands.” A man has been detained for allegedly failing to stop for police, following a high-speed chase down a major north-east road.

At one stage, the van travelled up the wrong side of the A90 Aberdeen to Dundee road, with traffic coming in the opposite direction at 2.40pm. Police waited until the blue Transit van was on the right side of the road and managed to stop it in the northbound carriageway at Portlethen at 3pm. The man is alleged to have then continued to try to evade officers on foot before being caught and arrested.

“Company based in Ellon will deliver cheaper to England than they do to Elgin”