Plans to get the Nordic Sea into service on the Papay to Westray route are moving closer.

Staff recruitment has concluded, training is now underway, and this will be followed by a familiarization period on board the vessel ahead of a start date North o’ the Galt.

The first four brand new buses arrived in Orkney on Friday 15 October 2021.

The investment of £5.4 million in 34 brand new buses is a result of a contract between Orkney Islands Council and Stagecoach covering an 8-year period, from 2021 through to 2029.

The Council’s ICT team require to carry out some essential maintenance work to the network security systems on Tuesday evening (19 October).

Unfortunately, this will mean some brief outages to a number of our public websites – such as Marine Services, planning and warrant, sport and leisure, benefit applications. These brief outages will occur between 5.30pm til 8pm. We will update as soon as the works are complete and the complete system is up and running again.

The Council has tasked Alfred Flett’s to start repairing and preplacing a number of the festive anchors for the catenary wires that hold the strings of lights within Kirkwall, Stromness and St Margaret’s Hope.

The works are programmed to last for up to two weeks. They will get underway tomorrow, Tuesday 19 October, in Kirkwall and there will be periods of time when Bridge Street, Albert Street and Victoria Street will be closed to traffic. We expect to complete Kirkwall this week before moving to Stromness and the ‘Hope.

Unfortunately, weather-related delays has meant that phase two of the resurfacing works on Ayre Mills roundabout only got underway this morning (Monday 18 October).

That means the diversions in place have now changed and these will be signed. Access to the roundabout from Ayre Mills and Grainshore Road has been closed, with signed diversions via Pickaquoy Road and Hatston Brae. Three-way traffic lights will be in place.