Oil rig workers have been put on a diet as they are too fat to fit in helicopters and lifeboats, The Star has reported.

A new slimming regime is in place after North Sea companies had to buy bigger lifeboats for tubbier staff.

One worker said: “It’s boredom. You work, sleep and when not doing that, it’s easy to start snacking.” (PA)

Sleep sounds and memory

Memories can be boosted during sleep by playing sounds synchronised with brain waves, a study has shown.

The technique was used to help 11 slumbering volunteers remember word associations learned the evening before. Scientists used stimulating sounds carefully timed to follow the slow, oscillating brain waves generated during deep sleep.

During the experiments, the effect of synchronised sounds was compared with that of non-synchronised sounds.

Stimulating sounds boosted the memory of participants the next day, while sounds out of phase with the brain waves had no effect. (AP)

Grumpier plane passengers

Airline passengers are getting grumpier as carriers keep shrinking the size of seats in order to stuff more people into their planes, researchers say.

Empty middle seats that might provide a little more room have vanished. And more travellers who have bought tickets are being turned away because flights are overbooked.

A US report said consumer complaints surged 20 per cent last year even though airlines have been doing a better job by other measures, like on-time arrivals and mishandled baggage. (PA)

Travellers air dirty laundry

People preferring not to wash their dirty linen in public are a bit more picky about the state of their bedding in hotels, according to a survey.

Dirty bed linen and bath towels are the main bugbear of hotel guests, the poll by insurance company Direct Line found. The next biggest complaint was drunk or noisy next-room guests, followed by building work going on close to the hotel.

Guests cared little for poor quality food at their hotel whilebagging the best places around the beach or pool by laying towels down early only annoyed 31 per cent of the 2,004 UK adults polled. (PA)

Joyce coin has misprint

The Central Bank of Ireland has said it will keep selling a specially minted coin commemorating author James Joyce, despite misquoting his masterpiece.

Officials offered refunds to anyone who bought the €10 coin if they are not happy that a line from episode three of Ulysses is wrong.

The blunder can be seen in the depiction of Joyce’s stream of consciousness, with the coin featuring a portrait of the author’s face and a quotation - albeit with an extra word - flowing from the mind.

Ten thousand of the coins went on sale at the Central Bank for €46 each. The bank blamed human error on a member of staff copying a quote. (AP)