Pix: Red tape thwart drumming event

When Alan Sutherland started planning a small drumming event for a Galashiels park red tape was the last thing on his mind.
However his plans for the event, to raise awareness of environmental issues, face being thwarted by heavy-handed council chiefs who have demanded he obtain £5 million of Public Liability Insurance before holding his event.
The 55-year-old from Newtown St Boswells in the Borders found the cost to be prohibitively expensive but now plans to defy officials and run the event anyway.
Mr Sutherland has been told he must provide a risk assessment, site plan and “details of consultations undertaken to ensure your event can be delivered safely” before he could hold his event.
He called the demands “completely over the top”, stating that the insurance alone would have cost him several hundred pounds to obtain.