A walker stuck waist-deep in a bog on an uninhabited island for four hours was rescued thanks to an emergency app – which led ferryman to her using just three words.

Alison Winter, 41, became stranded on Shuna, part of the Slate Islands, Inner Hebrides, as she made her way towards a hilltop viewpoint.

But she was rescued after alerting ferrymen to her location using geocoding app what3words, which gave Alison the unique location code of “escalates, removing, lows”.

Alison had no phone signal but had luckily already downloaded the app after seeing author Neil Gaiman tweet about it coming to his rescue when his car broke down.

It took just eight minutes for Alison to be rescued after sending ferrymen the three-word location.

Alison arrived on the island via the local ferry service last August and came across a pair of fellow hikers who recommended a great viewpoint.

But as she made her way towards the hilltop, the conditions underfoot worsened and Alison quickly found herself struggling with the terrain – and fell into a bog.

Writer Alison, who is an axperienced hiker, said: “It was an extremely hot and sunny day.

“I wasn’t expecting the island to be waterlogged because no one can really appreciate how much rainfall Scotland gets until you live there.

“I realised that I’d ventured into what was essentially a swamp.

“The grass was 5ft high and the ground was completely unstable.

“I fell into a bog up to my waist, had to dig out my shoes, and just kept rolling my ankles and falling badly.

“At that moment, however, I had zero network coverage, so had to continue trudging through marshland and what can only be described as malicious tussocks.

“I eventually got phone signal whilst balancing on a relatively stable mound and managed to get hold of the ferryman.

“It was 3pm by this time and I’d been in difficulty for hours but was trying to rectify the situation myself.

“I knew exactly whereabouts I was on the island – I had my bearings and my sense of direction, but I couldn’t get across the waterlogged terrain.

“It was terrifying and exhausting.

“They prompted me to use what3words app so they could locate me and collect me by boat – without that they could have been searching for hours by land.

“Luckily I already had it on my phone as I don’t think the patchy signal would have coped with downloading it there and then.”

The what3words app is able to pinpoint any location on earth using just three words.

The geocoding system has divided the planet into 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares, with each assigned a three-word combination as an ‘address’.

Alison added: “The boat came as close as it could into the rocky cove, so I had to get over 30ft of rocks, mostly in the water.

“My hands were cut up, but nothing was broken, although I do think I might have slightly cracked a shinbone.

“I’d been rambling in the hot sun for hours, was bleeding, and being bitten to pieces as my repellent wasn’t strong enough.

“Although I was prepared if I did have to survive a night there, it would have been awful. I felt like I was in The Walking Dead.

“If it wasn’t for the app, I expect a helicopter or rescue services might have been involved, not good during a pandemic and I felt terribly aware of not wanting to cause trouble.

“The situation could have turned out differently if I hadn’t already had what3words on my phone and the ferryman hadn’t had the ingenuity to suggest I use it.

“You can do everything right, but something can still go wrong.

“So many people are reliant on walking as their sole form of exercise right now, and you never know when you might be in a situation like I was.

“I’m keen to help spread the word that this app could genuinely save your life – or at the very least end a traumatic situation.”

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has announced plans to launch legal action against the Scottish Government over the country’s coronavirus restrictions.

The NTIA said the move was being made with an “extraordinary sense of disappointment and frustration”, but that the hospitality and late-night sector in particular have been “driven to the edge of insolvency”.

With no specific end date for the restrictions in sight, the NTIA said 39,000 jobs are at risk.

The group added that Scottish Government support has been “wholly inadequate” to compensate for operating losses and, on average, a “typical small business owner” has incurred around £150,000 worth of debt during the pandemic due to fixed costs exceeding income generated from revenue and grants.

The NTIA is arguing that the curbs are “no longer justifiable or proportionate”, and has claimed their continuation would be a breach of the Human Rights Act.

Monday marked the biggest raft of changes made in Scotland since the country went back into lockdown on Boxing Day.

Pubs, restaurants, cafes and non-essential shops are back open for business.

Libraries, gyms, swimming pools, and visitor attractions such as museums and art galleries can also now reopen as the country moved to level three of the Scottish Government’s five-tier Covid alert system.

Hospitality can open until 8pm indoors – but no alcohol can be served – and 10pm outdoors, where alcohol can be consumed.

Scotland is scheduled to move to level two restrictions on Monday, May 17, which will allow people to meet in “small numbers” in homes for the first time in months.

Cinemas, theatres, concert halls, music venues, comedy clubs, amusement arcades and bingo halls will be allowed to open from that date, with indoor and outdoor events resuming but with capacity limits.

Closing times for hospitality would also be extended to 10.30pm indoors.

During a Scottish Government briefing earlier this month, the First Minister said “if circumstances permit” the intention is for the country to move to level one from June 7, before moving to level zero later in the month.

Nicola Sturgeon also said that by the “deeper part of the summer” she hoped “something much more like normality” would be possible.

On Friday, the NTIA confirmed its intentions to proceed with a judicial review to challenge the “validity of all legal restrictions currently being imposed upon hospitality and night-time economy businesses”.

In a statement, the NTIA said: “It is with an extraordinary sense of disappointment and frustration that we confirm our intention to commence legal action against the Scottish Government and note our intent to proceed with a judicial review challenging the validity of all legal restrictions currently being imposed upon hospitality and night-time economy businesses in Scotland under The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.  

“The hospitality sector in general, and late-night sector in particular, has been driven to the edge of insolvency by the severe restrictions in place since the start of the pandemic. 

“Scottish Government support has been wholly inadequate to compensate for operating losses and a majority of businesses have now incurred unsustainable debt as a result.

“Even worse, all strategic framework funding has now ended while there is no end date for the restrictions that make these businesses commercially unviable. Thirty-nine thousand jobs are now at risk as a direct result.

“The reality is that the current emergency restrictions on opening, capacity, activities, and operating hours make thousands of businesses commercially unviable. 

“Hospitality businesses typically operate on wafer-thin profit margins, as little as 5%, while these restrictions can result in businesses suffering such immense declines in income that bankruptcy will be the inevitable result if they continue for much longer.

“Fixed costs such as rent, insurance, staff furlough costs, etc, have far exceeded the income coming in from revenue and grants, resulting in the typical small business owner in our sector incurring around £150,000 in Covid-related debt per premises, which represents many years’ worth of normal profits.

“Social distancing is toxic for businesses across numerous sectors of the economy, from restaurants, pubs and bars, wedding suppliers, music venues, nightclubs, coach tours, travel, and tourism, and many more.

“These can result in declines in capacity and therefore income of up to 75% and force businesses to trade at substantial losses even if allowed to open.

“Additional restrictions on live music, dancing, mandatory seated drinking, table service, and more, further reduce the ability of premises to generate sufficient custom to survive.

“We accept that restrictions were initially necessary in the interests of public health, and indeed we not only fully supported previous measures taken, but also actively promoted the government’s public health messages via social media channels and to our customer base.

“However, thanks to the heroic efforts of our NHS workers, vaccine researchers, and scientists, and the immensely successful roll-out of the vaccine, Covid-19 no longer presents the threat to public health that it did even a few short months ago. 

“All those at serious risk of hospitalisation or mortality have now been offered a vaccine, and take-up rates have been well above expectations with almost all of JCVI groups one to nine now vaccinated.

“These groups represent around 99% of preventable mortality from Covid-19 and the results of vaccination are startlingly effective. 

“Evidence presented to SAGE noted that of 42,788 Covid-19 cases admitted to UK hospitals between the start of the vaccination programme on December 8 and March 5, just 32 had received a vaccine at least three weeks before.

“It is therefore the position of the NTIA that the restrictions imposed on hospitality businesses by Scottish Government with regards to capacity, activities and operating hours are no longer justifiable or proportionate and any continued application of such emergency restrictions would now be in breach of Article 1 of the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights, which applies in the UK by virtue of the Human Rights Act 1998.

“The NTIA has retained the services of TLT Solicitors and the dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Roddy Dunlop QC, to argue our case in court at the earliest practical opportunity.”

The Scottish Government said it wants to get back to normal “as soon as it is safely possible”, but added it “must move very carefully to ensure continued suppression of the virus”.

It highlighted its Strategic Framework Business Fund (SFBF), which has provided grants to businesses that have been forced to close or significantly change their operation due to Covid restrictions put in place from last November.

Nightclubs, which were eligible for the SFBF, should now have received restart grants.

Top-up grants and rates relief have also been made available.

In addition, one-off grants of up to £50,000 – based upon rateable value – were also made available to nightclubs last October through the Covid-19 Contingency Fund.

An Aberdeenshire farm that supplies some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets is under investigation after footage emerged of pigs being hammered to death and subjected to other serious violations.

Animal Equality, an international animal protection organisation, released undercover videos on Friday showing disturbing scenes of animal suffering said to be filmed at P&G Sleigh Pig Unit in Oldmeldrum over a number of weeks in late 2020 and early this year.

Photos and video footage appeared to show a catalogue of incidents of ill-treatment and breaches of animal welfare rules.

The farm’s owner, Philip Sleigh – who is the former chair of the National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) pigs working group – no longer holds his position on a meat industry standards body after the allegations surfaced.

STV News repeatedly tried to contact Mr Sleigh on Friday but he did not respond to messages.

Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) said Mr Sleigh was no longer a member of its board or any of its committees.
 
A spokesperson said: “After reviewing the footage and assessor investigation, QMS has withdrawn this member from our quality assurance scheme for non-compliance with our standards.

“Animals must be handled humanely and with respect. Pigs that do not respond to treatment or require emergency euthanasia must be promptly and humanely euthanised by a trained and competent person in line with the Pig Veterinary Society (PVS) casualty pig publication.”

Animal Equality International

The pigs in the footage were said to be slaughtered at a nearby abattoir contracted by major food producer, Pilgrim’s Pride, which supplies Lidl, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, and many other major restaurants and retailers. 

Tesco and Lidl have already taken steps to remove the farm from their supply chains.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “The conditions shown on this farm are completely unacceptable. We require all farms in our supply chain to adhere to strict animal welfare standards and we delisted this supplier as soon as we were made aware of these allegations.”

Meanwhile, Lidl said they do not source directly from the farm but that “some pork products originating from them are used by our direct supplier”.

A spokesperson said: “At Lidl GB we take the matter of animal welfare extremely seriously and are committed to maintaining high welfare and traceability standards throughout our supply chain.

“All of our fresh pork originating from Scotland is assured to QMS certified standards. Upon learning of these concerning allegations the farm has been suspended from our supply chain with immediate effect, pending a full and thorough investigation by QMS.”

Animal Equality, the organisation behind the investigation, said pigs at the farm were destined to be slaughtered and butchered at Quality Pork Limited slaughterhouse in Brechin, Angus.

Animal Equality International

It added: “With an eye-watering government grant of £2.7m in 2014, the enormous abattoir (in Brechin) is the largest in Scotland, with capacity to slaughter nearly 400,000 pigs each year.

“Despite large investments, the abattoir – like many other slaughterhouses globally – experienced controversy over recent months, with a coronavirus outbreak in January 2021 that saw more than 40 staff members infected. 

“This alarming exposé from Animal Equality comes at a time when the Scottish Government has committed to a financial handout for the pig industry, providing Scottish pig farmers with an additional £715,000 of funding to continue existing farming practices.”

Abigail Penny, executive director of Animal Equality UK said the organisation’s investigation had not just exposed one bad farm, but “an industry that is rotten to the core”.

She said: “The ever-growing body of evidence we are building is a damning indictment of this cruel industry. This is what British bacon looks like.”

“Rubbing shoulders with government officials and accreditation reps, Philip Sleigh was entrusted with a position of power, and yet his own farm breached the very standards that he helped set. QMS boasts of being proud of its standards, yet it took Animal Equality to uncover these serious breaches on its board member’s farm.

“How can QMS claim to take animal welfare seriously when its own poster-boy didn’t?” Animal Equality has investigated ten UK pig farms in five years and on each one has exposed severe suffering and filthy conditions.”

The National Pig Association (NPA) said it takes allegations of mistreatment very seriously, but also questioned why Animal Equality did not immediately alert the authorities.

An NPA spokesperson said: “The UK pig sector takes allegations of the mistreatment of pigs incredibly seriously and as soon as aware will always encourage the relevant authorities to investigate as we did in this instance. 

“As with all livestock farming, however, pigs do sadly become ill or injured and when they do not respond to treatment, will need to be euthanised. 

“What matters is the skill, expertise and care exercised by the stockperson in identifying problems and dealing with them appropriately.  Euthanasia is a permitted legal practice and can be conducted in a variety of ways, dependent on the size of the pig, provided it is in accordance with veterinary direction and oversight.

“In this instance, however, the footage does depict poor practice with regard to the method of euthanasia used and pig handling, which we do not condone and find totally unacceptable.  We understand that the farm in question is now subject to a full investigation by both the relevant authorities and Quality Meat Scotland.

“It is also important to highlight that if Animal Equality were so concerned about the welfare of the animals on the farm, they should have alerted the relevant authorities immediately to ensure any animal welfare breaches were quickly addressed, rather than wait for four months to release the footage.”

NFU Scotland said incidents like this remain very rare but when alleged they will be investigated.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it will be submitting a report to the Procurator Fiscal in relation to the footage.

Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: “We will be submitting a report to the Procurator Fiscal based on information we received concerning breaches of animal welfare law at a farm in northeast Scotland.

“Considering this, we are unable to comment further at this time.”

By Sharon Frew and Kevin Scott

The mother of a man killed in a fire at Cameron House hotel says she still needs answers about her son’s death.

Jane Midgley told STV News she was determined to appeal a decision not to hold a fatal accident inquiry into the fatal blaze on the banks of Loch Lomond in December 2017.

Simon Midgley, 38, and his partner Richard Dyson, 32, died after a fire ripped through the five-star resort.

Earlier this month, Crown Counsel said there would be no fatal accident inquiry into the cause of the fire, reaching that decision following an investigation that led to two criminal convictions.

The hotel was fined for breaching health and safety laws, while a porter was given a community payback order.

Ms Midgley criticised the Crown Office and said a fatal accident inquiry was in the public interest.

She said: “I’m never going to get justice, but if we can save someone else’s life by having this fatal accident inquiry I’ll feel like I’ve done something.

“I’ve got to do something for the boys, I can’t just put a full stop and end it.

“I look at his photograph every day and I say ‘Simon, I’m going to fight for you’.

“(I’m determined) more than ever because I know if Simon was here, he would be saying ‘mum, you’ve got to fight, you’ve got to stop this happening again’.

“This (fire) could have been stopped and it wasn’t, they (Cameron House) just carried on and carried on and I don’t just want recommendations – not many people go on recommendations.

“Things have got to be put in law and businesses have got to realise they can’t get away with it through having other things to do.”

Ms Midgley says she has never been able to properly grieve for her son, as she continues to seek face-to-face meetings with the Lord Advocate, fire chiefs and Cameron House officials.

She believes doors have been closed on her every time she has tried to get answers, adding that Crown Office officials told her a fatal accident inquiry was not in the public interest.

She said: “I was lost for words because once again I just thought ‘after all these years, why did you ask for that meeting (with me), why did you want to know why I wanted a fatal accident inquiry?’.

“I didn’t get my justice in the first place, and I know getting a fatal accident inquiry isn’t getting justice but it’s about looking after everybody else now, everybody else’s future.

STV News

Earlier this year, the hotel’s owner was fined £500,000 and Christopher O’Malley, a night porter who admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act, was given a community payback order.

As a result, Crown Counsel said they were satisfied that the reasons for the fire had been established and that the circumstances of the deaths were publicly identified during the prosecution process.

A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: “The FAI decision was communicated to the families of Richard Dyson and Simon Midgley at meetings and both families were advised of their rights to request a review of the decision.

“The family of Mr Midgley have indicated they will exercise their rights to ask for a review of the decision not to hold a fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of Mr Midgley and Mr Dyson.

“Once that request has been received, the review will be conducted by Crown Counsel with no previous involvement in the matter.

“The families of Mr Midgley and Mr Dyson will be advised of the decision following the review.”

As well as the decision not to hold a fatal accident inquiry, Ms Midgley said she was shocked at the fine handed out to the hotel’s owners.

She said: “They could have got fined £750,000 but because they pleaded guilty a couple of days before, the sheriff gave them a reduction of £250,000.

“As a mum, you’re never going to think you’ve got justice – so no fine, no jail sentence will ever be enough, but it just went from bad to worse – from all the failings to the individual just getting a community order, to Cameron House getting a fine but a massive reduction because they pleaded guilty.

Police Scotland

“What about Simon and Richard? What about my Simon? (I’m) lost for words. Every time I read through the narratives, every time I think back to what happened in that court case, I can’t understand or I just think it’s all so unfair and it’s heartbreaking.

“I have so many questions and obviously now I’m not allowed to ask them until after the review of the fatal accident inquiry, but I think people need to know of all the failings, of everything, and I think people will be totally shocked.

“Any parent that has lost a son, or a daughter, or anybody in that kind of situation, would not be able to understand how they could get away with all these failings – and they were massive failings.”

How did the fire start?

The fire that ripped through five-star Cameron House at around 6.40am on December 18, 2017, was started after ashes were left in a cupboard.

More than 200 guests were evacuated from the building, including a family of two adults and a child who were rescued from the second-floor.

Dumbarton Sheriff Court heard how O’Malley emptied ashes and embers from an open fire in the main reception into a plastic bag before putting them in a cupboard.

Firefighters arrived at the hotel by 6.51am. However, they later had to withdraw from the building as it was showing signs of structural instability.

The fire was not brought under control until the early hours of December 19.

‘Simon was my rock’

Ms Midgley told STV News she has seen the CCTV footage of the ashes being placed in the cupboard, saying that it broke her heart.

“I knew about the ashes in the cupboard for quite a while, but that’s all I knew because I did ask repeatedly ‘what do you mean, ashes in a cupboard?’ but it wasn’t till we came to the court case that we found out all the failings,” she said.

“Why has nobody gone ‘where do we put these ashes?’ and I do believe it’s because a lot of people that work for businesses like that are scared to put a complaint in or they think ‘I’ll leave it for someone else, I don’t want to cause trouble’, but it happened and it took two young, happy, healthy lives away for no reason at all.

“Simon was my rock. Both boys were so loving, kind and caring – they didn’t have a bad bone in their body.

“Everybody that met them always said what wonderful people they were and they were just in the prime of life – they were just enjoying life and wanted to look after everybody.

“It was in their nature and, gone, just like that… they had so many dreams for the future.

“I’ve never known such a pain and it never goes away. Even three-and-a-half years later, the pain is just as hard as it was on day one.”

STV is supporting the boycott of social media by the sporting community this weekend.

No sports content will be published to our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels between 3pm on Friday, April 30 and 11.59pm on Monday, May 3.

The campaign urges social media companies to do more to tackle online discrimination and abuse.

Organisations including the Scottish FA, Scottish Professional Football League, Scottish Women’s Football, PFA Scotland and Scottish Rugby are supporting the boycott.

Various other broadcasters, media outlets and companies with links to sport are also taking part.

STV said: “STV supports the social media boycott by the wider sporting community this weekend to combat online abuse and racial discrimination, and we are united with them in the urgent need for positive change to prevent this abuse from appearing on social platforms.

“No posts will be made on the STV Sport social channels from 3pm on Friday, April 30 until 11.59pm on Monday, May 3.

“In addition, no sports stories will be posted on the STV News social channels during this time.”

Days after completing naloxone training, a police officer in Dundee managed to revive a person who had overdosed by using the medication.

The city is one of three areas, including Falkirk and the east end of Glasgow, where police officers are carrying the treatment which reverses an overdose.

It is the seventh time officers in Scotland have used the treatment since training began a few weeks ago.

Superintendent Nicky Russell, who is based in Dundee, said: “Officers were called to a concern call, that person was unconscious, officers administered naloxone and it resulted in the person coming round and being given further treatment and support from the ambulance crew. 

“We’ve helped save one person’s life in Dundee so as many more we can save is a good thing.”

STV News

Gary Snowden from Dundee carries naloxone after his brother died from a heroin overdose four years ago.

“If somebody had naloxone when he overdosed, my brother would still be here today,” he said.

“I’m all for anything that saves lives. There’s too many good people who have died from drugs. A lot of good pals, family members so it is a tough thing but naloxone is more public now and more people should be aware of its existence and hopefully it starts to save more lives.”

STV News

Gary added that he supports police officers carrying the medication.

“You might have to wait five, ten, 15 minutes on an ambulance coming. If police have something to keep you going while waiting for the ambulance then I think that’s a great thing.” 

All constables, sergeants and inspectors will receive the training and it is then up to the individual officer to decide whether to carry naloxone. From those trained so far, 87% have chosen to add the medication to their kit.

However, the Scottish Police Federation is concerned it puts officers at risk.

“Our primary role is looking after the crime aspect of a drugs overdose and keeping the emergency medical interventions to the medical services. They are the people trained in it, not police officers training for a few hours in an afternoon,” explained David Hamilton, SPF Chair.

“There is no evidence to suggest anyone has died because police officers did not have access to naloxone.

“It’s a concern we’re moving into this space. Some people say we should be carrying adrenaline for people with nut allergies and other people say we should be carrying defibrillators and there is a very strong reasons for doing all of these things but we simply can’t do it all, ” said David Hamilton.

The Federation wants legislation to give statutory protection to officers in the event something goes wrong.

However, Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie said there is no risk to police officers and this scheme is “desperately needed.”

STV News

“We’re the worst country in Europe in respect of drugs deaths and four times worse than the next worst country and that’s shocking for me and we want to do our bit and show and that’s why there has been such a high uptake by police officers,” he said.

“It’s a first aid measure. All naloxone does is reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. If a person is not having an opioid overdose, naloxone isn’t going to have any effect on them whatsoever. 

“So there is no risk of police officers getting prosecuted giving naloxone in the same way as there is no risk of them being prosecuted for using any other first aid measure that they may choose to use, like putting someone into the recovery position which is widely supported including by the police federation.”

Kirsten Horsburgh from the Scottish Drugs Forum is encouraged by the uptake among officers.

“If you’re in a position where you’re carrying naloxone and you happen to opportunistically come across someone who has overdosed you are in a position to potentially save that person’s life and also allow them the opportunity to go on and make positive changes in their life,” she said

“I certainly have colleagues in my life and friends who are here today because of naloxone.”

The pilot project will be assessed after six months and if it has been successful, police officers across Scotland could carry the life-saving kit.

Murder accused Ross Willox used his best friend’s iPad to search the internet for ‘blood’ and ‘can police track your car,’ a jury was told on Friday.

Neil Moore, 46, area service manager for the Scottish Ambulance Service, was giving evidence at the trial of Willox, 41, who denies murdering 39-year-old Emma Faulds at his home at Fairfield Park, Monkton, Ayrshire, on April 28, 2019, by means unknown.

Mr Moore told prosecutor Paul Kearney that when he looked at his iPad on Sunday, May 8, 2019, he found searches he had not made.

These included “can cars be traced by GPS”, “do police put tracking devices on cars” and “can UK police trace your car without a warrant”.

Mr Moore told jurors that Willox was his closest friend.

The trial heard how Willox had come to the house and asked to use his iPad. The witness had then decided to look at the tablet device after Willox left.

Mr Moore said he knew his friend had carried out previous searches on the iPad.

Mr Kearney asked Mr Moore what he had done when he made the discovery.

He replied: “I contacted my ex-partner who is a serving police officer and then I went to Kilmarnock police office.”

The court earlier heard that police had carried out surveillance on Willox between May 6 and 10, 2019.

A covert tracker device was also put on his mother’s Jaguar motor.

The trial, before judge Lord Mulholland, continues.

The concluding episode of drama Viewpoint has been pulled from schedules after allegations of misconduct against star Noel Clarke.

The actor is currently starring in the thriller as DC Martin Young, a surveillance detective who sets up his observation post in the home of a single mother.

The five-part drama was broadcast throughout this week and was due to conclude on Friday night.

Twenty women who knew Clarke in a professional capacity have come forward with allegations in The Guardian, prompting both STV and ITV to announce they will not be broadcasting the final episode but will make it available on the ITV Hub and STV Player.

Clarke has “vehemently” denied claims of sexual misconduct.

An ITV statement said: “ITV has a zero tolerance policy to bullying, harassment and victimisation and robust procedures in place to investigate and deal with any complaints.

“We strongly believe that everyone deserves to work in a supportive and safe environment.

“In light of the very serious nature of the allegations against Noel Clarke raised by 20 women in the Guardian’s report, ITV has decided it is no longer appropriate to broadcast the final episode of the drama Viewpoint on ITV main channel this evening.

“We are mindful that some of our viewers have already invested four hours of their time over the past four nights in following this thriller which was due to conclude this evening, and they have yet to see the final episode.

“As such we plan to make it available on ITV Hub tonight for a limited time for any viewers who wish to seek it out, and watch its conclusion.”

A spokesperson for STV said: “In light of the serious allegations against Noel Clarke raised by 20 women as reported in the Guardian, STV, as part of the Channel 3 network, is in agreement with ITV that it would be inappropriate to air the final episode of drama Viewpoint this evening.

“The episode will therefore not be broadcast on the main STV channel but will be available on STV Player until Sunday night for those viewers who have been following the series this week.

“STV is committed to building an inclusive culture and has a zero tolerance policy towards workplace bullying and harassment of any form.”

Broadcaster Sky, which has aired three series of Clarke’s series Bulletproof, has said it is halting work with Clarke following the accusations.

Meanwhile Bafta has sought to explain why it honoured Clarke with the outstanding British contribution to cinema award earlier this month – after it had been informed of accusations of misconduct.

The Academy has suspended his award and membership, and sought to clarify to members why it proceeded with plans to celebrate the actor at the recent film awards.

Clarke said in a statement: “In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.

“If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise.

“I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.”

Clarke made his first TV appearance more than 20 years ago in the Channel 4 series Metrosexuality, and gained fame for his roles as Mickey Smith in Doctor Who and Wyman Norris in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet.

He later wrote and starred in the acclaimed film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood, and directed two of them.

Albion Rovers striker David Cox walked out of his side’s game at half-time after claiming to have been mocked for his mental health struggles – and has said that he is quiting football.

Cox was on the substitutes bench for his side’s League Two match against Stenhousemuir on Thursday evening when he had a verbal clash with opposition player Jonathan Tiffoney.

The 32-year-old, who has spoken openly in the past about his troubles with depression and anxiety and how he contemplated suicide several years ago, alleges that Tiffoney taunted him over his problems.

In a video posted to Facebook after the game, he said that Stenhousemuir’s “bench” had abused him, with Tiffoney saying that he should have “done it right the first time”.

Cox, who began his professional career in 2008 and has played for nine different clubs, has said previously that abuse from fans and players had made him consider giving up playing.

“We were having a to-and-fro with the bench,” he said . “They had a go at my mental health and told me I ‘should have done it right the first time’.

“I tried to speak to the referees about it but they didn’t want to know because they didn’t hear it … So I am going to do something. I am leaving the game.”

Tiffoney described reports that he attacked Cox’s mental health as “simply untrue”.

In a statement released through his lawyers, Bannatyne, Kirkwood, France and Co, on Friday, Tiffoney added: “Throughout the first half of the game, I was subjected to abuse and disparaging comments from the Albion Rovers dug out. I did not react to these.

“David Cox, who was a substitute and not playing, was booked by the referee for entering the pitch and abusing me. I did not abuse him. His abuse of me took place in front of the linesman. Had I made the comment, which it has been said that I made, then it is inconceivable that it would have not been heard by the linesman.

“Having been personally subjected to disparaging and hurtful remarks as a player for many years, I condone any such practice.

“I would never attack another player’s mental health or wellbeing and will fully cooperate with the Scottish FA investigation into this matter.”

Albion Rovers issued a statement after the game saying that they stand behind Cox.

“The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone associated with Albion Rovers is of paramount importance to us,” a spokesperson said.

“Football is a place for all and we believe it should be enjoyed without fear, favour or prejudice.

“We are aware of an alleged incident that occurred during this evening’s match and have been in touch with David Cox to offer our unconditional backing and support.”

Stenhousemuir said that Tiffoney was also making a complaint about inappropriate language.

A club statement read: “The club is aware of a verbal altercation that took place between players from both Stenhousemuir and Albion Rovers during tonight’s match.

“We have spoken to the players involved, David Cox (Albion Rovers) who was on the bench, and Jonathan Tiffoney (Stenhousemuir) who was playing.

“Both players are making claims of serious and wholly inappropriate comments being made during the game that have implications for player wellbeing and mental health.

“Whilst we accept that things can get said during a game, we believe the allegations are sufficiently serious enough to merit a more detailed investigation.

“We will be referring this to the Scottish FA tomorrow and will work with them and our colleagues at Albion Rovers to investigate the incident.”

The governing body has confirmed that it is looking into the events.

People embarking on bank holiday getaways are being warned to expect disruption due to rail engineering work and congestion on the roads.

Network Rail is carrying out 620 upgrade projects this weekend, leading to the closure of some major lines.

No trains will run on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes on Saturday, Sunday or Monday due to track renewals and HS2 preparatory work.

Avanti West Coast, which normally operates long-distance services between the capital and Scotland via Birmingham and north-west England, warned that “journeys will take longer and may involve a rail replacement service”.

It added: “We strongly advise you travel either side of the bank holiday weekend.”

A reduced service will operate to and from London King’s Cross as five platforms will be closed while the East Coast Upgrade continues.

Drainage work between Preston and Carnforth in Lancashire will disrupt Northern services in the area on Sunday and Monday.

Network Rail said people should “continue to follow Government guidance around the use of public transport and minimise the number of journeys they make where possible”.

Latest Department for Transport figures show rail usage across Britain is at 42% of pre-coronavirus levels, while bus travel outside London is at 61%.

Car usage is at 88% of what it was before the virus crisis began.

The RAC expects this will be the busiest May Day bank holiday weekend on UK roads since 2016, with an estimated 14.8 million leisure trips planned by car between Friday and Monday, partly in response to the easing of coronavirus restrictions.

It predicted that Saturday will see the most leisure traffic on the roads, but said this is partly dependent on the weather, with scattered showers and chilly winds likely.

RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: “It might well be the case that the weather ends up playing a deciding role in which days end up being busiest.

“Any sunnier, warmer days could trigger many more people to jump into their cars.”