Updated: January 30 2021, 3.03pm
– A country home near Kirkcaldy has been thoroughly overhauled by its owners and offers tremendous privacy, sitting up its own private lane. It even has a ruined castle in its garden. Jack McKeown investigates.
Anyone looking for privacy, space, rural living, views, and an easy commute to Edinburgh will find everything they need at Piteadie House.
It sits in glorious seclusion up a quarter-mile long private tarmac drive off a country road just outside Kirkcaldy.
A large main house, three bedroom cottage, and extensive outbuildings provide an enormous amount of indoor space, while a ruined castle provides scope for the more ambitious property developer.
A businessman who admits breaking coronavirus rules has denied throwing super-spreader parties at the rear of his shop.
Marko Kolev says he is the victim of untrue rumours and there have been no illegal gatherings at his food store on Ballymena s Linenhall Street. That s not true, there have been no parties here, look for yourself, said the 30-year-old pointing to a large room with a pool table. I don t know why people say there have been parties because there have not been parties.
However, he did admit attending a 50-strong New Year s Eve celebration on Kinhilt Street that flaunted Covid-19 regulations and which was held just yards away from Ballymena PSNI station. The scenes were criticised by politicians as was the poor police response time, with DUP MLA Mervyn Storey branding it reckless .
New Year’s Eve street party in Ballymena Upon arrival of officers, there were no reports of anyone in the area. We are aware of a video circulating on social media and we are examining its content. Inquiries are ongoing in relation to the matter, which is being investigated.
DUP North Antrim MLA Mervyn Storey condemned the party scenes and called on police to make arrests.
He said: No one is above the law and any breaches should be fully investigated. Prosecutions should follow if evidence of a breach is there. House parties, when we know there is a new and more spreadable strain of the virus, are not only illegal but also reckless.