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News Round Up 148

OH dear, what a catastrophe! The Independent has warned that the UK is facing a shortage of the Italian bubbly prosecco this summer!

They quote Robert Cremonese, export manager of Italian prosecco producer Bisol, who says a bad harvest has resulted in shortages - which could mean prices may drastically rise.

It seems us Brits are acquiring a taste for Polish food, reports the Daily Mail. New research shows that a tenth of people living here are buying it regularly. Because of the growing Polish population in the UK, specialities such as spicy cured sausages and pickled cabbage are available in many mainstream supermarkets.

Market analysts Mintel reckon the increased availability has fuelled interest among Britons.

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It's a competition that many people may not have heard of but a treehouse, miniature railway and a distillery are among the front runners to win the Shed of the Year award.

The Daily Mirror says that over 2,500 'sheddies' have entered their sheds for the event which has been running for nine years.

The categories are eco shed, pub shed, budget, cabin/summerhouse, unique, workshop/studio, historical and normal sheds.

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Yuk! That's not my opinion but the view expressed in a survey by Barclays Morgages to find the household feature most likely to put us off buying a home.

The Daily Mail article says that nearly two thirds of those questioned could not stand an avocado-coloured bathroom suite.

Other major turn-offs included woodchip wallpaper, flocked wallpaper, artex ceilings and carpets in bathrooms.

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Believe it or not, our beaches aren't that bad. A Daily Mirror story revealed that 60 beaches, four more than last year, have reached the international Blue Flag cleanliness standard.

Keep Britain Tidy’s coastal award manager Paul Todd said: “It is great to be able to celebrate another fantastic year for the Blue Flag and Seaside Awards.

“We are committed to improving the quality of the places where people live, work and holiday and these winners have proved their commitment to providing the best possible beaches for locals and visitors alike.”

Two of the country’s most popular areas for holidaymakers, Thanet in Kent and Cornwall, have achieved the most Blue Flags, with seven each.

Thanet beaches include Westgate’s West Bay and St Mildred’s Bay, while the Cornwall beaches with Blue Flags include Polzeath near Padstow, Widemouth Bay near Bude and Porthminster at St Ives.

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The Daily Express bades farewell to Les Rowe, described as Britain's oldest supermarket worker, who is retiring at the age of 90.

The paper says that Les has held a part-time job with Tesco for 20 years and that for the last decade he has worked on the same till at the store in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset .

“I feel that at 90 I deserve a bit of a break, to enjoy my retirement and spend some time perfecting my bowling. I've also got four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, so plenty to keep me busy.” said Les.

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The Guardian informed us that parts of Kent have been hit by an earthquake. The magnitude 4.2 quake shook houses, rattled windows and woke people in the early hours of the morning.

A police spokesman commented: “Police began receiving reports of the earthquake tremor in the east Kent area at around 2.57am. Police and the fire and rescue service had no reports of structural damage or injuries.”

Reference list:

The Express (www.express.co.uk)

The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)

Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk)

Daily Mirror (www.mirror.co.uk)

Daily Telegraph (www.telegraph co.uk)

 

 

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