WE TAKE a look at the stories making headlines in East Lothian 25, 50 and 100 years ago.

25 years ago...

‘HORRIFIC violence caught on CCTV as pub branded worst in Britain’ was the front page headline of the East Lothian Courier on June 19, 1998.

Assaults of life-threatening violence around a Musselburgh pub led to it being branded the worst in Britain by Licensing Board chairman Pat O’Brien after he saw a CCTV film of a man twice being kicked in the face as he lay helpless on the ground.

The brutal incident was just one of several, including a stabbing, complained of by police whose objection to the renewal of regular extensions of opening hours was upheld by the board on Tuesday.

Mr O’Brien told the licensee of the Musselburgh Arms: “That was horrific. Quite horrific and horrendous.

“This week we had the best pub in Britain in Musselburgh and then today we have seen what must be the worst pub in Britain – in Musselburgh.”

The pub, he said, was a disgrace to the people of Musselburgh and a disgrace to the people of East Lothian.

50 years ago...

THERE was a rather unpleasant discovery inside a bakery favourite, told the East Lothian Courier of June 23, 1973.

A surgical dressing was found in a bridie sold in East Lothian and a piece of glass was lodged in a jar of lemon curd, members of the county’s Health Committee heard this week.

And now they are to issue a stern warning to the two firms.

The County Sanitary Inspector, Mr J. S. Gibson, in a report to the committee, said no one had the slightest idea how the surgical dressing came to be in the bridie.

The matter had been referred to the Procurator Fiscal but no prosecution had been made because of lack of evidence.

This had also been the case on the matter of the glass in the lemon curd.

100 years ago...

A “NEIGHBOURLY act” led to a court appearance, reported The Haddingtonshire Courier on June 22, 1923.

In Haddington Sheriff Court, on Monday, Charles Richardson, underground manager, was charged with having, in Bridge Street, Tranent, driven a motor cycle and side-car without a driver’s licence.

Mr W Murray, solicitor, in accused’s absence, tendered a plea of guilty.

He stated that Richardson was an expert motorcyclist, but, as he had given up the practice, had allowed his licence to expire.

Recently, in returning from his work, he met the son of an acquaintance who was about to purchase a machine, and had taken out a licence.

As this young lad was not well acquainted with the regulation of the mechanism, Richardson undertook to show him how to drive.