Press Releases - back to press
Vandalism of Aid to Navigation
Sgeir Bhuidhe lighthouse, at Port Appin on the West Coast of Scotland, has been vandalised. It was reported to the Northern Lighthouse Boards Depot in Oban by someone from the local area that the light had been painted pink and yellow, this has been confirmed by a site visit by NLB personnel. The whole lighthouse and adjoining storage facility has been painted pink with yellow spots.
James Taylor Chief Executive of the Northern Lighthouse Board said "this is an act of ridiculous and mindless vandalism carried out by someone who knows nothing about maritime safety. Lighthouses are also used as day marks by shipping and we have had to issue a Notice to Mariners advising of this change in status. The Board is making every effort to rectify this situation as soon as possible, this will involve returning it to its original colour. Strathclyde Police are investigating the matter.
The Board is planning to convert the lighthouse at Sgeir Bhuidhe to solar power later this year, as part of an ongoing programme affecting Aids to Navigation in Scottish waters. The primary aims of this programme are to remove gas from installations due to the safety issues relating to the transportation, storage and usage of gas. This will be achieved by conversion to solar power and secondly to meet Health and Safety requirements regarding safe access for maintenance, which means we have to remove the existing structure. We have been in discussion with the local community regarding the style of the replacement lighthouse, which will be a sectional GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) standard structure, which very much looks like a "traditional lighthouse" structure and they have agreed our plans. We will seek to recover the cost of repair from whoever is responsible for this vandalism"
Notes to the Editor
Background on Lighthouse
Built - 1904
Engineer - David A Stevenson
Height - 7 metres
Character - Flashing (2) White/Red every 7 seconds
Range - 9 miles
Access - the light is situated on a small island accessible at low water
1. The Northern Lighthouse Board operates under statute - the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 - and is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man.2. The Board currently operates: 200 Lighthouses, 118 Buoys, 42 Beacons, 3 Differential Global Positioning System Stations, 22 Radar Beacons and 16 Fog Signals.
3. The Northern Lighthouse Board is funded entirely from the General Lighthouse Fund, sourced by "Light Dues", a levy paid by shipping. The Board receives no direct funding from the Exchequer or taxpayer.
4. The other General Lighthouse Authorities are the Commissioners of Irish Lights (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) and Trinity House Lighthouse Service (England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar).
For further information, please contact:
Lorna Hunter, Information Officer
Tel 0131 473 3100
Fax 0131 220 2093