Why does Edinburgh Castle still not have a flagpole?

WHEN Edinburgh Castle's flagpole broke last summer, army top brass were faced with no union flag flying at the Tattoo as workmen were called in.

Edinburgh Castle

Then in October, the replacement pole snapped in high winds, triggering further repairs and another delay for the 90ft structure.

Nearly four months on and still with no replacement towering over the Capital, military chiefs have admitted a design fault has sent them back to the drawing board.

A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said: “The flagpole, originally erected last year, failed and had to be removed.

“The flagpole was sent off for analysis and tests concluded that there was a failure in the material used.”

Procurement officials at the MOD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation are now pouring over a new design submitted by their contractor, CarillionAmey.

“Arrangements are being made with Historic Scotland and the local military on erection of the new pole once the design is approved,” added the spokeswoman.

She confirmed ill-fated public outsourcing giant Carillion was involved through joint venture CarillionAmey - but assured the firm’s collapse has nothing to do with delays.

“In MOD contracts which Carillion cannot fulfil, the partner company is legally obliged to fulfil the services,” added the spokeswoman.

“We are confident in the robustness of these supporting suppliers and are working with them to make sure that services continue to run effectively.”
Join our Facebook group Our Edinburgh to share images and news from and around the Capital