Residents had to be evacuated from their homes in east Belfast following fires. Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service officers attended the scene at Lendrick Street on Tuesday night. Live updates: tinyurl.com/4xdm7tzu 📸: PA

We've crossed 1.5°C.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🗣 Stop the Data Centre Monster in the Scottish Borders! A £2 billion industrial scale data centre is being pushed for a beautiful rural spot west of Duns, between Longformacus and Westruther in the Lammermuirs. Developers call it "Southside" and promise jobs and wind powered operations, but this proposal risks turning one of Scotland’s most stunning landscapes into a concrete eyesore. Campaigners from Save the Lammermuirs Stop the Data Centre are right to call it what it is a monster. At 24 metres high, these massive buildings would drain electricity, dominate the views, and fundamentally change the character of this peaceful rural area. Data centres typically create hundreds of temporary construction jobs, but only a small number of permanent operational jobs once built (often just 25 to 100 staff for maintenance and security). The developers’ claim of ~145 permanent local jobs is still very low for a £2 billion project that would industrialise a large rural site. Reports from the US highlight further serious concerns constant noise pollution from fans and generators disrupts sleep, causes stress, anxiety, headaches, and other health issues for nearby residents. Light pollution and habitat disruption harm wildlife affecting both nocturnal animals (like bats and owls) and daytime species (birds, insects, mammals) by interfering with natural behaviours, migration, breeding, and foraging. This is the wrong development in the wrong place no matter how much they talk about "green roofs" or blending in. AI needs infrastructure, but not by sacrificing irreplaceable countryside, dark skies, and wildlife habitats that locals and future generations cherish. We’ve seen this story before: big promises of economic revival that deliver noise, traffic, visual blight, and long term damage to tourism and quality of life, while the real profits flow elsewhere. What residents can do to reject this proposal: Attend the public consultations and make your voice heard loud and clear. Longformacus Village Hall: Thursday (this week), 13:00 to 19:00 Westruther Village Hall: 10 June, 13:00 to 19:00 Contact your Scottish Borders Council councillors and local MSPs immediately urge them to oppose any planning application. Join or support the Save the Lammermuirs Stop the Data Centre group. Share this widely, sign petitions if they appear, and rally your neighbours. This isn’t inevitable. Strong local opposition can stop irresponsible developments like this. Protect the Borders’ landscape, character, wildlife, and future say NO to the data centre monster. Comment below and tag your local councillors! The MP for the area is @John2Win Links to the Facebook group, petition and planning documents are in the comments. I have also included a MP template letter you can copy and paste and add relevant information or you draft your own #SaveTheLammermuirs #StopTheDataCentre #ScottishBorders