Pipers get marching orders as police banish 'noise nuisance'

BAGPIPERS have been cleared from the Royal Mile as police step up their drive against the "noise nuisance" caused by Scotland's national instrument.

Pipers performing in the famous street have found themselves approached by a pair of police officers and ordered to stop and not return.

The move dismayed on-lookers outside the High Court building in the Lawnmarket on Saturday.

The pipers – who innocently visited the tourist hotspot to busk – were given acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs) to sign. That means they risk arrest and having their instruments seized if they return, with persistent offenders facing being served with an Asbo.

Police chiefs said today they had a duty to deal with a string of noise complaints from residents.

But the blitz has raised concerns that valuable police resources are being wasted dealing with relatively minor incidents.

Inspector Bruce Johnston, sector inspector for the city centre, said: "If we receive complaints, it's our duty to respond to them. And these are not single complaints, many pipers have multiple residents contacting us.

"These are officers in the city centre who wear yellow jackets and are on patrol as a high-profile deterrent. If they have to deal with complaints about a piper, that takes them away from other areas they could be patrolling, which is something I don't want.

"But once these pipers have been spoken to once or signed an ABC, they've not come back."

But Stefan Tymkewycz, the SNP councillor for Craigentinny and Duddingston, today called for a deal to be struck to ensure the pipers could continue to play on the Royal Mile.

"The bagpipes are Scotland's national instrument and the Royal Mile is a top tourist location. Perhaps the residents and pipers can achieve a compromise deal where they can play in certain locations or at certain times of day," he said.

Police have been forced to deal with up to 20 complaints a day about noise nuisance. As a result, they gathered the names and addresses of the offending pipers, and posted out contracts to around 20 of them, all of which were returned signed.

City centre councillor Charles Dundas said: "We need to strike a balance between a living city centre and a city centre to live in. I think the police are doing that because there are non-residential areas to play."

Police chiefs say that the pipers performances are regarded as unlicensed trade and are technically buskers. They say most of the pipers do not live in the city centre, with some of them are coming from Glasgow, and making up to £80-an-hour tax free.

An exception will be made during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe when pipers will have to pay a £50 performance fee for a 20-minute slot outside the Tron Kirk.

Independent Lothian MSP Margo MacDonald said: "It's a popular area and one of the things people come for is the pipers. I wouldn't like to see them removed altogether. Maybe they can come to an arrangement with residents over a time of day to stop, and how many will be in the Royal Mile at once."

She added: "I would prefer someone other than the police to deal with this."