A greedy cormorant realised his eyes were too big for his belly when he struggled to swallow a huge rainbow trout. The aquatic bird spent more than 30 minutes trying to get his mouth around his next meal before being forced to face he'd bitten off more than he could chew. He eventually let go of the trout, which swam away to safety after making the miracle escape. Amateur photographer Shahin Abasov, 59, managed to catch the moment in the...

As my regular readers will know – are there any of you out there? – my father died late last year. I wrote about it here briefly, reflecting on his absence. That was in the very early days after his death, and I was still adjusting to the new normal. Now, I have no desire to become a professional grief merchant, or seeker after sympathy; Dad was nearly 70, and had lived a pretty good life. Even back then, though,...

An evil couple who kept a vulnerable young woman as a sex slave for almost 18 months have been jailed for a total of 22 years. Kevin Warren, 27, and his partner Donna Morris, 35, treated the woman, who is in her 20s, “worse than an animal”. Police say the cruel pair subjected their victim to 17 months of “physical, emotional and sexual abuse”, including rape. They also controlled the finances of their victim, who cannot be named for legal...

2018 welcomes a brand new festival, POP PUNK PILE UP FESTIVAL that will take place at The Venue in Selby from the 27th - 29th April 2018. The line-up already boasts the likes of The King Blues, Room 94 andThe Bottom Line, plus a secret headliner still to announce. The weekend promises some heavy rock and alternative acts too, as well as some of the best pop punk acts the UK has the offer Having tickets priced at just £25 for a day and £40 for the weekend, they are not...

The World's richest one per cent took home 82 per cent of the wealth last year, according to shocking new figures released by Oxfam. According to the findings the level of inequality veered once again in favour of the rich, with the vast majority of newly generated money going to the wealthiest one per cent. Data shows that of the £7.3 trillion generated between July 2016 and June 2017, around £6 trillion (82 per cent) went to 75 million people, while...

Nuggets of breaded and deep-fried haggis are relatively simple to make at home, joined by a Red Jon sauce.

By Tim Woodbridge, author of The Choice. Stourhead in Wiltshire is known internationally for its neoclassical gardens, 18th-Century architecture and breathtaking Great Lake. Until now, historians believed that what we see today was envisaged at the outset by a wealthy English banker as a lasting legacy for his beloved son. But a far darker, more dramatic version of events could be closer to the truth. Here, the author and Stourhead researcher Tim Woodbridge reveals the hidden secrets behind one of...

Britain’s van drivers are ditching their stereotypical lifestyle in favour of healthy eating and regular trips to the gym, a study has found. Despite the ‘white van man’ being traditionally labelled as junk food-loving and exercise-shy, many are now more likely to be found tucking into a healthy lunch and heading to the gym at the end of the day. In fact, the average van driver will work out twice a week, with more than one in 10 heading to...

The spectacular neoclassical gardens at Stourhead in Wiltshire attract more than 400,000 visitors per year. Its 18th-Century Great Lake, in particular, is one of the most photographed, romantic spots in Britain. The gardens were created by one of the richest men in England at the time, Henry Hoare II, a banker with the money to indulge a passion for grand landscaping and classical architecture. But Hoare, known as Henry the Magnificent, was anything but the happy, successful man he portrayed...