A 400-year-old bed that has been slept in by 15 generations of the same aristocratic family has been identified as the oldest still in use in the UK.

The antique four-poster with its ornate carved headboard has been providing a good night’s rest for residents of the Berkeley Castle estate in Gloucestershire since 1608. Far from being roped off into retirement like many pieces of historic furniture, John Berkeley, 81, and his wife Georgina, 73, still use the bed in the castle’s Great State Bedroom. Furniture historians date the bed more specifically to the period after the accession of James I in 1603.

The Berkeleys stay in private apartments in the castle, which is open to visitors between April and October. (AP)

Walrus pays a rare visit

A walrus which turned up on a small Scottish island – in what has been described as a “once-in-a-lifetime” event – has returned to the sea.

The animal, thought to be a young male, was found on the shoreline of North Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands.

Wildlife experts said it was extremely unusual for a walrus to be spotted so far south of the North Pole and Arctic Ocean. (PA)

Anti-wrinkle secret revealed

The “miracle ingredient” boasted about in many anti-wrinkle cream adverts may have been found by scientists.

The researchers at the University of Reading said that due to the intense competition in the cosmetics industry it is “hard to find” evidence of effectiveness of cosmetics.

But the peptide Matrixyl, which is present in many anti-wrinkle creams, can almost double the amount of collagen our body produces, if the concentration is high enough. Collagen is a naturally occurring protein in humans that gives skin its elasticity. (AP)

Hair-raising experience

A supermarket has apologised after a seven-year-old girl found a clump of hair in a home-cooked lasagne made with a packet of beef mince.

Trudy Stock, of Gosport, Hampshire, said her daughter, Shani, was left in tears when she came across the object in her food and had suffered nightmares since. The 29-year-old said the hair, believed to be part of the cow’s hide, had come from a £3 packet of frozen mince bought at Iceland’s Gosport store. Ms Stock said Iceland had investigated and given her £30 in vouchers as an apology. (AP)

Plain cigarette packaging

UK ministers could announce plans to introduce plain packets for cigarettes later this year, reports suggest.

The Guardian said the Government also plans to ban smoking in cars carrying children.

In December, Australia became the first country to put all tobacco products in standardised packs. Cigarettes and other products are all sold in packaging with only the brand name and graphic warnings visible. (PA)