A rugby fan is taking to the waterways on a tin bath next month to raise money for charity.
Rob Knapp, 36, from Syston in Leicestershire, will paddle 110 miles in aid of the Matt Hampson Foundation – and in a boat he bought from eBay for £20. Most participants taking part in the fundraiser in May will make the journey from Rugby to London using canal towpaths, but not the former Sileby Vikings RFC player.
The foundation was set up by former Leicester Tigers player Matt Hampson after he was paralysed from the neck down while training with England Under-21s in 2005.
Superhero duke
The Duke of Cambridge lived out his superhero fantasy today as he tested some of Batman’s futuristic vehicles.
The Duke was joined by the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry for a tour of Warner Bros studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, where the royals were given an insight into the making of the Dark Knight trilogy.
Props and costumes from the film series, which starred Christian Bale in the lead role, were on display including the caped crusader’s Batmobile – known as The Tumbler – and his bike the Batpod.
William joked about taking over the Batman role with Josh Berger, president and managing director of Warner Brothers UK.
Whip appeal
A woman on horseback struck a man round the head with her riding crop as he watched a “prestigious” hunt, police said.
The 63-year-old victim was at the Portman Hunt near Sturminster Newton in Dorset when he was approached by the rider. In what police are calling an “unprovoked attack”, the woman used her whip to hit the man round the head.
North Dorset Police released a picture of a woman they would like to speak to about the incident on December 19 last year and appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
Clean getaway
Authorities in Colorado are looking for a well-groomed man suspected of stealing more than $2,600 worth of teeth-whitening strips, weight-loss pills, probiotics, condoms, and hair-growth products from several stores.
Jefferson County sheriff’s officials said the man, wearing a sweater, tie, smart trousers and a neatly groomed moustache and beard, apparently used a coat that he was carrying to conceal the stolen goods.
He would buy a DVD before leaving the store as a possible cover for the door alarm activating.
Snakes in court
Snakes have been slithering into a Mississippi courthouse – posing no threat but giving workers the creeps.
Five of the brown non-venomous DeKay’s snakes – sometimes called earth snakes – have been found in the Hinds County circuit clerk’s basement office.
Clerk Kelly Phillips said the largest was as big around as her finger and a few inches long. The first time she saw one, she said, she screamed “Snake!” and colleagues scattered. One picked it up with a paper clamp and took it outside.