IT’s that time of year when clowns, jugglers, comedians, stilt walkers and an assortment of all sorts of halfwits take to the streets for a bit of harmless fun.

No, I’m not talking about the rioters south of the Border but, of course, the Edinburgh Festival when the capital throws of its twinset and pearls and goes a bit punk for the month of August.

The streets are always abuzz with fun and fire-eaters and attracts millions of visitors each every year to enjoy Scotland’s main cultural event.

In recent times, it has also become the time that refuse collectors go on strike, knowing that tourists finding overflowing bins to put their plastic coffee cups into is a major embarrassment to the city and the government, too.

Two years ago, the rubbish bins went uncollected for nearly the whole month – including, presumably, Nicola Sturgeon’s bin at Bute House which prompted her to find a bit of extra cash to fund........

© Herald Scotland