A British man left his ageing mother-in-law in a Dover ferry port car park and only realised half way across to France, police said yesterday.
The man and his wife urgently called Port of Dover police after realising they had abandoned the elderly woman sitting in their vehicle in a multi-storey car park, while they headed off on a day-trip across the Channel.
"Officers went to the vehicle, found the lady and took care of her, giving her a drink and making sure she was safe, until approximately four hours later when they returned," said a police spokesman.
"We all know about mothers-in-law and what a nightmare they can be but this guy took it to the limit," a police source told the Daily Mirror. (AFP)
Wonder pants for desk-bound men
Businessmen who vowed to hit the gym but are yet to leave the desk are the target of a new line of high-tech underwear which boasts to trim the torso while benefiting your health.
Gavin Jones is co-founder of Australia-based company Equmen that has pioneered "fitwear" for men who spend the week hunched over desks in high-stress jobs.
In partnership with an American friend and former investment banker Corie Chung, Mr Jones spent about a year researching and developing a new product line that was more mainstream than the compression wear around and came with health benefits.
They then found a manufacturer in Israel who could produce a high-elasticity blend of fabrics which was seamless and flexible.
This led to Equmen's range of undershirts and underpants, boasting to help back support, better posture, and improved blood circulation as well as a better shape. (Reuters)
'Cycle for your supper' deal
A Danish hotel is pioneering a pedal-power electricity generation scheme.
The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, 15 minutes from the centre of the Danish capital, is installing two exercise bicycles hooked up to generators.
Guests will be invited to jump on and start pedalling - and if they produce enough electricity they will be given a free meal. From June, they will be able to race against the 366-room hotel's solar panel system in a bid to produce the most electricity.
"Anyone producing 10 watt hours of electricity or more for the hotel will be given a locally produced complimentary meal encouraging guests to not only get fit but also reduce their carbon footprint and save electricity and money," a hotel spokesman said, adding the free meal offer applied only to paying guests, not passers-by. (Reuters)
LSD and Doctor Who?
The regenerations of Time Lord Doctor Who were modelled on the "horrifying" side effects of drug-induced trips, according to archived documents published by the BBC.
Doctor Who, an eccentric TV hero who has fearlessly fought Daleks and Cybermen with the help of his Tardis time machine in the shape of a 1950s London police box, has become a classic figure since the show first aired in the 1960s. The regenerations started in 1966 to allow writers to replace the lead actor.
A BBC memo outlining the character describes his metaphysical change over the years as a "horrifying experience," and says, "It's as if he has had the L.S.D. drug and instead of experiencing the kicks, he has the hell and dank horror which can be its effect." (Reuters)
Asylum seeker 'joins' school trip
An asylum seeker entered the UK clinging to the bottom of a coach as it returned from a school trip to France, it was reported yesterday.
The Sudanese man was thought to have sat on top of the gearbox of the vehicle as it parked up at a shopping centre in Calais and then held on tightly as it drove off.
The coach boarded the ferry and later travelled to the toll booths at Dartford Tunnel in Kent, where the man alerted the driver and passengers by banging on the coach and shouting "help".
Pupils and staff from St Paul's Primary School in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, were stunned to see the asylum seeker emerge from underneath, then put his thumbs up and wave at them before he was taken into custody.
The incident happened earlier this month as the school group returned from an exchange trip to Armentieres, twinned with Stalybridge. (PA)
'Guerrilla gardeners' spruce up London
They defy the power of the state with raids involving grenades, slingshots and surreptitious sprinkling in an all out war to beautify the British capital's neglected public spaces.
London's "guerrilla gardeners", armed with spades and trowels, are behind a number of the floral displays on the city's roundabouts and roadside spaces.
They often operate at night as they are gardening in public spaces without permission from governmental authorities.
"I will do it at night or when it's pouring with rain," said Richard Reynolds, founder of website www.guerrillagardening.org and author of "On Guerrilla Gardening".
A city worker has been sprinkling thousands of wild flower seeds in the capital during his daily walk to work, he said while some guerrilla gardeners use "seed grenades" - clods of earth and seeds that they throw onto land. Professional gardeners "wrap seeds in water-soaked tissue paper and just hurl them somewhere". (Reuters)