A pair of elderly thieves may have been in for a shock after pinching a businessman’s shopping from the back of his car.

Ian Russell said an ‘old couple’ were seen taking his carrier bags out of the boot in the car park of the Crown pub in Bridgnorth, Shropshire last weekend.

But the Shropshire Star reported the bags simply contained an extra large box of medicine used to help in the recovery from diarrhoea.

Ian, a managing director at building supplier R&B, wrote on Facebook: ‘To the old couple seen stealing my shopping bags from rear of my vehicle at 5pm tonight [Saturday] on the Crown car park.

‘I sincerely hope that you need the large box of Diarolite more than me.’

The couple now appear to be on the run.

Thieves have also made off with other unusual items this year.

Some people managed to swipe an eight-foot-tall gorilla statue from a garden centre in Scotland in March, in what appeared to be a targeted attack.

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Wearing a ‘Bring Gary Home’ badge, owner Andrew Scott said the statue ‘brought a lot of joy’ to customers and was ‘an excellent reference point’ to delivery drivers.

‘We ask that you keep a lookout for Gary in the hope that he is returned safe and sound to his family,’ he added.

One man is now known as ‘Captain Underpants’ after chasing a thief down the road in just his underpants in the freezing cold two Decembers ago.

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Doctors were left baffled after finding a fly inside a man’s intestines during a colonoscopy – fully intact and alive.

The patient, who was 63, had gone for a routine colon cancer screening in Missouri, US, this year.

They put a camera inside his intestines for the colonoscopy and the procedure was going as normal until they reached the transverse colon, which is at the top of the large intestine.

It was there medics came across the fly – but say it’s a ‘mystery’ as to how it go there.

The doctors, from the University of Missouri School of Medicine, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology: ‘This case represents a very rare colonoscopic finding.

‘[It is a] mystery on how the intact fly found its way to the transverse colon.’

The patient said he had no symptoms and had no idea how the insect got into his body.

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He said he had only consumed clear liquids the day before the procedure to empty the digestive tract, as he was required to do.

The evening before his 24-hour fast he said he ate a meal of pizza and lettuce, but he does not remember a fly being in his food.

It has been known in rare cases for flies and their larvae to infest the human intestines in a condition called intestinal myiasis.

But people would have to have eaten food containing fly eggs and larvae. Rarely, the eggs can survive stomach acid and hatch, then grow inside the body.

This phenomenon has previously been linked to rotten bananas.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said some patients suffer no symptoms, but others have abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Myiasis is thought to be more common during the warmer months between April and September, when flies are seen more often.

A spokesperson for the University of Missouri School of Medicine declined to comment further.

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A high-ranking Russian official has suggested a scheme to ‘free prisoners if they get pregnant’ to address Russia’s population problem.

Valery Seleznev, a deputy in the Duma, proposed the odd solution to help bring up Russia’s birth rate after its population shrank by one million in just a year.

He said of Russia’s some 45,000 female prisoners: ‘The highest goal and destiny of a woman is to create a family and give birth to children.

‘Many of these women are capable of giving birth to children. The state can offer them a kind of deal, in which a woman’s sentence is terminated and in case she gives birth during such a “vacation”, the rest of the term is cancelled.

‘We gave the opportunity to men, leaving prison early, to fight against the terrible enemy in the Northern Military District [military wing] based on the same principle of the highest atonement.

‘Why do we deprive women of the opportunity to atone? We don’t need women to give their lives to [the war].’

Russia is currently home to around 144million people – a drop from 148 million in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed.

But Seleznev’s remarks have sparked fierce opposition from within and outside of Russia.

Human rights campaigner Eva Merkacheva referred to the proposed plan as ‘insane’, and was infuriated that women were being pushed to find someone ‘like an animal, without love, affection and long-term prospects’.

She said: ‘It seems to me that the idea of releasing women who have committed minor crimes would be more correct. Help them socialise, and they themselves will find the person they love and start a family themselves.’

Another deputy in the Duma, Sultan Khamzaev, proposed offering financial incentives to women who want an abortion to give birth and let their babies be ‘raised by the state’.

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A teenage boy was allegedly murdered by a group of his friends after playing with a Ouija board that ‘told them to kill him’.

Jose Mauricio Ospina, 17, was found dead, naked and wrapped face down in a sheet after playing the game with his three best friends in a house in the town of Patio Bonito, Colombia, in April last year.

The game involves using a pointer that is slid around a seance board comprising the letters of the alphabet, and the numbers 0 to 9, supposedly to contact the spirits of the dead.

His death is still being investigated – but one of the participants allegedly said that the ‘board told them to do it’.

Jose’s distraught mother, Claudia Velasquez, is demanding answers as the investigation fails to move forward.

Mum Claudia said that Jose Mauricio had been doing his high school homework on the computer the last time she saw him.

She added: ‘I went out to run an errand and he stayed at home, but he told me that he was going to go to a school friend’s to do some homework.

‘That friend who he went to see, I know him, my son had even stayed there several times to sleep.’

When Claudia returned home around eight, he was not there, and she called him again around 11pm.

She added: ‘I fell asleep and at 4:30am, I woke up anxious because he had not come home yet.’

When Claudia called him once more, police picked up and said that they had the phone in their possession because they were responding to an emergency.

The teen’s autopsy report confirmed that he had been strangled to death and had bruises on his head, and also said that the body was moved after he died.

Local media reported that one of the young people playing the game allegedly said that the board told them to murder someone and that it ‘chose’ Jose.

Another of his friends stated that they had taken LSD before playing the game, but toxicology reports revealed Jose did not have the drug in his system.

The friend, who has not been named, told the authorities: ‘I saw colourful figures; then, my classmates hitting the wall, and then Mauricio on the floor covered in blood. I knew that all of that was a dream.’

Claudia said of her son: ‘He was very judicious, dedicated to his studies, he had good grades, when he didn’t have school he had to go to McDonald’s to work.

‘They took my life from me and I don’t know what happened, I deserve to know the truth.’

Jose’s death is still being investigated.

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It’s fair to say this car has probably seen better days – and the police seem to agree considering they’ve described it as an ‘absolute shed’.

With its bumpers missing and not a number plate in sight on the front, the vehicle has red, yellow and orange spray paint scrawled all over it.

What appeared to once be a Honda Jazz is now in complete disarray.

A wire dangles where the passenger side wing mirror used to be, paint-covered stickers line the body and it looks more like a graffiti artist’s practice wall than a car.

The bonnet looks like it’s bent out of shape, a windscreen wiper is missing, paint is partially covering the headlights and things are generally just an utter mess.

So you may not be stunned to find out the dilapidated car has been taken off the road for good after traffic cops spotted someone driving it around Watford.

Quite how they thought they were going to go unnoticed is anyone’s guess.

Even when Hertfordshire Police officers told the driver to pull over, they still tried to get away.

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Hertfordshire’s road policing unit said on X, formerly Twitter: ‘PG9 prohibition placed on this absolute shed after it failed to stop for officers in Watford this morning. 

‘Thankfully the driver has been detained without incident.’

A PG9 means that if a DVSA vehicle examiner ‘finds a vehicle unfit for service owing to defects, they may prohibit the driving of the vehicle on the road immediately’.

We can probably all agree this car is indeed ‘unfit for service’ judging by its appearance and litany of missing parts.

After images of the car were shared on social media, the post was quickly met with a flurry of responses mocking the ‘pile of s***’.

‘My shed is offended to be compared to such a monstrosity,’ one user quipped.

‘I ask that you apologise to sheds everywhere for stereotyping them all into a category of being of poor quality and poor heritage.’

Another said: ‘To be fair I’m surprised it managed to start let alone fail to stop.’

‘A Honda Jazzy!’ one joked, while someone else asked: ‘What drew your attention to it first, the vomit effect paint job, the fact it was missing bits, or something else?’

Last week, police were shocked to find 15-people squeezed into one car when they pulled it over.

Earlier this year, a man led officers on the ‘world’s slowest ever police chase’ with shredded tyres.

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A potato-throwing row between two chefs at a posh hotel ended in a violent assault, a court has heard.

The argument between the two cooks started over potato croquettes and resulted in one man strangling and punching his kitchen colleague.

Rashim Salim, 35, and his victim, known only as Mr Bardu, threw potatoes at each other just before he lunged for the man.

Salim was handed an 18-month community sentence at Reading crown court for the assault causing actual bodily harm, which he admitted.

The judge heard he had grabbed his colleague by the throat and punched him three times in the incident on January 27 at the 38-bedroom Cantley House Hotel in upmarket Wokingham, Berkshire.

Judge Joanna Matson heard how Salim, of Challener Road, High Wycombe, was involved in a heated argument with Mr Barbu.

The confrontation spiralled with a row over potatoes and croquettes taking place.

Prosecutor Shaan Sethi described the incident to the court, saying that Salim had ‘grabbed the complainant by the neck and squeezed’ before punching him in the torso three times.

However, Judge Matson stated that after checking the CCTV footage from the incident that the strangulation was not prolonged.

Defence counsel for Salim, Adele Pullarp told the court that Salim was holding down two jobs that helped to pay child maintenance costs for his older children.

The judge heard that he had been diagnosed with stage five kidney failure in 2020 and had to undergo dialysis.

She added that he was a successful chef who had maintained a romantic relationship over the last five years.

The judge heard that Salim had previous convictions for violence from 2015 but these were not taken as an aggravating factor by the court.

Salim was ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days, 140 hours of unpaid work and to pay £120 in compensation to Mr Barbu.

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Thousands of bizarre blue balls have been found washed up on UK beaches.

More than 1,000 of the mysterious rubber-type balls have been found on the shores in the Tees Valley over the last four days.

According to experts at Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, the balls originate from Hartlepool power station, which use the abrasive spheres to clean the system’s pipes.

Dubbed ‘Taprogge balls’ after their manufacturer, the balls are rarely released into the sea, but sometimes need to be dumped if there is a sudden build-up of pressure.

Locals say recent storms may have disrupted a large gathering of the balls on the sea bed, launching them back onto the shores.

EDF, which operates the power station, claim there hasn’t been a release recently, leading many to suspect strong winds and currents are to blame.

While the balls are biodegradable, it takes two years for them to completely degrade, posing a threat to local wildlife.

Wilder Coast officer Jacky Watson from Tees Valley Wildlife Trust said: ‘My aim of the project is to get people to do what they can do to help stop pollution in the sea.

‘The little blue balls are made of natural rubber, they’re used to scrub the pipes of the Hartlepool power station in the cooling system.

‘The cooling system uses sea water and they have to blast the pipes to remove sea creatures.

‘They do this every week, they go through with the balls. It’s a closed system and the balls shouldn’t escape. Now and then there’s an incident and they do escape. If there’s too much pressure they get released, and they go into the river and the sea.

‘They are natural and will biodegrade but are still a hazard. They’re supposed to biodegrade in two years, but it’s still a long time.

‘We’ve got a very old nuclear power station, it’s around 40 years old.

‘We still want to do something about it, along with a lot of beach cleaning groups along the coast. They’ve been picking them up.

‘I contacted EDF and I found their environmental compliance manager was interested in talking to us.’

Jacky and her team have been asking the public for their help, using the locations of ball discoveries to pinpoint their movement on a map.

Jacky added: ‘We put the word out locally if people found the balls, they could let us know and EDF with the what3words app.

‘What they didn’t realise is how far south they’re going. There’s a nice map now to understand where the current is depositing the balls.

‘I’ve had reports of over 1,000 balls from just these last few days.

‘The last few days the storm has disturbed a deposit of balls on the seabed somewhere.

‘We think they’ve been brought up all together. They think they’re historic. If balls are released it is very serious.

‘There were some releases about a year ago and there was a detailed report done.

‘They’re found in small numbers on a regular basis, mainly one or two. The community have got involved, people really get into it.

‘Over the last few days it’s gone nuclear.’

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Police raided a shop and found more than £10,000 worth of illegal tobacco, cigarettes and vapes hidden in a secret James Bond-style compartment under the floor.

Officers along with a trading standards team found the illicit stash at a shop in Derby thanks to a sniffer dog picking up a scent.

Officials discovered the shopkeeper had installed a fake kitchen counter on hydraulic legs that would raise and lower at the push of a button.

A hidden chamber, built under the floor, would rise up revealing the bags of illegal tobacco, cigarettes and vapes.

The discovery was made during a raid in the shop’s storeroom on November 7.

Derby City Council said some criminals were going to ‘extraordinary lengths’ to try and keep illicit tobacco hidden from officials.

Over the past year, the council’s trading standards team have seized 791,000 cigarettes and almost 140kg of hand rolling tobacco.

An additional 5,082 illegal vapes have also been taken off the shelves, the council said.

Councillor Shiraz Khan, cabinet member for Housing, Property and Regulatory Services, said: ‘These products undermine the health of adults and children around the city, but we will continue to work hard tackling this issue.

‘It is reassuring to know that no matter how elaborate the hiding places may become, our officers, and their partners, are able to track down and seize these illicit products before they reach citizens.’

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Dozens of birds have been caught on camera dying in mid air and dropping to the ground.

The bizarre phenomena was spotted as the flock of swallows flew above buildings in Laibin, in the Guangxi region of China.

Eyewitnesses say the swallows flew around in circles before dropping from the sky.

Dozens of the birds were seen lying dead on the ground after apparently being unable to withstand the freezing temperatures.

Swallows are small to medium-sized birds known for their sleek, streamlined bodies and graceful flight. Species found in colder regions migrate during the winter when their insect prey populations collapse.

They typically have pointed wings, a forked tail, and often exhibit striking, iridescent plumage.

Swallows are highly agile in flight and many species are known for their distinctive aerial acrobatics.

These migratory birds are found on every continent except Antarctica and are often associated with nesting in colonies, and building cup-shaped nests in various locations, including cliffs, buildings, or other structures.

Species found in colder regions migrate during the winter when their insect prey populations collapse.

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A cockatoo who spent three months detained at Heathrow Airport due to paperwork issues has finally been reunited with his owner.

‘Cheeky’ Charlie, four, was supposed to be reunited with owner Jess Adlard, 33, nine months after she made the move to England from Pennsylvania.

But after already waiting months to join his mum, the rose-breasted cockatoo was detained at Heathrow due to a missing form.

Finally, after a long three months, Jess and husband Joe, 36, made the drive from Leicestershire to Heathrow to bring chatty Charlie home.

Jess, a former pharmacy technician, said she is relieved and feels ‘complete’ now that her beloved pet has returned to her.

She said: ‘He has coped brilliantly, I didn’t expect to be hearing ‘I love you’ for a month or two at least. For him to say it on the first day we pick him up is amazing.

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‘Charlie is a tough little guy, he is settling in great – he has exceeded every expectation.’

Jess and Joe’s nightmare began when Joe flew to the US to bring Charlie over to the UK – but once they landed, the cockatoo was detained due to a missing document.

She explained: ‘They said the original export permit was missing – but it was with Charlie when he left the airport in the States.

‘It has cost us £6,000 to get him here. We sent picture copies over to them but they say they need to see the original but it was with Charlie.’

Heartbroken Jess was unable to speak to Charlie for months but said staff at the private animal facility played the movie Rio – about a talking bird – on a tablet to calm him.

But the normally ‘cheeky’ Charlie banged his head on his cage and plucked his feathers out, which are common signs of distress in birds.

Luckily the bird seems to be settling in well with his owners, who are over the moon to have him back.

Joe said: ‘This morning is the first time Jess has been able to wake up and give Charlie his good morning routine.

‘He likes his new digs pretty well, I have been whistling to him and we have been bobbing our heads together.

‘I have been whispering that I love him and he has been saying it back, he is so ready to be part of our lives.’

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A British GP will jet off to Australia next month in a bid to win the World Mullet Growing Championships.

Aptly-named Dr Alastair Bush, from Bovington, Dorset, first won his international heat at Mulletfest in New South Wales in February – and now has his eyes on the big prize.

Dr Bush, 45, said he’s always had a ‘short back and sides’ but began growing his impressive mane when his nephew encouraged him in 2021.

Two and a half years later, his light brown hair could win the world championship – measuring an astounding 12 inches long, with a perfect wave.

And the doctor has big plans for if he wins: he wants to cut off his mane, burn it, and put it in an urn to immortalise his locks, just like at Ashes.

Dr Bush said: ‘This is widely considered to be the Everest of the competitive mullet growing world.

‘I was lucky enough to win the heat in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, earlier this year and in doing so secured a place in the finals. Now only the final round in December lies between me and victory.

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‘The Aussies may have retained the Ashes in cricket but 2023 is going to be the year the UK beats them in the arena of competitive mullet growing.’

He joked that beating the Aussies at their mullet-growing would be the perfect retribution for the 1882 Ashes series.

‘Whatever happens, I will chop it off and return to my regular short, back and sides,’ Dr Bush said.

The doctor is also raising money for Testicular Cancer UK and is using the contest as a way to encourage men to get checked.

He said: ‘I work as a GP for the army and many of my patients are in the at-risk age group for developing testicular cancer.

‘The soldiers are mainly in their 20s and find the mullet funny, but I would not have grown it if I had regular patients.

‘If diagnosed early it can be easily treated so raising awareness is essential.’

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