This garish Lego brick-style house has been nominated for the unflattering crown of Britain's UGLIEST building. The four storey Victorian villa - which has a pitched tiled roof, decorative stone facades and light cream steps - looks from certain angles to be a picturesque, historic property. However, neighbours were left in horror when the owners erected a huge extension - which locals say resembles a light industrial unit - in July this year. The vast rectangular box was put together...

A petition to ban 'cruel' donkey rides from a traditional English seaside resort has gained more than 110,000 signatures in just six days. Supporters say the animals endure unnecessary suffering as they are forced to walk up and down seafronts carrying children in hot weather with no rest. The petition was set up by a woman known on as 'Kirsty D' who visited Clevedon, Somerset, on a hot day. It calls on the local council to ban the rides on...

New research has revealed that 63 per cent of people have experienced a persistent gut or abdominal problem or symptom, but 29 per cent have not sought professional medical help. The research, which was conducted for Love Your Gut Week (4-10 September), an initiative from a group of digestive health charities and organisations, showed that the most common gut problems experienced were: 1. Constipation (44%) 2. Diarrhoea (43%) 3. Heart burn (39%) 4. Bloating (33%) 5. Persistent stomach pain (15%)...

Speculation that the pound is set to reach parity with the Euro is rife after construction PMI data highlights Brexit’s negative impact on the economy. Following a week of heightened tensions over the North Korean missile aggression and stalled Brexit negotiations sterling took yet another battering at the start of the month as Construction PMI data reveals weak economic growth and a new BBC survey finds an interest rate rise from the BoE is unlikely until 2019. Commenting on the results Paresh Davdra, CEO...

Prince William is set to cash in on two weeks paternity leave just as the football World Cup kicks off in June. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced today that they are expecting their third child with just nine months to go until the tournament kicks off in Russia. William, who may have otherwise been engaged in a busy schedule of hand-shaking and ribbon cutting, has now got the green light to clear his calendar for two weeks of...

As McDonald’s employees gather on the picket line for the first time ever in the UK, the Labour leader has come out in support of the disgruntled workers. The burger chain employees want secure shift patterns and pay of at least £10 an hour. A rally is expected to go ahead in central London with 40 striking workers will attend a rally in Westminster, with Jeremy Corbyn lending his support. The industrial action comes from two outlets, one in Crayford...

Theresa May could be about to make a U-turn on public sector pay caps, according to leaked documents. The PM stoically rejected calls to lift the 1 per cent pay cap after the controversial policy saw the average public sector worker lose £13,000 over the last seven years. But according to reports a letter has been issued by ministers to pay review bodies signalling the lifting of the pay cap on those professions with the biggest recruitment and retention problems -...

A Tory MEP has got himself an Irish passport as he wanted to ensure he was a EU citizen after the UK finally leaves the economic union after the Brexit deal is finally agreed. Charles Tannock is a passionate remainer who was deeply saddened by the EU referendum result. He has an Irish grandmother so was able to apply for a passport for the Republic. Tannock told the Irish Times about his newly found passion for his Irish family background...

Almost 800 years of additional imprisonment were imposed on prisoners found to have broken prison rules last year, as jails across England and Wales descended further into chaos. Research by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveals today (Monday 4 September) that prisons are routinely and increasingly resorting to draconian punishments in a counter-productive attempt to regain control. It shows that almost 290,000 additional days of imprisonment were handed down to prisoners during 2016 – a 75 per cent rise...