T
here is a clear dividing line between the oil workers drinking in the Spider’s Web pub in Dyce, outside Aberdeen: those who have returned from the rigs, and those who are just setting off. The workers coming back from weeks offshore file into the pub wearily, laden with bulging kitbags over each shoulder, and settle in for a well-deserved pint.
For the owner, Mark Milne, they are the easiest to spot, because they are happy. “They are usually in far higher spirits — you can see the relief across each of their faces,” he said.
Others, like Allan Lawrence, waiting outside the Spider’s Web to meet a friend for a pint, are not so lucky. The next morning, Lawrence, 45, will make his way to
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