Workmen work on parliament's leaky think pods

CONTRACTORS have been called in to try to stop leaks in the iconic "think pod" windows at the Scottish Parliament.

MSPs have complained they have to get buckets out to catch the drips from the windows whenever there is heavy rain.

Now workmen using a cherry-picker hydraulic platform are checking the sealant on all the windows.

But critics have claimed the problem is more likely to be a design fault with the windows, which cost more than £17,000 a piece. Architect Enric Miralles said the windows in the MSP block were intended to allow politicians to sit in them and contemplate as they looked towards Salisbury Crags.

And he said their shape had been inspired by Sir Henry Raeburn's famous painting of the Rev Robert Walker skating on Duddingston Loch.

A parliament spokeswoman said there was no structural problem with the windows and any leaks could be dealt with by replacement mastic and silicone sealant.

She said the cost would not be known until the work was complete, but the bill would be met from the maintenance budget.