Must Reads

PARK rangers marched off a man believed to be taking money from a wishing pond during an early morning operation. Patrols around Colchester Castle Park, Essex had been stepped up by rangers due to complaints about this theft, from residents. He was using a pole with a magnet on the end to nick coins from a "wishing" pond. The concerns centred on a man apparently using an extendable pole with a magnet on the end to pick up coins from...

Stuart and Diane Gravenell bought the LeapFrog Alpha Pup toy for £17 from Boots as a gift for their granddaughter Iris, The toy helps to teach young children the alphabet and phonics, as well as featuring three educational songs. But when the pair's daughter Jessica Sollars took the toy out of the box for Iris she instantly realised one of the songs had X-rated lyrics. A song that is supposed to say “One, two, chew on a shoe, three, four,...

A group of long-serving bus drivers were informed they no longer had jobs - by text message. Around 20 were given notice of redundancy by telephone - with a few being granted a call. A spokesman for the drivers said: "I know some drivers were told by text, others by the telephone. "A lot of these people have families to feed, and now they don't have jobs or an income - they feel cheated. "It's sad and unfair for all...

A vibrant cafe in Teddington is under threat of closure because of a local council law designed to protect vitality and vibrancy in the area. The highly rated Fallow Deer was granted a two year license when it opened to be able to run as a cafe and restaurant and were led to believe by a Planning Officer that at the end of those two years it would be highly probable that an extension would be agreed. But the cafe owners say...

The father of a victim of the devastating school shooting in Dunblane has hit out at plans for a shooting range which will use automatic weapons. The mass-shooting at Dunblane Primary School, Stirling, killed 16 children and one teacher in 1996 and led to a ban on handguns across much of the UK. Doctor Mick North lost his five-year-old daughter Sophie in shooting and has been left devastated by plans for a shooting range to open in Falkirk - only...

The incredibly rare set of five lambs were delivered on Sunday, March 26 at East Yorkshire stately home, Sledmere House and gave Head Stockman, Richard Clifford, a shock when he realised the true size of the brood. Now named Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, the set of five are settling in nicely but have caused extra work for the farm as they need to be bottle fed around the clock. Describing the rarity of such an event, Richard, 42, said: "I've...

A 15-strong pod of dolphins played in the water next to a group of surfers – and gave them a masterclass in their sport. The mammals delighted onlookers with their spectacular display at Sennen Cove in Cornwall. They leapt in the air and rode the waves and clearly appeared to be enjoying themselves. Their performance was captured on camera by holidaymaker Malcolm Barradell. The 61 year-old, from Newport in Wales who works in environmental conservation, said: “I was walking down...

A relic hunter has launched an extraordinary appeal to reunite the families of over 14,000 WW2 heroes with their DOG TAGS – after he found them buried in a field. Dan Mackay, 37, discovered the military tags under the earth beside the site of a World War Two anti-aircraft battery just outside London. They represent almost every army regiment – including men who stormed the beaches of Normandy. He stumbled on the site as he looked for military relics and...

Between them they have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, cycled to Paris, run a marathon in the Arctic circle, kayaked down the Zambezi and driven a Mototaxi across Peru. Now, four friends from Bristol are to take on the ultimate challenge – to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. Despite having no previous rowing experience, Mark Gibson, Jon Lakin and brothers Steve and Dan Baker, who together form the ‘Nuts over the Atlantic’ team, are taking part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic...