A precious hoard of Roman and Late Iron Age coins has been discovered in a British cave where they have lain undisturbed for more than 2,000 years.

The treasure trove was unearthed by a member of the public, who stumbled across four coins in the cavern in Dovedale in the Peak District, sparking a full-scale excavation of the site.

Experts say the find is highly unusual as it is the first time coins from these two separate civilisations have been buried together.

And the setting itself adds to the mystery surrounding the discovery as, while Roman coins have often been found in fields, this is understood to be the first time they have been unearthed in a cave. The cache, which has been declared as “treasure” by the authorities, will go on permanent display at Buxton Museum later this year.

Garden retreat helps hedgehogs

A hedgehog-friendly garden which shows nature lovers how to help the spiky species is featuring among the exhibits at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

The “Hedgehog Street” garden aims to raise awareness of the plight of the threatened mammals, whose populations have plummeted by more than a third in the last 10 years, and how to help them, the conservationists behind the display said.

The garden is one of many exhibits at this year’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Hampton Court Flower Show, which also features turf sculptures, a floating rose crafted from cranberries and a luxury tree-house. There will even be an “invisible garden” exhibit which allows people to discover the microscopic wildlife in their gardens.

Driving test pass after 24 attempts

If at first you don’t succeed, the old proverb recommends a path of relentless perseverance. But one young learner driver took the “try, try, try again” mantra to the limit when she passed her driving test – finally – at the 24th attempt.

The 24-year-old woman, whose identity has not been revealed, secured her status as Britain’s most persistent learner driver when she finally ditched her L-plates at a test centre in Chippenham last year.

The woman was one of eight Britons to have racked up at least 20 tests by the end of 2013, according to figures obtained from the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) by the Press Association.

Finnish wife-carrying winners

A Finnish couple has narrowly won the 19th World Wife Carrying Championships, a quirky competition in which men race to be the fastest while carrying a female teammate.

Ville Parviainen and Janette Oksman cleared the gruelling 253.5 metre obstacle course in 63.75 seconds on Saturday, less than a second ahead of Britain’s Rich Blake Smith and Anna Marguerite Smith.

Thirty-six couples from countries including Australia, Japan, and the United States took part in the race, held in the central Finnish municipality of Sonkajarvi. The woman must be over 17 years of age and hit a minimum weight, but couples don’t have to be married – organisers say a man could “borrow a neighbour’s wife”.

Washington cannabis go-ahead

Washington state has issued its first retail marijuana licences in a series of middle-of-the-night e-mails alerting bleary-eyed pot-shop proprietors that they will finally be able to open for business.

An official said the first two dozen shops were being notified so early to give them an extra few hours to get cannabis on their shelves before they are allowed to open their doors at 8am tomorrow. The move is expected to bring high prices, shortages and rationing.

Grouse debate key to US Senate

An obscure, chicken-sized bird best known for its mating dance could help determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the US Senate after November elections.

The federal government is considering listing the greater sage grouse as an endangered species next year. Doing so could limit development, energy exploration, hunting and ranching on the 165 million acres (67 million hectares) of the bird’s habitat across 11 western states.

It has become a key issue in Senate races because – apart from the potential economic disruption – the issue is reviving centuries-old debates about local versus federal control and whether to develop or conserve the region’s vast expanses of land. Republicans need to gain six seats in November to capture majority control.