KERB APPEAL

A woman is planning to sue her council, claiming its "unsightly" green wheeled bins have decreased the value of her property.

Judie Chisholm, 57, from Paignton, Devon, is seeking £5,000 compensation from Torbay Council, saying the large bins are "unsuitable" for her needs and have killed off her property's "kerb appeal".

She has written to the council's legal department informing them of her intention to claim compensation. A Torbay Council spokesman said the letter has been referred to its claims team for consideration.

CAKES BAN

A decision to ban a women's group from taking homemade cakes to their own coffee afternoon was branded "absolutely ridiculous".

The retired ladies of the Adlington and District Millennium Committee like to bake for their fundraising events in Lancashire, which they had previously held at community centres.

When they booked the local library for their latest get-together they were stunned when council chiefs stepped in on health and safety grounds and ruled that only shop-bought cakes and biscuits could be offered. Julie Bell, head of Lancashire County Council's library and information service, said "legal restrictions mean we can only allow packaged goods with clearly labelled ingredients".

POOP POWER

It stinks and it's a hazard to walkers everywhere, but it turns out dog poop has a bright side.

Dog poop is lighting a lantern at a dog park in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of a months-long project to get people thinking about not wasting waste.

After dogs do their business, signs on two steel tanks instruct owners to use biodegradable bags to pick up the poop and deposit it into the left tank. People then turn a wheel to stir its insides, which contain waste and water. Microbes in the waste give off methane, an odourless gas that is fed through the tanks to the lamp and burned off.

JUST THE TICKET

Officials in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are bending over backward to keep residents happy - even those who get parking tickets.

The reverse side of the citations contain advice on keeping calm by bending into yoga positions.

Transportation head Susan Clippinger says they "debunk the idea that all parking tickets are a hostile action".

SHORTS APPEAL

A man who addressed the city council in Boulder, Colorado, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts now has more than enough money for a new wardrobe.

He filed a civil rights claim after he was handcuffed and arrested at the meeting.

Later he agreed to accept 10,000 dollars (£6,300) in exchange for not suing the city.