Divers dressed as Father Christmas braved near-freezing temperatures in the UK to take part in a wacky event yesterday.
The surreal sight of 161 Santa Clauses plunging into a quarry pool at less than eight degrees Celsius dressed in full scuba diving kit was an irresistible attraction for onlookers. Divers from all over the country gathered at Vobster Quay, near Frome, Somerset to raise money for the RNLI’s SOS Day next month.
This year’s dive was in aid of the charity’s lifejacket campaign, which is raising funds to provide the 35 lifeboat stations in the southwest of England with new state-of-the-art lifejackets.
Caught on two phones
An Italian driver was stopped by astonished police in Bari on Saturday when they saw him speaking on two phones with a handset in each hand and no control of the wheel.
Asked to explain his actions, the 43-year-old driver of an Alfa Romeo 166 saloon car said he was speaking to his wife when his mother called and he could not hang up on either of them, the Corriere Della Sera daily reported.
The man made matters worse when he admitted that he frequently spoke on two handsets while on work trips.
Police fined him €152 and took five points off his licence.
Pedigree dogs suffering
Owners of fashionable pedigree pooches are unaware their “handbag dogs” could be “born to suffer”, the RSPCA says.
Research by the animal charity revealed many people believe pedigree dogs and puppies are healthy, quality animals that come from good breeding stock. But the dogs, which are primarily bred for their looks, are vulnerable to unnecessary disease, disability, pain or behavioural problems.
A survey commissioned by the charity found dog buyers are not doing enough research before getting new pets.
The RSPCA is launching a campaign, Bred For Looks, Born To Suffer, in order to raise awareness of the issue.
Tiny unpublished book
A tiny, unpublished Charlotte Bronte manuscript has sold for a record value of £690,850 at auction.
The Young Men’s Magazine, Number 2, was written when Charlotte was 14 and is set in Glass Town, the earliest fictional world created by the Bronte siblings. Sotheby’s had estimated it would sell for between £200,000 and £300,000 at the English Literature, History, Children’s Books and Illustrations sale. But the manuscript sold for more than double the top estimate, setting new auction records for a manuscript by Charlotte Bronte and for a literary work by any of the Bronte sisters. The tiny book is around 35 mm by 61 mm.