Chile is one of those countries that expects to experience large quakes.

Tuesday's magnitude 8.2 tremor struck at 18:46 local time (23:46 GMT), at a depth of about 20km.  This put the epicentre offshore.
The resulting displacement of the seabed generated a 2m-high tsunami, according to initial calculations.
It's only four years since Chile's 8.8 event at Maule much further to the south. The drivers are the same.
Chile runs along the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates. These are vast slabs of the Earth's surface that grind past each other at a rate of about 80mm  per year.
The Nazca plate, which makes up the Pacific Ocean floor in this region, is being pulled down and under the South American coast.
It's a process that has helped to build the Andes and made Chile one of the most seismically active locations on the globe.
This particular event occurred in what seismologists refer to as the Iquique seismic gap - a segment of the plate boundary that has been relatively quiet in recent times.
The last big event here was the magnitude 8.8 tremor of 1877, just to the south, which claimed more than 2,000 lives.
"The subduction zone, or plate interface, is highly segmented, so different parts fail at different times," explained Dr Brian Baptie from the British Geological Survey. "This particular segment hadn't failed for over 100 years. So, it is perhaps not a great surprise that a large earthquake has occurred here."
Of course, modern Chilean society should be much better prepared and much more resilient than in the 19th Century.
However, the tremor struck early evening local time on Tuesday, and it is likely that only daylight hours on Wednesday will reveal the true extent of the damage.
Experimental work that makes immediate estimates of probable casualties - based on the quake's characteristics and parameters such as the event region's population size - warned there could be many hundreds of injuries and deaths. Time will tell.
As is always the case, the main 8.2 tremor was followed by a swarm of aftershocks.
Many of these have been fives, but one, a 6.2, hit just 12 minutes after the initial event.
Aftershocks have the effect of further rattling the nerves of already anxious people, but their danger lies in their ability to pull down buildings that have previously been weakened to near collapse.
Seismologists will now be studying this part of Chile intensively, to assess how much strain has been released from the Iquique segment of the plate boundary.
If a large amount of strain remains in the rocks, the segment runs the risk of another big quake at some point in the future.
Historical studies are important also in this respect.
Scientists will want to know if there is evidence in the past of close clustering of major tremors.
In the absence of detailed modern seismological records, researchers must look for this evidence in the rocks themselves.
Phenomena such as tsunamis leave tell-tale traces in the sediments that can be used to date the occurrence of big events thousands of years back in time.


Talks are due to begin later between Southern rail and the RMT union in an ongoing dispute over driver-only operated trains.

The two sides have been in dispute since last April.
The year-long row is over Southern giving drivers responsibility for operating the doors, and changing the role of guards to on-board supervisors.
The rail firm, which is also in dispute with drivers' union Aslef, confirmed talks would be held Monday and Tuesday.
A spokesman for Southern said: "We're pleased to be meeting the RMT in a bid to try and find a route forward to end their dispute."
The RMT has taken 31 days of strike action over the proposed changes.
General secretary Mick Cash said: "The union welcomes the opportunity to engage with Southern rail in further talks.
"We expect there to be no efforts to undermine these important talks from other parties and that they will be allowed to take place free from external interference."
Rail user groups urged all parties to reach agreement as soon as possible.
Shelley Atlas, who runs Brighton Line Commuters, said: "It's about time this was sorted. The situation has been like this since last April and that's a very long time for passengers to put up with it.
"There have been plenty of talks before but the end result hasn't happened.
"We know of one lady who lost the possibility of a job in London because of the strikes and another lost a house sale.
"But it doesn't just affect the passengers, it affects traders and businesses on the stations. People are very concerned."


A second man has been arrested after a pick-up truck was hit by a train in West Lothian.

The train hit the empty vehicle near Uphall station just after 17:00 on Wednesday 14 October. One passenger was slightly injured.
The 26-year-old man is due to appear at Livingston Sheriff Court later.
A report will be sent to the procurator fiscal.


The front pages of Northern Ireland's newspapers have a variety of stories today, from political deals, church pleas, forced adoption to a shark attack.

The Belfast Telegraph is hailing its front-page splash as an exclusive.
The former first minister and DUP leader, Arlene Foster, has written that she believe a political deal with the Tories, which would facilitate DUP support for a minority Conservative government, is imminent.
Mrs Foster has also said she is determined to restore power-sharing executive at Stormont as Thursday's deadline looms large.
The Telegraph also features an opinion piece from celebrity economist David McWilliams.
He argues that demographic changes in Northern Ireland are making a united Ireland more likely and that the Dublin government must have a plan to deal with a pro-united Ireland majority, even if many south of the border do not wish to consider the possibility.
The News Letter's lead, "Son's justice plea after reunion with mother", is the story of a Portadown man the paper says was "forcibly removed from his mother as a baby by the Catholic Church".
He is now appealing for "justice for the victims of abuse at former mother and baby homes".
Eunan Duffy was separated from his birth mother in a mother-and-baby home in Newry in 1968 but has now been reunited with her after discovering he had been adopted in February 2016.
Mr Duffy, 49, is calling on the PSNI to treat "forced adoptions" as a form of human trafficking.
Also in the News Letter is the claim from Conservative peer Lord Patten that the DUP is "toxic" and that any Tory-DUP deal will result in the Conservatives looking like the "nasty party".
Inside the paper, a two-page feature focuses on the Ulster Volunteer Force.
The articles are based on the work of Sandhurst historian Aaron Edwards, who was brought up in north Belfast, and has now published a new history of the organisation.
He writes that the "spectre of paramilitarism" is likely to continue in Northern Ireland until the political environment changes.
"Time to do a deal call from church leaders" is the Irish News front page headline.
The paper describes a letter sent by the churchmen, appealing to Northern Ireland politicians to strike a deal on restoring power-sharing at Stormont, as a "dramatic intervention".
The letter, signed by five prominent church leaders, was sent to the leaders of the five main parties and warned that if the impasse continues then the most vulnerable people in society were being put at risk.
The Irish News front page shows a jubilant Down Gaelic football manager, Eamonn Burns, hugging the county's full-back after the Mourne men won their Ulster championship semi-final clash against Monaghan on Saturday night in Armagh.
On the inside pages, the paper reveals that bonfire material has been dumped on Bloomfield Walkway in east Belfast.
The Irish News says the incident comes just days after they revealed that Belfast City Council has been storing thousands of pallets on behalf of Twelfth night bonfire builders.
The site off the Upper Newtownards Road features graffiti critical of both the Irish News and the BBC, possibly due to media coverage of the bonfire issue and how materials are gathered for them.
And finally, in a scene reminiscent of the shark attack horror film Jaws, the Daily Mirror's front page picture features tourists fleeing "shark terror" in Majorca.
The distinctive fin of the species breaks the water as an 8ft Blue Shark, described as a "killer" by the paper, closes in on swimmers.
When it was captured later, however, it was found to have been suffering from a head injury - possibly caused by human hand - and had to be put down.


(Close): US markets closed higher, led by technology and consumer sectors, while oil prices fell on fading hopes of an Opec deal to limit output.

A firmer dollar in the aftermath of the first Clinton-Trump presidential debate helped send gold prices lower.
The Dow Jones Average was up 0.74% to 18,174, while the more tech-related Nasdaq rose 0.92% to 5,284. The broader S&P 500 index gained 0.64%.
Stronger consumer confidence data helped to boost retail stocks.
High street firms Macy's and Best Buy gained 1% and 2% respectively.
Technology shares were strong, with Facebook and Google parent Alphabet both rising 1.1%, and Amazon adding 2.1%.
Oil-related shares retreated on lower crude prices, with Anadarko Petroleum losing 0.5% and Halliburton down 1%.


Australia's government has blocked the sale of the country's largest private landholding to foreign investors.

S Kidman & Co has pastoral leases covering 101,411sq/km - an area bigger than Ireland.
Two Chinese companies, Genius Link Group and Shanghai Pengxin, were reportedly engaged in a A$350m ($249m, Â£164m) bidding war over the holdings.
Selling the company would be against the national interest, Australian Treasurer Scott Morrison said.
Part of the property is inside the Woomera Prohibited Area (WPA), a military weapons testing range in South Australia.
"The WPA weapons testing range makes a unique and sensitive contribution to Australia's national defence and it is not unusual for governments to restrict access to sensitive areas on national security grounds," Mr Morrison said.
"Given the size and significance of the total portfolio... it would be contrary to Australia's national interest for a foreign person to acquire S. Kidman & Co in its current form."
Mr Morrison said that all bidders withdrew their applications to the Foreign Investment Review Board after being told of his decision.
"It is now a matter for the vendor to consider how they wish to proceed with offering the composite interests of S. Kidman and Co. Limited for sale," he said.
Kidman chief executive Greg Campbell expressed surprise at the government's decision.
"We need to go back to discussions with the Commonwealth and find out some more specifics to see whether it is possible for our bidders to find ways around those concerns," Mr Campbell told Reuters.
Kidman's landholding encompasses 1.3% of the Australian continent. It also contains the world's largest cattle station, Anna Creek.
Prospective buyers from around the world have been forced to withdraw their bids.


New Zealand's Corey Anderson is to fly home from their current tour of England for treatment on a back injury.

The 24-year-old had signed to play for Somerset in the second half of the T20 Blast, but will not now do so, and will miss New Zealand's remaining one-day internationals in England.
Anderson was hurt during the first Test defeat by England at Lord's last month.
The all-rounder had been receiving treatment from the New Zealand medical staff in the UK.
"Obviously this is a blow for both Somerset and Corey but injuries happen in sport," said Somerset director of cricket Matt Maynard.
"We wish Corey a speedy recovery and I can assure all members and supporters that we are actively seeking a suitable replacement."


Jonny Williams says Wales will be happy to draw Thursday's "massive" Euro 2016 qualifier with England in Lens.

Wales top Group B after they marked a first major finals appearance in 58 years by beating Slovakia, while England were held by Russia.
"Would a draw suit us? Realistically, yes it would," said Williams, 22.
"If we can stop them from winning, with us already having three points on the board then that would be a good result."
Williams, who was born in Pembury in Kent and qualifies for Wales through his father, thinks Chris Coleman's side now have the confidence to take the game to England.
"But I don't think we will be going out there to play for a draw, we want to win," he said.
"With the players we have and our defensive record, we should be targeting a win. Why not?
"England have some great players, great attackers, but we can't give them too much respect."
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The Crystal Palace midfielder was a surprise inclusion in Chris Coleman's side for their opener and is ready to play whatever role he is handed against England.
"I want to start obviously, I felt I did a good job for the team and myself, but if the gaffer wants me to make an impact off the bench, that will be great also," Williams told BBC Radio Wales Sport.
"It is about the whole group. We all want to fight for each other and Ben Davies' clearance off the line (against Slovakia) really sums us up as a team."
Williams revealed the Wales team found out the England result just before they flew back to their base in Dinard.
"We were all buzzing on the plane, we found out England had conceded and drawn the game just before we took off," he said.
"It was a bonus, finding out we were top of the group. The boys are still buzzing. We feel like we can achieve something special."


Two men have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle-taking after a car hit a railway bridge in Surrey.

The car, taken from the Old Dean area of Camberley, was being pursued by police when it hit the bridge in Frimley High Street about 08:30 BST.
The two men were taken to hospital as a precaution, Surrey Police said.
The road has been closed between Station Road and the A331 because of damage to the bridge and trains are not running between Aldershot and Ascot.
Tickets being accepted on Stagecoach and Great Western Railway routes and replacement buses are running.
South West Trains engineers are at the scene assessing the damage.


A teenage girl had to be airlifted to hospital after becoming ill while in a walking group on Snowdon.

Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team and the coastguard helicopter helped the girl to safety from Llanberis path on Saturday afternoon.
She was flown to Bangor's Ysbyty Gwynedd hospital.
Her condition is not known.


The head of the United Nations Population Fund has, for the first time, described female genital mutilation as "child abuse".

Dr Babatunde Osotimehin told the BBC that the custom was a human rights abuse and needed to end immediately.
More than 200 million women and girls around the world have undergone the procedure, where parts of the female genitals are removed.
The UN estimates a further three million are at risk of being mutilated.
Dr Osotimehin said: "There is absolutely no reason to cut anybody, and it seemed to us that it is part of the gender imbalance that has always existed in these communities which are based on patriarchy. I think it's child abuse."
The organisation had previously referred to the practice as a human rights violation, but has stopped short of calling it child abuse.
FGM is practiced mainly in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
It involves the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
Some countries in Africa are working to change traditional perceptions of FGM.
At the moment about one in five women in Kenya has been cut.
But the UN children's charity, Unicef, says Kenya could eradicate the practice in the next 15 years.
However, deeply entrenched traditions in some communities in this region, and across the world, make this a major challenge.


Lotus has been given a further two-week breathing space in insolvency proceedings brought by Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

The High Court granted the adjournment after hearing a share purchase agreement was due to be completed, which meant HMRC would receive £1.4m.
HMRC had applied to put the Formula 1 team, based in Enstone, Oxfordshire, in administration over unpaid tax.
On Thursday, Renault confirmed it would take over Lotus.
The adjournment was granted by Mr Justice Birss until 21 December, with the completion of the purchase agreement due on 16 December.
He approved Lotus' application for the adjournment, which was backed by Renault Sport and not resisted, because the proposed deal was the result most likely to be of benefit to the creditors and the best chance of rescuing the business as a going concern.
Other creditors, owed in excess of £2m, would be paid by 31 December, counsel Jeremy Bamford told the court.
Renault first announced its intention to take over the cash-strapped team in September.
HMRC brought the case against Lotus because of unpaid income tax and National Insurance contributions.


The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) was officially formed in 2014, but its roots go as far back as 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.

9 March 2016 Last updated at 11:07 GMT
The BBC's Jim Muir traces the group's path to the present day.
Video produced by Mohamed Madi


Manchester United remained sixth in the Premier League with a draw against 10-man Bournemouth in a match that had two unpleasant incidents involving Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Tyrone Mings.

Both occurred towards the end of the first half after the players had earlier been warned by referee Kevin Friend for an off-the-ball incident.
You have the TV, you can see the images. I jump high and Mings jumps into my elbow
First, Mings appeared to land on the back of the head of the United forward as he lay on the ground, and then from a corner, Ibrahimovic elbowed the Cherries defender.
That last incident was witnessed by Mings' team-mates, including midfielder Andrew Surman who pushed the Swedish striker to the ground.
He was consequently shown a yellow card, which Friend realised was his second after a long delay. The official eventually pulled out his red card.
That followed a period of United domination, and they took the lead when Marcos Rojo diverted Antonio Valencia's strike past keeper Artur Boruc.
The visitors - with only one win in 11 - then grabbed a shock equaliser when Joshua King converted from the spot after Phil Jones had brought down Marc Pugh.
United then won a penalty in the 71st minute when Adam Smith handled Paul Pogba's flick. But from the resulting spot-kick Boruc, magnificent during the match, dived to his right to keep out Ibrahimovic's effort.
Bournemouth hung on to earn their first league point in five games, but it is the incidents involving Ibrahimovic and Mings that will dominate the back pages.
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Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe arrived at Old Trafford feeling the effects of a stomach bug - and he would have felt more queasy after what he witnessed near the end of the first half.
Surman's sending off was the culmination of the bruising on and off-the-ball battle between Mings and Ibrahimovic.
Both had been talked to by Friend moments after the United striker had appeared to push the defender to the ground early on in the opening period. Neither were punished then, nor were they punished just before the break following the two incidents.
The first was highlighted by a TV replay when Mings, in hurdling United captain Wayne Rooney after tackling him, landed his boot on the top of Ibrahimovic, who was also lying on the turf.
From the corner, Ibrahimovic, again closely marked by Mings, appeared to elbow the defender in the face.
A melee then followed which resulted in a yellow card for Surman - his second - for a push on Ibrahimovic.
In an unsavoury end to the half, Bournemouth assistant Jason Tindall was also sent off for his protestations over the incident during the corner.
If it was not for the brilliant saves of Boruc, United would have run away with this match.
The Cherries had conceded 51 goals in the league coming into the fixture - more than any other club - and it could have been 57 inside the first 22 minutes.
Boruc, with a strong sun in his eyes in the first half, made great saves to keep out strikes from Pogba, Rooney and then Anthony Martial. United also twice went close through Ibrahimovic.
And in the second half the Polish keeper pushed away another Pogba effort before he capped off his excellent display with a brilliant penalty save.
From United's point of view it will be a match in which they had 20 chances and only managed to convert one.
United are at FC Rostov next Thursday in the Europa League last 16, before they face Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final a week on Monday.
They next play in the league, after the Europa League return leg, when they travel to Middlesbrough on Sunday, 19 March.
The Cherries have a less busy schedule. They host West Ham in the league next Saturday.
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Match ends, Manchester United 1, Bournemouth 1.
Second Half ends, Manchester United 1, Bournemouth 1.
Marcos Rojo (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Benik Afobe (Bournemouth).
Attempt blocked. Marcos Rojo (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Juan Mata.
Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth).
Substitution, Bournemouth. Max Gradel replaces Joshua King because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Joshua King (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Ryan Fraser with a cross following a corner.
Corner,  Bournemouth. Conceded by Marcos Rojo.
Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Marcus Rashford (Manchester United).
Adam Smith (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Paul Pogba (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Substitution, Bournemouth. Baily Cargill replaces Tyrone Mings because of an injury.
Paul Pogba (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Harry Arter (Bournemouth).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Tyrone Mings (Bournemouth) because of an injury.
Attempt blocked. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Harry Arter (Bournemouth) because of an injury.
Corner,  Manchester United. Conceded by Tyrone Mings.
Attempt blocked. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Juan Mata.
Foul by Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United).
Dan Gosling (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Penalty saved! Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity,  right footed shot saved  in the bottom left corner.
Dan Gosling (Bournemouth) is shown the yellow card.
Penalty conceded by Adam Smith (Bournemouth) with a hand ball in the penalty area.
Substitution, Manchester United. Marcus Rashford replaces Luke Shaw.
Substitution, Manchester United. Jesse Lingard replaces Wayne Rooney.
Substitution, Manchester United. Marouane Fellaini replaces Michael Carrick.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match Tyrone Mings (Bournemouth) because of an injury.
Corner,  Manchester United. Conceded by Charlie Daniels.
Attempt blocked. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Paul Pogba (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Dan Gosling (Bournemouth).
Offside, Manchester United. Luke Shaw tries a through ball, but Wayne Rooney is caught offside.
Foul by Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Manchester United).


Singer Lily Allen said she has had a "glimpse of what it feels like to be discriminated against" after being shunned by a taxi driver.

The 31-year-old tweeted she was turned away from a black cab and told to "find an immigrant" to give her a ride.
The alleged altercation comes after she apologised "on behalf of my country" over squalid conditions at the Jungle camp in Calais.
The Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association said it condemned abusive behaviour.
The singer wrote on Twitter: "Just tried to get in a black cab with my kids. The driver looked at me and said 'find an immigrant to drive you you stupid tart'."
She went on to add: "Having lived a life of privilege, that interaction has given me a tiny glimpse of what it feels like to be discriminated against."
Her claims have been questioned by some. One Twitter user said it "definitely didn't happen", while another asked her to reveal the taxi's registration plate.
She wrote they were "victim shaming" her and replied: "I had both my hands full with children, couldn't get to my phone fast enough."
The association, which represents about 5,500 black cab drivers in London, said it was urging regulator Transport for London to investigate the pop star's claims.
General secretary Steve McNamara said: "While it is not clear whether the driver in question was a member, we take any allegation such as this extremely seriously and would condemn any cabbie who treats anyone with such disrespect and uses abusive language in this way.
"The driver in question has put their license in jeopardy with this appalling behaviour."
Earlier this month Allen broke down in tears on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme while meeting 13-year-old Afghan boy Shamsher Sherin.
He said he had been at the migrant camp for two months while waiting to be reunited with his father in Birmingham.  He joined his father in the city about a week later.
During their meeting, Allen told Shamsher: "It just seems that at three different intervals in this young boy's life, the English in particular have put you in danger.
"We've bombed your country, put you in the hands of the Taliban and now put you in danger of risking your life to get into our country.
"I apologise on behalf of my country. I'm sorry for what we have put you through."


A council could end its contract with a waste firm 20 years early because it is no longer "meeting its needs".

Sheffield City Council said 180 jobs would be at risk if the Veolia deal is terminated, but affected workers would be consulted on any changes.
The waste firm has been collecting and disposing the city's waste since 2001, with the contract due to expire in 2036.
The GMB union said it was a "negotiating tactic" by the council.
Veolia runs the Bernard Road incinerator, recycling centres, Sheffield's district heating network, and deals with bulky items and abandoned vehicles.
Councillor Bryan Lodge, cabinet member for the environment, said: "Our contract is no longer meeting our needs and is no longer compatible with the tough financial landscape in which the government is forcing us to operate."
He said crucial savings targets set out in the council's 2016 budget "have not been achieved in the existing contract".
Veolia employees have taken part in several strikes over the past few years, sparked by pay disputes, complaints of "aggressive" tactics by management, and 96 gross misconduct cases in a year.
The firm has not yet commented.
Pete Davies from the GMB said: "We are somewhat sceptical whenever the council make these announcements. We have written to all workers and the council leader and set out our position with regard to the latest announcement.
"We suspect this is all a negotiation tactic with Veolia but we will make sure our members' jobs and terms and conditions are not attacked as part of this process and will challenge that accordingly, if need be."
The council said if the contract is ended early it will try to keep waste services running smoothly.
A decision will be made at a council cabinet meeting on 18 January.


A number of emergency beds at an Essex hospital have been permanently closed to allow staff to "manage pressure" better, a hospital boss has said.

Colchester Hospital declared a "major incident" two weeks ago, when emergency units were found to be facing "unprecedented demand".
Normal service resumed on Wednesday, following efforts to discharge patients and postpone elective operations.
The hospital trust chief executive said 32 beds had been shut to ease pressure.
Lucy Moore said the decision would help to balance staffing levels with patient numbers.
Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) raised "safeguarding concerns" when they visited on 12 November, the day before the "major incident" was declared.
They found staff in A&E and the Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU) struggling to cope with the number of patients.
Dr Moore said the CQC inspection took place on a day that was "our busiest of the year so far".
"One of the issues two weeks ago is that we'd opened additional beds and it was a challenge to fill our staffing levels appropriately," she told BBC Essex.
She said using extra beds "would not be the way we manage pressure going forward".
Dr Moore said the plan was to discharge medically fit patients to free up capacity, instead of opening additional beds and stretching staff.
She also apologised to the 42 patients whose non-emergency operations were cancelled over the duration of the "major incident".
"I understand how disruptive and disappointing that would be," she said.
Dr Moore confirmed newspaper reports revealing the hospital's deficit has grown to Â£21m, saying it was "a consequence of investments we've needed to make into additional staff to make sure we do have the right clinicians in the right place".
"Our best assessment is that we will get back into a sustainable and break-even position over the next five years," she said.


A man and a woman have appeared in court charged with attempted murder following an attack in Galashiels.

A 30-year-old man was taken to hospital after suffering serious injuries at a flat on Torwoodlee Road at about 01:30 on Saturday.
Jordan Inglis, 23, and Kirsty McManus, 31, who are both from the town, made no plea when they appeared at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.
They were also charged with possessing a firearm and were remanded in custody.


For Muslim children in northern Nigeria, memorising and reciting the holy Koran is an integral part of growing up.

Down an alleyway in central Kano, I find one of the many Koranic schools which have changed little in generations.
About 800 boys are sitting on mats chanting verses of the Koran, which they have written out on wooden tablets with short sharpened sticks, dipped in ink.
They do this for hours each day. For most of these boys, this is the only education they get.
Many come from villages far away. They board at the school where conditions are basic, to put it mildly.
Across northern Nigeria, it is estimated that about 11 million children get no access to mainstream education.
But there is a growing belief that reforms are long overdue and a broader education is essential.
"When I was growing up I didn't get any Western education. I only attended a Koranic schools like this one," says Abdurrahman Muhd, the mallam, or religious teacher, as he shows the students how to write the Arabic script.
"But we have to change to compete with the challenges of modern society."
When they return from afternoon prayers, about 30 of his students are given lessons in maths, Hausa, English and social sciences.
"Some of my own children have finished secondary school and are going to the next level after studying the Koran alongside Western education," says Abdurrahman Muhd, mentioning the word "boko" in the local Hausa language.
Boko Haram, meaning "Western education is forbidden", is the nickname of the extremist group which has killed thousands of people in recent years during a brutal campaign of violence.
It has attacked many schools in north-east Nigeria - including the boarding school in Chibok, from where hundreds of girls were abducted, and in Buni Yadi, where dozens of boys were killed in their dormitory.
Who are Boko Haram?
Profile: Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau
The group wants a strictly Islamic education and for boys only.
Boko Haram used to be extremely active here in Kano. Security has improved in what is the largest city in the north, although a suicide bombing on 18 May was an ominous warning that the threat persists.
The relative peace offers a chance to make improvements to the quality of education.
"Those children who don't go to school only stay at home and then they go out to sell things on the streets," Fatima, 12, tells me as we chat outside her community-based Islamiyya school in a suburb of Kano.
"If they are asked to write something short and simple, they can't. But I can read and write now," she says, beaming proudly.
"I stay with my grandfather but when I go home every weekend, I teach my younger siblings how to read and write and my mother is happy about that," Fatima says, before heading back to her English class.
It is a short walk to the home of her grandfather, Al Haji Sani Jibril. He is convinced that Fatima's education is good news for the whole community.
"I believe sending Fatima to school is like educating our whole society, because my granddaughter will influence her peers to go to school," he says.
"During my time, we did not have this opportunity to learn. I wouldn't want my children to suffer from the experiences I had," he says, adding that educated people are the only ones who have a say in today's society.
British taxpayers are helping fund improvements to Nigeria's long-neglected education system, including these reforms to the religious schools.
Oil-rich Nigeria is not short of cash, but by offering technical expertise the goal is to improve the quality of education for both boys and girls.
There is a fear that more uneducated youth could end up as recruits for groups like Boko Haram.
The Kano state governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has thrown his support and financial clout behind educational reforms, including the modernisation of Koranic schools.
"I believe it is important to engage them to make sure that they are employable, so we can reduce the challenges we are facing today," says  Mr Kwankwaso.
His government has now introduced a law banning parents from sending their children away for religious education without offering them financial support.
"We are all aware that there is certainly a correlation between illiteracy, poverty and conflict," he says.
I asked if he was worried about the reforms, given Boko Haram's view on Western education.
"What we are doing here in Kano is to say that Western education is very relevant, Islamic education is very relevant and of course they have to go side by side," he says.
"That is the only way we can really make progress in this part of the country."
Controversy over education is not new here. Islam came to northern Nigeria more than 1,000 years ago. But secular education is a relatively recent arrival.
British forces, using mainly African troops, captured Kano in 1903. Since then, there has been a degree of resistance to "Western education" because of the link to colonialism and a perception that Islam was under threat.
So for those keen to see the old and the new integrated in the religious schools, there was initially some nervousness.
"From the beginning, some people thought the programme was going to be small in terms of numbers," says educationist Yardada Maikano.
"But the demand has been huge as more and more mallams are calling for basic education to be integrated in their schools. So this demand is now a challenge.
"I feel overwhelmed, I feel elevated and I feel happy," she adds.
"And that is why I continue with the struggle to make sure that those that have not been enrolled are given a chance to have religious and secular education at the same time."
Improving education in northern Nigeria was already an immense task, even before Boko Haram started its campaign of violence.
But every day, people are working hard here to give all children a fighting chance of fulfilling their dreams.
Fatima already has high hopes. "I want to be a doctor or a lawyer - that is my goal," she says. "I will not get married until I achieve this goal."


The details of thousands of children and their adoptive parents were leaked in a party invitation sent out by Newcastle City Council.

Information about 2,743 individuals was sent to 77 people in an email attachment by mistake last month, the authority said.
The details included names, addresses and birthdates of the adopted children.
The council blamed the data breach on "human error", adding it had taken steps to contact all those involved.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is investigating and has the power to levy a fine of up to £500,000.
In a statement, the council said: "On 15 June 2017, an employee in the council's adoption team accidentally attached an internal spreadsheet to emails inviting adoptive parents to the council's annual adoption summer party.
"The email and attachment were sent to 77 people.
"This attachment contained personal details relating to 2,743 individuals, comprising current and former adoptees, parents and social workers who had been involved with these families.
"The spreadsheet included personal information such as names, addresses and the birthdates of the adopted children."
A helpline for those who think they may have been affected has been set up and relevant regulators informed.
A review of data protection across the authority has also been launched.
It is understood the member of staff who sent the email no longer works for the council.
Director of People, Ewen Weir, said: "I am truly sorry for the distress caused to all those affected.
"We will work closely with the affected families and individuals to support them at this trying time.
"This breach appears to have been caused by human error and a failure to follow established procedures.
"We are conducting a thorough review of our processes to identify what changes we can make to ensure that this never happens again."
Anyone involved with Newcastle's Adoption Service who has concerns has been asked to call the council's dedicated helpline on (0191) 211 5562.


An Orthodox Jewish man has been stabbed on a street in the French city of Strasbourg by an attacker reportedly shouting an Islamic slogan.

Police arrested the suspected attacker who was heard shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great"), according to French newspaper JDD (in French).
A police source said the victim was in distinctive Jewish dress. His life is not believed to be in danger.
Local police told BBC News the attack was "not terrorist-related".
According to the police source quoted by AFP news agency, the suspected attacker has a history of mental illness.
Alexandra Gonzalez, crime journalist for French digital TV channel BFMTV, tweeted (in French) to say that the injured man's life was not in danger.
She also quoted a source close to the inquiry as saying that "no anti-Semitic motive had yet been established".
Strasbourg is home to a large Jewish community.
Jewish people have been targeted by Islamist militants in France in recent years, with a kosher supermarket attacked in Paris in January of last year and a Jewish school in Toulouse attacked in March 2012.


Munster have signed All Blacks centre Francis Saili on a two-year contract.

The 24-year-old will join the Irish province later this year after completing his 2015 contractual commitments with Auckland Blues.
Twice capped for the All Blacks, Saili has made 33 Super Rugby appearances for the Blues, scoring five tries in the process.
"I believe I can continue to improve and grow within the Munster set-up," said Saili.
Describing the move to Ireland as "a fantastic opportunity", he added that Munster had the "values and traditions I can relate to from my time at the Blues".
Munster head coach Anthony Foley said he thought Saili would be a great addition to the Munster back line.
"We are really pleased that Francis has committed his future to the province," Foley said.
"He is a talented centre with an impressive skill-set and he possesses the physical attributes to excel in the northern hemisphere."


South Wales Police have warned people against dressing up as clowns to "frighten others intentionally" after receiving complaints.

Incidents seem to be inspired by the "killer clown" craze in America which has started appearing across the UK.
Officers said there have been a "small number of reports locally" of people appearing in costumes to scare others.
There have also been reports a clown appearing on a roadside at night in Caernarfon, Gwynedd.
Police in Scotland, Northumbria and Northern Ireland have also issued similar warnings.
A South Wales Police spokesperson said: "Dressing up as clowns or in costumes to frighten others intentionally will have consequences.
"We have received a small number of similar reports locally and would like to remind people that this behaviour can cause concern and worry, particularly to young children and the elderly, and they may end up committing an offence."


Sir Alex Ferguson's pre-match jab in Liverpool's direction as he claimed he did not even know their Premier League position sounded more like a reflex action rather than a renewal of old rivalries.

Ferguson will know Liverpool are irrelevant when it comes to assessing United's real title threats but still cannot help old habits dying hard with an aside guaranteed to get under the skin.
Nothing truly escapes Ferguson's all-detecting radar so he will be well aware that his side's 2-1 win at Old Trafford leaves Liverpool 24 points adrift of the league leaders - a painful statistic for supporters still keen to regard themselves as United's fiercest adversaries.
The contest of the world-class strikers between Manchester United's Robin van Persie and Liverpool's Luis Suarez never truly materialised in a peculiar match. Not through any fault of the Uruguayan.
If Rodgers was left with a "what might have been" it would come with the question of whether he should have picked Sturridge from the start
Suarez was almost reduced to the role of pained observer in a first hour of overwhelming United superiority in which Van Persie demonstrated once more why the £24m handed over to Arsenal in the summer might just work out at the price on the ticket to their 20th title.
Van Persie scored one magnificent goal, could have had another and then set up Nemanja Vidic's unwitting second, a glancing blow from Patrice Evra's header that proved fatal to Liverpool.
Suarez, in sharp contrast, was starved of any supply worthy of the name and deserved better than to serve as little more than nuisance value until the introduction of Daniel Sturridge for the second half.
Whereas Van Persie was offered constant support and supply as he looked like a master striker at the top of his game, Suarez was restricted to occasional flashes as he was left to trouble Rio Ferdinand and Vidic alone for 45 minutes.
The highly impressive Sturridge scored and was the catalyst for a marked Liverpool improvement that allowed manager Brendan Rodgers some optimism that looked well out of reach as his team were passive and negative as United established their lead.
Ferguson was left to reflect on another important victory that keeps United seven points clear of Manchester City. Despite suggesting his knowledge of the Premier League table is a little sketchy in some areas, Ferguson will remember City clawed back an eight-point deficit much later than this last season.
Rodgers, meanwhile, was threatening to stretch credibility just a little too far with his after-match observations.
He had every reason to be pleased with Liverpool's lively last half-hour but it must be placed in its proper context. The game had gone too far United's way before they woke up.
For a manager preaching courage to his players, Liverpool did little to supports Rodgers's message until they were two goals down.
Liverpool may have impressed and even given United an anxious conclusion but the brutal fact remains that Rodgers has yet to oversee a Premier League victory against a team in the top half of the table this season.
Manchester United now have 55 points from 22 Premier League matches - this represents their highest tally at this stage of a top-flight season
Source: Infostrada
And the whole afternoon was a harrowing experience for Joe Allen - described rather generously by Rodgers on arrival as "the Welsh Xavi" - who looked out of his depth against Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley. The £15m midfield man who followed Rodgers from Swansea was regarded as the shining symbol of what so many like to refer to as the Liverpool manager's "philosophy".
At Old Trafford his only serious contribution was to almost give two goals away while being run ragged, and it was a surprise he lasted 80 minutes before he was replaced by Jordan Henderson. And what a chastening 80 minutes they were for him.
Rodgers was bullish about Liverpool's future as he said: "We are 24 points behind Manchester United but we are not 24 points behind in terms of quality.
"The difference is down to the squad. Once we close the gap in the squad I have great hope we will be able to challenge."
This is, however, a fairly significant difference and is a theory that carries the same flaw undermining Arsenal's continued "jam tomorrow" insistence that they will compete with the world's best in two years. This relies on the world's best standing still for two years waiting for Arsenal to catch up - and Rodgers should not expect Liverpool's Premier League rivals to hang around declining to improve their squads while he bolsters his. It will not be happening.
Sturridge was the big plus point and certainly gave Liverpool something to cling to as he suggested he could form a potent partnership with Suarez. This in itself leaves Rodgers with a dilemma - does he stick to his trademark 4-3-3 or will he utilise the pair in a 4-4-2 formation?
If Rodgers was left with a "what might have been" it would come with the question of whether he should have picked Sturridge from the start and why Liverpool were so timid until, ultimately, it was too late?
Over the 90 minutes, and on chances created, Rodgers and Liverpool could not seriously complain about the outcome.
Liverpool have had moments of promise against the likes of United, Manchester City, Chelsea and to a much lesser extent Arsenal this season without getting the win that would back up Rodgers's talk of progress.
Rodgers cannot be blamed for accentuating the positive but eventually Liverpool must take more than consolation from these matches. They will get another opportunity in their next two Premier League away games at Arsenal and Manchester City.
United, meanwhile, can glow at what Van Persie has given them and press on in pursuit of another title.


Brighton's i360 attraction has been closed after passengers were stranded for over an hour following a breakdown.

British Airways i360 said the stoppage on Friday afternoon was caused by a damaged cable.
The tower will be closed on Saturday and Sunday. Ticket holders will be offered alternative times or refunds, British Airways i360 said.
Passengers reported having to use a temporary toilet in a tent erected in the pod during the delay.
Jummers tweeted: "We've gone up the i360 of Brighton. It's stuck. We've been up here like an extra half hour. They're setting up toilets in this public room."
A British Airways i360 spokesperson said: "A back-up data cable came into operation and enabled the pod to return to the ground, where passengers disembarked."
In September the observation pod broke down three times in five days shortly after opening.
A load imbalance caused 180 passengers to be stuck in mid-air for two hours with no proper toilet facilities. The i360 pod was carrying a private party, including a heavily pregnant woman.
Further problems occurred when one of the sensors around the pod docking stations at ground level became loose.
On that occasion two hundred passengers were stuck at ground level for more than an hour.
Two hours later there was a second technical fault leaving another group of visitors stuck in the pod.
The tower - branded the world's thinnest tall building - offers views of up to 26 miles of the Sussex coastline and opened on 4 August.
The 531ft (161m) viewing tower stands on the site once occupied by the entrance to Brighton's ruined West Pier.
Visitors ascend 450ft (137m) in a 360-degree curved-glass pod.


US doctor and epidemiologist Donald Henderson, who led a successful campaign to wipe out smallpox worldwide, has died at the age of 87.

Hailed as a "giant" in the field of public health for his work in the 1960s and 70s, Henderson died of complications after breaking a hip.
One of the world's deadliest diseases, smallpox killed hundreds of millions of people in the last century alone.
Apart from causing great pain, it often caused lesions on the face and body.
And it killed about one in three of those infected.
It was officially declared to have been eradicated in 1980 - the first infectious disease to have been fought on a global scale.
The World Health Organization appointed Henderson, known as D.A, to lead its drive to stamp out the disease in 1966. At the time it was still endemic in Africa and Asia.
Few gave him much chance of success. But Henderson focussed on isolating outbreaks of the disease and systematically vaccinating people, rather than a mass vaccination programme.
After his work for the WHO, Henderson  went on to serve as science and bioterrorism adviser to three US presidents as well holding other academic and medical posts.
Source: World Health Organization
Henderson "truly changed the world for the better," a tribute from Tom Inglesby, Director of the  University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for Health Security said.
"He led the effort to rid the world of smallpox. He advised presidents. He was honoured by countries around the planet. He changed the way schools of public health teach the next generation.
"With all of that, he still took the time to be a mentor to countless young people, and was a great friend. He is truly irreplaceable, and I will miss him."


In an audacious technological mission, India is building a near foolproof database of personal biometric identities for nearly a billion people, something that has never been attempted anywhere in the world.

Poorer Indians who have no proof to offer of their existence will leapfrog into a national online system, another global first, where their identities can be validated anytime anywhere in a few seconds.
"India will outdo the world's biggest biometric databases including those of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US-VISIT visa programme," says Nandan Nilekani, the technology tycoon who heads the programme popularly called by its acronym UIDAI.
The United States' visa programme is a biometric database of 120 million.
In comparison, the UIDAI has already registered 200 million members, less than two years after the first enrolment.
By 2014 half of India's population will have an identity tagged to a random, unique 12-digit number.
As more and more Indians have their fingerprints taken, irises scanned and photographs clicked, UIDAI's chief technology architect Pramod Varma describes the database structure as a "Google-meets-Facebook" scale out.
With its internet-class open source backbone, the database will accommodate more than 12 billion fingerprints, 2.4 billion iris scans and 1.2 billion photographs.
Even more groundbreaking, once established and stored, a person's identity can easily be verified and authenticated using a cell phone, smart phone, tablet or any other device hooked to the internet.
The information is stored in a fortress-like data centre in Bangalore with a triple layer of security, and travels in highly encrypted packets.
Many of the radical ideas for UIDAI's technology have come from the talent the project has drawn from the Indian diaspora - tech entrepreneurs like Bala Parthasarathy of HP-acquired photo service, Snapfish and Silicon Valley returnees like Srikanth Nadhamuni, formerly with Intel.
Mr Nilekani himself co-founded and built the multi-billion dollar outsourcing company Infosys before being drafted by the government to head the project.
The programme has studied global best practices in biometric identity databases.
Unlike the United States' social security number, which is guessable and China's, which adds the date of birth, India's 12-digit identity number is randomly generated.
The United States' visa database does not factor in iris scans while India has included them to provide a greater degree of accuracy.
India's telecom revolution leapfrogged over several stages of technology in the past decade-and-a-half to great success. Similarly, the massive UIDAI will vault over older technologies.
"By starting on a clean slate and reconfiguring the structure, we have opened up a whole new set of possibilities," says Mr Nilekani.
The project will stay abreast of the latest in biometrics, cloud computing and connectivity.
Costs though have been kept low, first, by adopting an open policy in selecting devices and software and encouraging multiple private vendors.
Second, the project is technology-neutral, not locking in to any particular hardware or software.
If the technology architecture is unique, so is its accuracy in validating identities.
"The combination of 10-finger biometrics, two-iris scans and photograph establishes the identity of a person with over 99.5% accuracy," says Krishnakumar Natarajan, CEO of Bangalore-based tech outsourcing firm MindTree, which is one of the firms building applications for the project.
The best of the biometric databases in the world have a single de-duplication check, to ensure that every person is identified and tagged only once.
UIDAI will de-duplicate three times over, accuracy that is vital in a country which has had a massive population migration in the past decade and welfare programmes that now total $60bn in value, says Ashok Dalwai, deputy director general of UIDAI.
"A lack of identity has become the divide in India, denying needy Indians access to welfare programmes," Mr Dalwai says.
In a country where billions of dollars in welfare get siphoned off by middlemen using fake identities, the programme will "stem leakage and fraud", he adds.
The real challenge for the project, however, will be in the applications built around the unique identities.
A slew of pilots are currently testing the robustness of the system.
In a trial in Tumkur near Bangalore, Indians armed with a new unique identity number are opening bank accounts electronically.
In the northern Jharkhand state, the government is electronically dispensing payments under an employment guarantee scheme directly into the recipients' bank accounts, which were opened after acquiring an identity number.
In another pilot in the same region, people are authenticating themselves on a simple device connected to the network and withdrawing money from their new bank accounts.
In the future, every outlet with such a device can potentially serve as a cash-dispensing "micro ATM".
In the coming years, UIDAI holds the promise of being a game changer.
With a unique identity, previously anonymous poor Indians can have access to services such as bank accounts, mobile connections and driving licences.
That is already something, for a country which has a population of 1.2 billion but only 50 million passport-holders and 200 million with driving licenses.
Indians design and build some of the world's most sophisticated software and technologies for multinational corporations.
Now, some of this hi-tech savvy promise to transport India's neglected millions from the technological dark ages, propelling them from complete obscurity to an online identity.
Saritha Rai is a journalist and commentator who tracks the economic, social and cultural changes sweeping India.


British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes is to attempt a new record-breaking challenge to raise money for charity.

19 July 2016 Last updated at 06:53 BST
If he succeeds, he will become the first person to cross the North and South Poles and climb the highest mountain on each of the world's seven continents.
Sir Ranulph has four more mountains left to climb to finish his record-attempt.
The 72-year-old is hoping to raise millions of pounds for the Marie Curie charity.
Ayshah went to meet the explorer to find out more about his challenge...


Hearts have signed striker Cole Stockton on a pre-contract from Tranmere Rovers.

The 23-year-old will join the Tynecastle club on a two-year deal on 1 July after his Rovers contract ends.
Stockton, who came through the youth ranks at Tranmere, spent half of last season on loan at Morecambe.
He scored 18 goals last term, including eight in Rovers' final 11 matches as they eventually lost in the promotion play-off final to Forest Green.
Stockton will join Hearts in time to head out to the pre-season training camp in Dublin at the start of July.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


A remote community in Canada is in mourning after a gunman killed four people on Friday.

People placed candles and flowers in the snow in a makeshift memorial outside the La Loche Community School in Saskatchewan province, where two people were killed and seven were wounded.
A teacher's assistant who was killed was described as "a fantastic person".
Two teenagers were also shot dead by the gunman in a house.
A 17-year-old boy was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder on Saturday. Police said the male suspect cannot be named under Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act.
It happened in the Dene aboriginal community of La Loche - the Dene are a First Nation group who inhabit the northern parts of Canada.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Chief Supt Maureen Levy said the suspect was arrested outside the school.
Marie Janvier, an educational assistant, was identified by her boyfriend Deegan Park as one of those killed at the school.
He said: "She was that much of a great person to turn me right from all the wrongdoings I used to do. She was a fantastic person."
Ashton Lemaigre, a teaching colleague at the school, said Ms Janvier was hoping to get her teaching degree and she was very kind to the children.
"The kids loved having her around," said Ms Lemaigre. "They would just come running to her. And she was just a friend to everybody."
A second victim was identified as Adam Wood, a new teacher at the school.
His family in Ontario said he was an adventurer with a passion for life who made people laugh.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, when he heard the news.
"Obviously, this is every parent's worst nightmare," he said. "The community is reeling."
School shootings are rare in Canada, although one in 1989 at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique killed 14 women.
US ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman offered his condolences.
"We have experienced similar tragedies far too often in the United States and understand all too well the heartache and sadness that result," he said.


Road tolls should be considered to help fund a backlog of local road repairs, a report on infrastructure has said.

The report, by the Institution of Civil Engineers (Ice), cites evidence from council transport chiefs that about a third of Scotland's local roads are in an unacceptable condition.
The cost of bringing them up to an acceptable standard has been put at about £2bn.
The Scottish government said it had no intention of introducing road tolls.
At present, Ice said it was costing nearly £250m per year to avoid further deterioration.
It suggested the introduction of road user charges, either as a flat rate or pay-as-you-go, which would work best where there was congestion and an alternative public transport option.
It goes on to say that user charges should be considered more widely, as demographic change increases pressure to spend on priorities other than infrastructure.
The institute's report card on Scottish infrastructure - the first for four years - is more positive about improvements to major roads and other transport links.
It also welcomes improvements to Scotland's water and waste water treatment, and to the way flood risks are handled.
The biggest concern, which was highlighted in a partial publication of the Ice report last week, was about energy supply.
It raised Scotland's energy "quadrilemma" - the need to reduce carbon, cut consumer costs, ensure security of supply and take into account the social acceptability of different types of energy sources.
The civil engineering institute criticised the debate on energy so far, including nuclear and fracking, as "irrational, ill-informed, emotional and politically-motivated", and called for a robust, expert-informed national debate.
Among the issues raised about the future power supply is whether the quality of steady electricity supply can be maintained as well as sufficient quantity. That is if Scotland is becoming dependent on imports of power through sub-sea cable.
Ice also urged the Scottish government to plan better for energy use across transport and heating, saying that both were due for a major shift from fossil-fuel burning in the next few years.
Other recommendations from the Institute of Civil Engineers were:
Ronnie Hunter, chairman of the group that compiled the report, said: "Our energy, transport, flooding, water and waste systems must be resilient in the face of our changing demographics and our changing climate. Our independent, expert report analyses whether or not they are.
"Our grades show that most areas of Scotland's infrastructure require attention. Although there is some good news, such as in the areas of waste and strategic transport, there are serious question marks over the resilience of our energy and local transport infrastructure.
"To address these particular concerns, we have called for a mature and rational debate on how we generate energy, and we are also calling for the Scottish government to work with local authorities to address the £2bn maintenance backlog in Scotland's local roads."
Paul Watters, Head of Public Affairs at the AA, told Radio Scotland's John Beattie programme the issue of road tolls had been around for decades.
He said: "It is interesting to hear the more you travel, the more you pay. That already happens. You pay fuel duty. The more you use, the more you pay. The one thing that doesn't happen is it doesn't go into the roads."
Mr Watters said the UK takes in around £42bn of taxes from road use - including car tax, fuel tax and VAT on fuel - but, in Scotland and England, only £7.3bn is spent on the roads.
A Scottish government spokesman said: "We have no plans to introduce road toll charging now or at any time in the future.
"However, we welcome the institution's report on the nation's infrastructure and we value the contribution and input from its members and external stakeholders from across the sectors.
"The report provides a helpful contribution to the wider debate about the role of infrastructure investment in Scotland, both in terms of the thoughtful evidence and the advice that it provides."
The spokesman pointed to a number of infrastructure projects being undertaken, including the new Queensferry Crossing, the Aberdeen bypass plan and investment in rail improvements between Edinburgh to Glasgow and Aberdeen to Inverness.


Firefighters are yet to assess the damage on a cargo ship that caught fire while travelling to Southampton.

The transporter ship Courage caught fire off the coast of Essex on Tuesday and arrived in Southampton a day later.
Scores of damaged vehicles are expected to be found when firefighters open the deck. It is hoped the inspection can take place on Friday.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue said it needed to "confirm there were no remaining pockets of fire".
The BBC understands the ship was carrying about 600 vehicles and around 100 have been damaged.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has issued a "prohibition notice" to stop the ship being moved until deemed safe.
A spokesman said there were no issues in terms of pollution because the fire had been contained.
A Hampshire Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said: "The ship was monitored throughout the night with no obvious signs of fire and the compartment remaining cool. This situation remains the same with no immediate danger or threat of fire.
"Crews are currently in attendance at the dock and continue to work in partnership with the key partner agencies: the ship's owners, Harbour Master and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, to assess the affected compartment.
"The next steps are to asses the damage, confirm there are no remaining pockets of fire and start the ventilation process to make the vessel safe for other agencies and crews."
The crew of the US-registered Courage, which was 40 miles off Harwich on the Essex coast, tackled the blaze using the ship's inbuilt CO2 system after fire broke out on board on Tuesday night.
The vessel, which was heading to Southampton, spent Wednesday afternoon anchored off the Isle of Wight.
Specialist firefighters from Hampshire were winched on board before it completed its journey.
Owner American Roll-On Roll-Off Carriers said it did not know how much damage the ship or the cargo had sustained.
It was carrying a mix of commercial and US military vehicles, it added.


China's President Xi Jinping has signed agreements with Pakistan promising investment of $46bn (£30.7bn).

The focus of spending is on building a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) - a network of roads, railway and pipelines between the long-time allies.
They will run some 3,000km (1,800 miles) from Gwadar in Pakistan to China's western Xinjiang region.
The projects will give China direct access to the Indian Ocean and beyond.
This marks a major advance in China's plans to boost its influence in Central and South Asia, correspondents say, and far exceeds US spending in Pakistan.
"Pakistan, for China, is now of pivotal importance. This has to succeed and be seen to succeed," Reuters quoted Mushahid Hussain Sayed, chairman of the Pakistani parliament's defence committee, as saying.
Pakistan, for its part, hopes the investment will strengthen its struggling economy and help end chronic power shortages.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said ties with China had "remained robust" despite political changes and "major regional developments" over four generations.
"Our relations are based on the shared ideals and principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit and mutual respect," he said.
Is Pakistan on the verge of becoming the Asian Tiger Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said it would become when he was last in power in 1997?
China plans to inject some $46bn - almost three times the entire foreign direct investment Pakistan has received since 2008. Many say Mr Sharif's penchant for "thinking big" and China's increasing need to control maritime trade routes may well combine to pull off an economic miracle in Pakistan.
But there are questions over Pakistan's ability to absorb this investment given its chronic problems with militancy, separatism, political volatility and official corruption.
China is worried about violence from ethnic Uighurs in its mostly Muslim north-western Xinjiang region and fears hard-line separatists could team up with Uighur militants fighting alongside members of Pakistan's Taliban.
In Pakistan, a decade-old separatist insurgency in Balochistan province, where the economic corridor starts, makes that area extremely volatile. Many observers believe however that the incentive of an economic miracle may make Islamabad work harder to stabilise the situation.
China prestige projects around the world
Mr Xi will spend two days holding talks with his counterpart Mamnoon Hussain, Mr Sharif and other ministers.
He was expected to discuss security issues with Mr Sharif, including China's concerns that Muslim separatists from Xinjiang are linking up with Pakistani militants.
"China and Pakistan need to align security concerns more closely to strengthen security co-operation," Mr Xi said on Sunday.
Under the CPEC plan, China's government and banks will lend to Chinese companies, so they can invest in projects as commercial ventures.
Some $15.5bn worth of coal, wind, solar and hydro energy projects will come online by 2017 and add 10,400 megawatts of energy to Pakistan's national grid, according to officials.
A $44m optical fibre cable between the two countries is also due to be built.
Pakistan, meanwhile, hopes the investment will enable it to transform itself into a regional economic hub.
Ahsan Iqbal, the Pakistani minister overseeing the plan, told AFP news agency that these were "very substantial and tangible projects which will have a significant transformative effect".
Pakistan's neighbour and rival, India, will be watching developments closely. Delhi is wary of China's regional ambitions, despite relations improving markedly in recent years.
President Xi visited Delhi last year, after postponing his visit to Islamabad because of anti-government protests. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due in China next month.


A man suffered serious head injuries when he was "deliberately" knocked down in an apparent hit-and-run.

The 30-year-old is being treated in hospital after he was struck by a silver Vauxhall Astra on Colewell Close in Southampton, on Monday.
The man, along with another cyclist, was followed through the Shirley Towers estate by the car at about 22:00 BST.
The car is believed to have been driven on to a grassed area where it struck the cyclist then drove off.
More on this and other stories from across the South of England
Hampshire Constabulary said: "We believe this was a deliberate act and as such are investigating the incident as a serious assault."
Anyone who may have seen a car described as "old-style and having a loud exhaust" in the area is urged to contact the force.


Matthew Warchus, who has replaced Kevin Spacey at London's Old Vic, says he might ruffle feathers by beginning his first season with a "bullish" play about the British education system.

Future Conditional, which opened on Thursday, stars Welsh comedian Rob Brydon as an inspirational teacher.
It deals with middle class angst over school places, and the debate over public and private schools.
"I don't know if it's going to upset the critics," Warchus told the BBC.
"It's pretty bullish in the things it's got to say about privilege and private education and the Oxbridge system, but everybody from all different backgrounds come in for a beady stare by this play. It's a great leveller."
But, as it turns out, the reviews have been largely positive.
Awarding four stars, The Guardian said Tamsin Oglesby's new play "crackles with intellectual energy".
The Stage, also giving four stars, said Warchus had set out his Old Vic stall with "a big, ambitious piece of new writing".
The Mail, however, dubbed the play "simplistic tosh".
The opening night audience included former Labour leader Ed Miliband and actress Tamsin Greig.
Speaking after the performance, Warchus said: "I don't think all theatre should be about contemporary social issues, but some theatre has to be.
Brydon said he'd noticed the play was sparking debate.
"On one level it's a piece of entertainment but it's so much more - you go away and just want to talk about it."
He said he intended to invite his former drama teacher, Roger Burnel, from his days as a pupil at  Porthcawl Comprehensive School in Wales.
"I'm still in touch with him, we're still very good friends - he was very inspirational for me."
Tara Hanley, a teacher with 18 years' experience in both the state and independent sector.
"Rob Brydon's performance was spot on. The play was very perceptive about the dynamics in a classroom where you have this constant bouncing back and forth between a teacher and 30 kids who want to participate and to get their own control.
"It captured the fun and the frustration of that.
"There are a lot of teachers who end up in acting and stand-up comedy. I think there is a huge similarity: To be a good teacher you have to be a good entertainer.
"Teachers will enjoy it because they will see things mirrored back at them. A lot of teachers will agree with the political ideology that lies behind it: There is a strong criticism of a middle class culture. The private system is clearly battered in this.
"A lot of public debate about education assumes that just because you've been to school you understand it. There are things that were shown in the play that fill in some of the gaps."
Future Conditional is at the Old Vic until 3 October


A father and son have been injured in a helicopter crash near Carlingford in County Louth.

The aircraft crash-landed in a garden at the foot of Top Hill just after 17:00 GMT on Sunday. The men had to be cut from the wreckage.
The father, who is in his 70s, was airlifted to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, where his condition was described as serious.
The son, in his 40s, was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
An investigation into the crash has begun.
The scene has been sealed off by Gardaí (Irish police) while investigators continue their examination of the crash site.


The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki has said he is "relieved no-one has been hurt" in a fire which burned down his house.

The actor's large ranch was engulfed by a bush fire in San Luis Obispo, located between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Galecki's representative told Variety the actor was not at the property at the time of the 1,200-acre fire.
The spokesman added Galecki had not yet seen the damage, but would visit the scene once the fire was contained.
The actor's rural holiday home was one of several properties which were destroyed following the blaze, which began on Monday night.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said on Tuesday night the fire was 60% contained.
Galecki is best known for playing Dr Leonard Hofstadter in the hit US sitom, which was recently renewed for two more seasons.
"My heart goes out to all in the area who are also experiencing loss from this vicious fire, the threat of which we live with constantly, which may seem crazy to some but we do so because living in our beautiful, rural area makes it worthwhile.
"It's never the structures that create a community - it's the people. And if the people of Santa Margarita have taught me anything it's that, once the smoke has cleared, literally and figuratively, it's a time to reach out and rebuild.
"We've done it before, and will need to do it together again, and it will make our community even closer and stronger. Endless thanks to CalFire and the Sheriff's Office. I know you guys are fighting the good fight to keep us safe. So very relieved no one has been hurt."
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A government minister has insisted that letters sent to women informing them of changes to their state pension age were clear.

Thousands of women have complained that they were not given proper notice.
Women born after 6 April 1951 should all have been warned that they would not get a state pension at 60, as their retirement age is gradually raised.
Pensions Minister Baroness Altmann said adverts were also placed in papers and magazines about the changes.
However, a campaign has resulted in a petition signed by 137,000 people and a series of hearings and debates in Parliament - the latest of which is on Monday.
Under the 1995 Pensions Act, the government decided that the pension ages of both men and women would be equalised by 2020. Previously, women retired at 60, while men retired at 65.
In 2011, state pension ages were raised at an even faster rate.
Some of those born between April 1951 and 1960 will not qualify for a pension until the age of 66.
Campaigners belonging to Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) say some women had very little notice that they would not get a pension at 60.
They are calling for "transitional arrangements" for those affected.
Baroness Altmann called for a slower timetable in 2011 before she was pensions minister.
However, she said that agreeing to the campaigners demands would, in itself, be unfair to younger women. She told the BBC that the state pension age for women had been rising for six years and was now at 63, and that reforms in April meant it would be more generous.
She added that the letters sent to women had been clear, although she accepted that not everyone would have received them if the Department for Work and Pensions had out of date contact details.
The government's state pension calculator is available here.


Derbyshire batsman Alex Hughes hit his first County Championship half-century of the season on another rain-affected day against Worcestershire.

Hughes made 53 in a sixth-wicket stand of 78 in 21 overs with Daryn Smit before becoming Nathan Lyon's maiden first-class victim for Worcestershire.
His dismissal, after Luis Reece had earlier gone for 54, ended the afternoon session before rain set in.
The two sides never returned, Derbyshire closing on 200-6.
Large pools of surface water on the outfield could not be dried, forcing an abandonment for the day just after 17:00 BST.
Three quarters of the day's play was lost, a total of only 23.1 overs being possible, during which opener Reece added just one run to his overnight score.
Lyon was making his first appearance in first-class cricket since winning his 67th Test cap for Australia in the Fourth Test against India in the Himalayan city of Dharamsala in late March.
Derbyshire's Alex Hughes told BBC Radio Derby:
"It's tough to just try and block Nathan Lyon because he's so good he will get you sooner or later, so you have to try and put a bit of pressure on him.
"I enjoy playing against spin and it's a good test against someone you're used to watching on the TV, especially in India, and do well against even though he's now got me out twice in two games.
"The action he gets on the ball is very different to the average spinner. He gets a lot of revs on it and a lot more bounce. He doesn't bowl many bad deliveries. If this pitch gets dry, he could be a tough prospect if we have to bat in the third innings."
Worcestershire captain Joe Leach told BBC Hereford & Worcester:
"I don't think we got our just desserts with the ball. I feel we bowled quite a bit better than 200-6 so hopefully that will change and we can knock them over really cheaply in the morning.
"It was good for Nathan to get his first wicket. He bowled very well again.
"It was a good reward for him to get off the mark. Hopefully he will have a bigger part to play in the rest of this game."


Head coach Danny Wilson is confident he can make Cardiff Blues a success but has urged fans to have patience.

The region have won just twice this season, both times against Italian opposition, and find themselves second bottom in the Pro12 table.
They face Ospreys in a Welsh derby on Saturday and Wilson says rebuilding will take time to get right.
"Knee jerk reactions don't lead to long term success," said the former Dragons and Scarlets assistant coach.
Wilson left the role of Bristol forwards coach to take over at the Arms Park in the summer.
He has also coached Wales Under-20 and promises to make changes needed at the Blues, but warned it is "a patience game".
"The long-term plans and goals are part of our discussions with the players signing for the club, whether they're re-signing or are new players," he said.
"We here know... what we need to change and bring long-term success to this region.
"Sometimes it's hard. We all lack patience including myself, but it is a patience game.
"We've got to get through certain things and through certain times now that will help us in the future.
"We've made changes to the way we train and the working week and so on.
"Now we've got to make changes in all aspects of our current performance end of the game."
Blues will be without flanker Ellis Jenkins for the Ospreys game because of a knee ligament injury, but Josh Navidi does have a chance of being fit.
Wilson says individual errors have been their particular downfall this season, but the whole squad will do all they can to eradicate them.
"It's not just training - there's the whole off-field approach to the game as well as on the field, there's a number of things that change in an environment to get to where you want to get to," he added.
"But, as you know, the most successful environments in business and in sport take time to get to. They don't happen overnight.
"We'll get there, but it will take time."


Shares in French engineering company Alstom have jumped after a report that US multinational General Electric is in talks to buy Alstom for $13bn.

News agency Bloomberg reported that GE and Alstom have discussed the potential deal with the French government.
Alstom has said it has not been told of a potential offer for the company.
Alstom - which makes turbines and trains - said it would update investors on its prospects on 7 May, when it releases annual results.
Shares in the firm jumped 17% at the start of trade, before falling back to close up 11%.
Shares in major Alstom shareholder Bouygues also rose after the Bloomberg report.
An agreement between Alstom and General Electric may be announced next week, the report said.
But in a statement, Alstom said: "In response to recent speculation in the economic press, Alstom is not informed of any potential public tender offer for the shares of the company.
"The group constantly reviews the strategic options of its businesses."
In the year to March, Alstom shares dropped by about 30% over concerns about its cash flow.
In January, the firm said that its full year profits had been hit by a drop in demand for power plants.
The French company, which employs 93,000 people, has business interests in about 100 countries.
In November, the company said it would cut 1,300 jobs, and sell part of its transport business, which makes high-speed TGV trains, and has supplied Eurostar trains.


A British diplomat suggested visa-free travel for some Turkish nationals should be extended to the UK, documents leaked to the Sunday Times show.

She suggested the move be considered for Turkish "special passport" holders, who are mainly civil servants.
Justice Secretary Michael Gove said it showed the UK was "actively working" towards Turkey's EU entry.
But the UK home and foreign secretaries said any suggestion of changing visa arrangements was "completely untrue".
The EU backed Turks getting visa-free travel inside Europe's Schengen area, of which the UK is not a member, as a deal for accepting more migrants.
The leaked telegrams, sent on 5 May by Janet Douglas, the deputy head of mission at the British Embassy in Ankara, relate to the EU's own visa deal planned as recompense for Turkish help dealing with the Syrian migrant crisis.
The deal, to allow visa-free travel to Schengen countries, was offered in return for Turkey taking back migrants who crossed the Aegean Sea to Greece. The EU fears that, without it, Turkey will not control migration.
What is the Schengen agreement?
EU sets out road to Turkey visa deal
In one leaked document, Ms Douglas said that when the EU deal was implemented "we will need to develop our own lines on the UK's stance to visa-free travel for Turks".
"One option would be to assess again the possibility of visa travel for Turkish special passport holders which would be a risk, but a significant and symbolic gesture to Turkey."
Special passports are mainly held by civil servants, their spouses and their unmarried children below the age of 25.
Within the reported deal there was no suggestion that "special passport holders" would have access for work.
Ms Douglas was also said to warn that failure to bring in the visa-free travel deal could prompt Turkey to "open the floodgates" and allow those fleeing Syria and elsewhere easier access to the EU.
It is not known how the Foreign Office responded to this correspondence from Ms Douglas.
But Mr Gove, who backs the UK leaving the EU, told the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg that the implications of the documents were clear.
"Later this year, if EU plans are implemented, then we'll have visa-free travel for 77 million Turks throughout Europe," he said.
"It appears from this diplomatic telegram today that there are suggestions that some special Turkish passport holders will be allowed to come to the UK as well.
"The evidence is that the British government and the EU are actively working towards Turkey joining the EU and Turkish citizens being able to travel throughout the EU."
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Home Secretary Theresa May - both of whom back the Remain campaign - said there had been a selective leak of diplomatic telegrams and that the story was "completely untrue".
They said border restrictions would not be lifted "regardless of what arrangements other member states... may make with Turkey".
In a joint statement they said: "The government's policy is, and will remain, to maintain current visa requirements for all Turkish nationals wishing to visit the UK, regardless of what arrangements other member states in the Schengen area may make with Turkey.
"Schengen visas do not give anyone the right to access the UK.
"The purpose of diplomatic telegrams is for our embassies around the world to feed back information on the position and views of foreign governments.
"They are reports from our diplomatic posts, not statements of British government policy."
Mr Cameron has said Turkey joining the EU is not "remotely on the cards", describing the issue as a "red herring" in the referendum debate and making clear the UK has a veto on any prospective member joining the bloc.
The EU agreed in March to offer Turkey the proposed visa-free access by 1 July but the country has yet to fulfil all of the conditions laid down by the European Commission, including changes to Ankara's anti-terrorism laws to meet EU concerns over human rights.


Silvertown Quays in London's Royal Docks could be "transformed" into a shopping destination in a £1.5bn deal, mayor Boris Johnson has said.

The proposal with The Silvertown Partnership includes an avenue of "brand pavilions" and 1,500 homes.
It is hoped the plans for the Newham site, owned by the Greater London Authority, could create 9,000 jobs and add £6.5bn to the economy by 2038.
A planning application will be submitted over the next year.
As part of the plans a new bridge will be built, connecting the area to the ExCel and providing access to a new Crossrail station.
Mr Johnson said: "The confirmation of this deal to return Silvertown Quays to its former glory will bring thousands of new homes and jobs back to east London."
Elliot Lipton of The Silvertown Partnership said: "Stand-alone brand pavilions have been built for the last decade around the world but this will be the first time that a brand park has been developed.
"These pavilions will also allow global brands to influence the online spending decisions of customers, which will be worth up to a total value of £221bn by 2016."
Sir Robin Wales, mayor of Newham, said: "This proposal will help to unlock future developments and investment."
If approved it is hoped work will begin in 2014-15 and first businesses will move in by 2017.


Two Air France managers have had their shirts torn as they were forced to flee a meeting on job cuts by angry workers.

Human resources manager Xavier Broseta and senior official Pierre Plissonnier had to clamber over a fence, while several others were injured.
The men were taking part in talks about plans for 2,900 job losses when hundreds of workers stormed into Air France headquarters at Roissy.
Pilots had earlier rejected an offer to work longer hours.
Parent firm Air France-KLM said it would take legal action over the protesters' "aggregated violence".
The airline later confirmed the job losses as part of a big restructuring plan dubbed "Perform 2020" that also involved several routes to India and south-east Asia being cut in 2017.
The measures include cutting 1,700 ground staff, 900 cabin crew, and 300 pilots, as well as a 10% reduction in its long-haul business, a reduction in the size of the aircraft fleet and an increase in pilots' working hours.
Air France said the restructuring would see the airline's costs reduced by â‚¬1.8bn (Â£1.3bn) over two years.
Chief Executive Frederic Gagey had already left the works council meeting when the room near Charles de Gaulle airport, north of Paris, was interrupted less than an hour after it had begun.
Several hundred demonstrators were reported to have entered the building shortly after four unions announced they were going on strike.
The company said it would aim for "voluntary departures" but said compulsory redundancies could not be ruled out.
One union official said Mr Broseta had "narrowly escaped being lynched". Security guards helped him flee the protesters by climbing over a fence, but not before his jacket and shirt were ripped from his back.
The airline's human resources manager later told a news conference that "what we saw this morning is not the image of the company's employees".
Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he was outraged by the violence and, along with Economics Minister Emmanuel Macron, added his support to the Air France management. The French government owns a 17.6% stake in the company.
Profits at the airline have been hit in part by strikes by pilots, who have been protesting over the expansion of its budget subsidiary, Transavia.
Air France cut 5,500 jobs between 2012 and 2014 in response to stiff competition from low-cost competition in Europe.
The company, which employs 52,000 staff, has said that it faced "the impossibility of reaching an agreement to implement the productivity measures to restore long-term profitability".
The company added that it "considered it essential to introduce an alternative plan" and had unanimously agreed to mandate Air France KLM and Air France Management to carry this out.


The newly elected mayor of Juneau in Alaska has been found dead in his home and police are investigating the cause.

Stephen "Greg" Fisk was found by his son on Monday, just weeks after taking office. Results of an autopsy are expected within days.
Police have dismissed rumours that he was assaulted as "speculation" and said there was no evidence of forced entry.
Fisk defeated the incumbent, Marrill Sanford, in October's mayoral elections.
The Juneau Police Department said in a statement: "Detectives are actively investigating facts of the incident, and all evidence is being preserved and documented."
Police Chief Bryce Johnson told a local newspaper that an attack is "one of the possibilities out there, but there's others that could have happened".
"There could've been a fall. There's lots of things that would cause it."
Mary Becker has been named acting mayor in light of the 70-year-old's death.
Juneau is the state capital of Alaska and has a population of 32,600 people.
"This was a terrible day for all of Juneau," said Jill Ramiel, president of the Downtown Business Association.
"He was never afraid to say what he thought."
Fisk's campaign chairman, Bob King, added that "for that potential to be snuffed out is just a crushing loss".


North Carolina lawmakers will repeal a controversial HB2 law which limits protections offered to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.

Democratic Governor-elect Roy Cooper announced the repeal after Charlotte City Council voted to strike down a local law that prompted HB2.
The law requires transgender people to use toilets that correspond to the sex listed on their birth certificates.
The ruling led to boycotts by sports teams, businesses, and entertainers.
Public bathrooms have become a flashpoint in the battle over transgender rights in the US.
The Justice Department sued North Carolina over the law and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch likened that law to the policies of racial segregation. The state's Republicans argued that the law was necessary for privacy and safety.
But the incoming governor, Mr Cooper, said he had received assurances from the senate leader and House speaker, both Republican, that the law would be scrapped at a special session on Tuesday.
"I hope they will keep their word to me and with the help of Democrats in the legislature, HB2 will be repealed in full."
Mapping safe toilets for transgender Americans
How one woman's 'bathroom bill' campaign went viral
Why bathrooms matter to trans rights
The Charlotte City Council voted unanimously to invalidate its LGBT non-discrimination ordinance, which allowed transgender people to use restrooms based on gender identity.
Republicans have said the statewide law was passed to overturn the Charlotte rule.
The announcement comes just days after the Republican-controlled legislature called a special session to strip the incoming governor of some of his powers when he takes office next month.
Mr Cooper, the state attorney general, defeated incumbent Governor Pat McCrory in a contentious and protracted election in November.
Mr McCrory came under fire earlier this year for enacting the bill, leading to a huge backlash from campaigners, businesses and artists, with stars such as Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr cancelling concerts across the state.
Graham Wilson, a spokesman for Governor McCrory, blamed Charlotte lawmakers for the controversy.
"Governor Pat McCrory has always advocated a repeal of the over-reaching Charlotte ordinance, but those efforts were always blocked by Jennifer Roberts, Roy Cooper and other Democratic activists," Mr Wilson told the Charlotte Observer newspaper.
"This sudden reversal, with little notice after the gubernatorial election, sadly proves this entire issue originated by the political left was all about politics and winning the governor's race at the expense of Charlotte and our entire state."
In May, the Obama administration issued a directive ordering public schools to allow transgender students to use toilets that correspond to their gender identity.
The president's announcement prompted 12 states to announce they would sue the federal government over the directive, including in Texas, Alabama and Wisconsin.
In August, a Texas judge approved a temporary injunction suspending that directive.


The British public's disillusionment with the European Union is "the deepest it has ever been", Foreign Secretary William Hague has warned.

In a speech in Germany, he said people felt they did not "have a say" over decision-making in Brussels.
Unless the system changed it would become "democratically unsustainable", he added.
The comments come as eurozone countries attempt to integrate their banking systems to prevent further crises.
These will not directly affect the UK, where the Bank of England will retain control over banks, but Prime Minister David Cameron promised on Monday to defend national interests.
He recently told MPs that a referendum would be the "simplest" solution if the UK's relationship with the EU changes substantially.
In a speech at Berlin's Korber Foundation, Mr Hague said: "This coalition government is committed to Britain playing a leading role in the EU but I must also be frank - public disillusionment with the EU in Britain is the deepest it has ever been.
"People feel that in too many ways the EU is something that is done to them, not something over which they have a say."
Mr Hague criticised the previous Labour government's decision to agree to the Lisbon Treaty without holding a referendum.
He said: "The way in Britain Lisbon was ratified without any consultation of the voters has played a part in that.
"People feel that the EU is a one-way process, a great machine that sucks up decision-making from national parliaments to the European level until everything is decided by the EU. That needs to change.
"If we cannot show that decision-making can flow back to national parliaments then the system will become democratically unsustainable.
"It is obviously in Britain's interests for the EU to succeed in the tasks I have described and for Britain to play a leading role in it.
"The eurozone countries must do what they must to resolve the crisis, but the way forward for the EU as a whole is not more centralisation and uniformity but of flexibility and variable geometry, that allows differing degrees of integration in different areas, done in ways that do not disadvantage those that do not wish to participate in everything, and preserves the things we all value."
Mr Hague added: "There are three great problems of Europe's future we need to solve if we are to ensure that a wider the European Union has the flexibility, the legitimacy and the agility to succeed in the 21st century.
"First, how we structure the EU when many countries want differing kinds of integration and still preserve the EU's essential unity. Second, how we deal with the problem of democratic legitimacy and accountability of decision-making in the EU, which is a growing concern in most member states.
"Third, how we get the right balance of what the EU does do or doesn't do. These are not simple matters."
On Monday, Mr Cameron insisted that the UK would "stick to our guns" over the EU's budget, by vetoing any increase above the rate of inflation.
The European Commission is seeking a one trillion euro budget for 2014-20, equating to 1.1% of the 27-nation bloc's gross income.
The German government has denied reports that Chancellor Angela Merkel is prepared to cancel next month's EU summit unless Mr Cameron lifts his veto threat.