Morning Briefing: Cup derby sees surge in travel Published on Wednesday 18 April 2012 09:07 THE historic Hibs and Hearts Cup Final clash has seen a surge in demand for travel with several bus firms confirming they are already fully booked. To cope with the huge exodus, bus companies are expected to lay on extra vehicles to Glasgow but have warned fans to book early to avoid disappointment. Fans travelling to the game by rail have also been warned they can expect to face a blanket ban on alcohol it has been reported today. A summit between police forces in Lothian and Borders and Strathclyde, as well as British Transport Police and Edinburgh City Council, is to be held in the coming days to discuss the travel arrangements for the cup final weekend. THE father of murdered Edinburgh office worker Suzanne Pilley has told how the conviction of her killer took a "heavy load" off his shoulders. But Rob Pilley tells a BBC documentary to be shown tonight, that the door would not be closed on the case until his daughter's body was found. David Gilroy, who was found guilty of murder last month, is due to be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh today, with the judge's speech being filmed in a legal first. Ms Pilley disappeared nearly two years ago after making a routine journey to work in the centre of Edinburgh. SIR Sean Connery's new animated film Sir Billi has been panned by US critics. Movie magazine Variety branded it "woeful" and said its effects looked as if they had been "spat out by off-the-shelf software," it was reported today. The Edinburgh-born former 007 star came out of retirement in 2006 to play the title role in the film, which tells the story of a skateboarding vet. Alan Cumming, Gail Porter, Richard Briers, Ruby Wax and Miriam Margoyles also star. Industry experts have predicted the film will be overshadowed by Brave from Disney Pixar. SCOTTISH Labour leader Johann Lamont has acknowledged the SNP is set to make gains in next month's council elections. But she compared the Nationalists" financial competence with that of the Rangers boss, saying: "Putting the SNP in charge of a local council is like putting Craig Whyte in charge of your tax return." Ms Lamont said the SNP government at Holyrood had passed on 90 per cent of the cuts from the UK Government to local councils. She said: "What these elections are about is how we respond to that; how we maintain the local services which people rely on when the SNP are increasing the speed and depth of Tory cuts for our councils." SCOTLAND'S high-street stores received a "badly-needed lift" with warm weather last month contributing to a rise in sales. Total sales for the month were 1.8% higher than a year ago while like-for-like sales, which strip out factors such as new store openings, were up by 0.9%. Ian Shearer, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said the unusually early sunshine had encouraged shoppers to buy summer clothes, outdoor furniture and gardening supplies, while food retailers saw customers buy barbecue meats, salads and ice cream. But he said some retailers were still facing a "struggle for survival" and added: "It will take more than a few weeks of warmth to bring Scottish retailing back to full health."