A two-metre marijuana plant decorated as a Christmas tree was confiscated from the home of “an old hippie”, who is now facing a drug possession charge, German police said yesterday.
In a press release police in Koblenz said they discovered the giant plant in the living room of the suspect.
“The two-metre-tall marijuana plant had been put in a Christmas tree stand and decorated with a string of lights,” the police said.
“When asked, the hashish fan told the perplexed officers that he had intended to add more decorations to the ‘tree’ and place the presents under it, according to tradition.”
Police seized the plant and another 150 grams (5.3 ounces) of marijuana found in the apartment. (AFP)
Pudding lane
A truck carrying nearly 30 tons of whipped cream crashed just feet from a house in Los Angeles where a few years ago a lorry full of chocolate syrup overturned.
Police said the cream truck, driven by an unlicensed 16-year-old, was stopped by a stand of trees and a chain-link fence.
The California Highway Patrol said the driver fell asleep and lost control. (PA)
Birds go for a banana
Bananas are the new food of choice for hungry birds trying to warm up during the winter freeze.
Moorhens, ducks and skylarks have been pecking their way through leftover bunches of the fruit at the RSPB wildlife reserve and discovery park in Saltholme, Teesside in the UK.
Val Osborne, head of wildlife inquiries, said: “Although bananas aren’t one of the traditional fruits fed to birds, they probably hit the spot quickly and help birds warm up soon after eating them.”
The fruit, donated by a Tesco store in Stockton-on-Tees, proved just as popular as more traditional birdfeeds such as seeds and bread. (PA)
Elephants trample fruit picker
A herd of elephants trampled a fruit picker to death in a remote Malaysian jungle in the first such case in years.
Pazil Abdul Patah, director of the Wildlife Department of northern Kelantan state, said five men looking for fruit were surprised by a herd of up to nine elephants.
The others managed to run away but 26-year-old Muhamad Adnan Iberahim was trampled and died instantly.
Mr Patah said this was the first such death recorded with the department in six years even though wild elephants roam freely in the forest reserve. (AP)
No crackers for under 16
Cashiers could face up to six months in prison for selling Christmas crackers to people under 16, a retail group has warned.
Under regulations passed in the summer, crackers are classified as low-grade fireworks and can only be sold to those over the age of 16.
Stores face financial penalties and individual shop assistants could be jailed or fined up to £5,000 if they sell crackers to under-age people. However, the British Retail Consortium which said the rules were “particularly daft” and out of sync with European regulations that set the age limit at 12. (PA)
Name changes
A record number of people changed their name by deed poll this year - some to bizarre ones including Her Majesty The Queen, Willy Wonka and Miss Jelly St Tots.
More than 90,000 people swapped their name in 2010, an increase of 80 per cent, figures from the Legal Deed Poll Service revealed.
Among them was David Lennox, 29, an NHS call operator from Aberdeen, who became Her Majesty The Queen after launching an online poll to find a new name to raise funds for the Association for International Cancer Research. (PA)
Sex ‘saves relationships’
Frequent sex can be a relationship saver for neurotic couples, a study has shown.
People with high neuroticism scores tend to have less happy marriages and relationships, and are more likely to get divorced.
But a new study, published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, suggests there may be a simple answer to these problems – lots of sex. (PA)