Matt Payton

Freelance writer and journalist

[mgpayton]

Man Opens Pack of Almond Biscuits And Finds... A Maggot

A man was disgusted to find a maggot inside a pack of Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference almond biscuits.

Andrew Cao, 34, purchased the pack for his wife Alice, also 34, on New Year’s Eve.

On opening the Italian snack they found something sticky and were shocked to find the wriggling grub.

Mr Cao from Chellaston in Derby complained to the supermarket giant and has demanded a full investigation into how the creature came to be inside the packet. 

Andrew Cao, 34 (Picture: NTI)

The father of two said: ‘It's just not good enough.

‘I checked online and they are still selling these biscuits. They should be pulled from the shelves until they've discovered how this happened.

‘I've asked them to investigate but they just want to ignore me. They say if I want them tested I should do it myself.’

(Picture: NTI)

He added: ‘Their standards have been dropping and the customer service is dreadful.

’When I complained, the lady at customer service just offered me the £2 back.

‘She said there's nothing wrong with me and so there won't be any investigation

A Sainsbury's spokeswoman said the matter was being investigated and added: ‘Incidents like this are extremely rare and we are sorry our customer had this experience.

‘We are investigating the matter further with our suppliers.’

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Cat Is Rescued By Firefighters After 24 hours Lost In Owner’s Walls

Gizmo the cat spent 24 hours stuck inside his owners’ walls before firefighters were able to rescue him.

The one-year-old cat somehow got lost when his owner’s home was undergoing building work in the Bordesley Green area of Birmingham.

His owners called the RSPCA to the scene, who then informed the West Midlands Fire Service of the situation.

(Picture: West Midlands Fire Service)

It took firefighters two and a half hours to locate Gizmo and pull him free through a small hole in the wall, the Daily Mirror reports.

Crew commander Darran Gough, from Hay Mills fire station said: ‘When we got there, we could hear Gizmo but couldn’t find him. Initially the miaowing was coming from a roof cavity in the living room.

‘The owners were having building work done so there were a lot of open cavities which he had gone into from the garden.

“He was moving around all over the place and it was a case of tracking him down.’

(Picture: West Midlands Fire Service)

While the owner called Gizmo’s name, the firefighters used detection equipment to zero in on the animal. 

They also used a flexible camera which could be inserted into small holes.

The crew finally cornered Gizmo in the ground floor ceiling of the house.

(Picture: West Midlands Fire Service)

Mr Gough said: ‘We heard him scratching around.

‘We pulled a light fitting out and he poked his nose out. We then had to make the hole bigger and he climbed out on to the shoulder of one of my crew.’

After his ordeal, Gizmo was described as ‘absolutely fine but hungry’.

(Picture: West Midlands Fire Service)

[mgpayton]

Shoppers In England Have Stolen £26.7m Of Plastic Bags Since 5p Charge Introduction

Since the introduction of the 5p plastic bag charge in October £26.7 million of plastic bags are believed to have been stolen in England alone.

A new poll by VoucherCodesPro.co.uk found that half of all English shoppers have admitted taking bags without paying for them.

The thefts are thought to have occurred at the self-service checkouts where customer honesty is the only impediment to stealing the bags, reports the Telegraph.

George Charles of VoucherCodesPro.co.uk said: ‘The carrier bag charge has been brought in to reduce the number of bags used in Britain every year. It’s been a big success in Wales and I’m sure it will be in England too.

‘The fact that over half of people in England aren’t paying for their career bags is quite scary. This means that the effect isn’t as desired and carrier bags will still be prominent in the English shop.

‘Action needed to be taken and I hope people in England start to take responsibility over their carrier bags.’

The government had planned to raise £700 million for charity with the 5p charge. 

Retailers can choose which charity they donate the money raised in their stores to.

[mgpayton]

UK Weather: Snow Is On The Way Tonight

Snowfall is expected across the country tonight with up to 10cm of snow in areas of Scotland.

The Met Office has announced yellow weather warnings for parts of Northern England and amber warnings for Southeastern Scotland and the Shetlands today and tomorrow.

Low-lying areas of Scotland can expect from 3-6cm of snow with areas above 300m to experience snowfall of up to 10cm, say the Met Office.

The heavy snow is expected in Northern England along the Pennines to Derbyshire and the Peak District between 5pm tonight and 9am tomorrow.

Meteorologists predict the rest of the country below the Midlands will only experience isolated showers of snow overnight and in the morning.

Severe wedding warnings for Wednesday and Thursday (Picture: Met Office)

It is not expected to settle or affect morning commuted.

From Edinburgh to the Borders, Southeastern Scotland will receive its allotment of snow between 7pm tonight and 9am tomorrow.

For Wales and Central England - snow will accompanied by showers of rain and sleet coming from the west.

Sadly, the snow is 19 days late to give us a white Christmas - better luck next year.

[mgpayton]

History Of Sexual Harassment In Grand Canyon Revealed By New Federal Report

A new federal report has discovered a history of sexual harassment by male employees towards female colleagues while working on Grand Canyon river trips.

The report was commissioned by the US Department of the Interior’s Office of Inspector General after 13 former and current employees placed a complaint in September 2014 stating female employees had been ‘abused’ for 15 years.

According to the report - incidents of sexual harassment on the national park trips included a boatman photographing an employee under her skirt, a supervisor grabbing a contract employee’s crotch and park employees twerking during a dance party as a river trip was wrapping up.

A human resources official interviewed by the investigators said there was a ‘laissez-faire’ culture of ’what happens on the river, stays on the river’. 

The Grand Canyon (Picture: Rex)

12 National Park Service employees have faced disciplinary action for sexual misconduct since 2003, ranging from a written warning to termination.

However, investigators have said those actions are inconsistent, and many alleged incidents go unreported or aren’t properly vetted by supervisors.

The Office of Inspector General said it had not conducted any similar investigations at other national parks.

Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall said: ‘NPS must respect the confidentiality of individuals who report sexual harassment by not revealing their identities to others who do not have a legitimate, work-related need to know.’

Grand Canyon National Park manages 280 miles of the Colorado River, providing emergency and medical services, as well as guiding researchers, politicians and students on around 12 river trips a year. 

Co-workers spend lengthy stretches together within the canyon’s walls, camping on the riverbanks. 

A satellite phone typically is available for emergencies only.

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Student Emails Professor As ‘Dog’ Begging To Allow His Pet Attend His University Classes

Why shouldn’t Man’s best friend be allowed to attend university with its owner?

This is the question, University of Michigan student JJ McGrath posed to his teacher, Professor Jennifer Stewart, on behalf of his pet Golden Retriever, Tahoe.

He began emailing his professor as ‘Dog’ sending very cute pictures of Tahoe alongside pleading messages.

See if Tahoe’s messages would have persuaded you:

(Picture: JJMcGrath37/Twitter)

(Picture: JJMcGrath37/Twitter)

(Picture: JJMcGrath37/Twitter)

And finally after the third email. Professor Stewart finally caved, replying simply: ‘Sure.’

(Picture: JJMcGrath37/Twitter)

Here are a photo of Tahoe’s first university class...she looks like she took it in her stride and felt more than comfortable to interact with Professor Stewart:

(Picture: JJMcGrath37/Twitter) 

[mgpayton]

Two ‘Honest’ Criminals Confess To £60,000 Burglary To Save Wrongly Accused Man

Two burglars have confessed to stealing £60,000 worth of beauty and hair products to save an innocent man from being wrongly accused of the crime.

Blackpool Magistrates’ Court (pictured above) heard that Michael Dehal and Stephen Monaghan handed themselves in to the police in a case of ‘honour among thieves’.

The couple from Bradford, Blackpool Gazette reports, told the court they felt the burden of guilt after a third man came into the frame for the burglary.

Kevin Walker, defending, said: ‘The defendants went to the police voluntarily and confessed, after hearing someone had been sent for trial over this matter. 

‘It was a case of honour among thieves.’

The defendants have been bailed to appear at Preston Crown Court on January 27.

[mgpayton]

Drunk Man Passes Out - His Friends Pull Off The Greatest Prank

Alcohol can get the best of any of us. Drinking too much does not always make you do silly things or vomit - it can send you sound asleep.

For this sleepy tippler - his friends decided to be inventive and built a pyramid over his prone frame using plastic cups, a toilet roll and some cardboard (pictured above - Mikepant/Imgur).

This incredible photo has been viewed over 2,100,000 times and shared thousands of times.

You cannot fail to be impressed by this 17 cup-tall pyramid and its creaters who were prevented from adding any more storeys by the room’s ceilings. 

So who will aim to beat this drunken man and cup pyramid?

The only problem is that you need to find a drunk friend to fall asleep and have over 100 plastic cups ready to hand.

So, the gauntlet has been thrown down - do you have a steady enough hand to pick it up?

[mgpayton]

Smearing Vicks Chest Rub On Your Feet Could Cure Your Cough...Apparently

People suffering from coughs have been smearing Vicks VapoRub on their feet instead of their chests.

This peculiar application of the popular chest rub is being encouraged online through Facebook and internet forums.

A woman known as Julie wrote on Netmums: 'Yes have done this… it really does work. I put some on my feet last night as I have a cough and had a great night's sleep.

'Within a few minutes of putting on my feet, putting socks on and lying in bed, I can feel the vapours reach my throat! This only works when going to bed and never works for me during the day.'

(Picture: Rex)

Doctors have said this unprescribed approach is at best a ‘placebo’, stating that there is no scientific evidence for its effectiveness.

Dr Lynne Jordan, a chartered psychologist, told MailOnline: 'One theory could be that it helps reduce stress.

'By concentrating on something else, i.e. the process of putting Vicks on with the socks, you are reducing your stress levels.

Procter and Gamble, the producers of Vicks VapoRub, said: 'It is not in line with what the product is for so we would not endorse it being used in this way.'

[mgpayton]

Paris Drains Canal For First Time In 15 Years And Finds All Sorts Lurking Underwater

What do you find when you drain a canal? Rather a lot of bicycles, supermarket trolleys and scooters, it seems.

City authorities in Paris have drained the Canal-Saint Martin in the fashionable 10th arrondissement neighbourhood so they could clear away the debris and refurbish the canal.

The last time this three-mile stretch of canal was cleaned, in 2001 - 40 tonnes of rubbish was removed.

Local residents have blamed the amount of rubbish in the waterway on tourists who are attracted to the area for its lively nightlife.

(Picture: Reuters)

To empty the canal’s 90,000 cubic metres of water and renovate its four double locks will cost Paris £7 million. 

As a result of this cleaning operation - it will remain drained for three months.

Workers on the project have already recovered a pistol which has been handed over to the police.

(Picture: Reuters)

The first step of this process was to drain the canal till it was only 50cm deep.

This allowed them to fish out the 4.5 tonnes of carp, trout and bream and transfer them to another part of the canal for the duration of the works, MailOnline reports.

(Picture: Rex)

Paris deputy mayor in charge of the environment, Celia Blauel has called on Parisians to respect the canals and not dump rubbish in the water.

She told Le Parisien: ‘If everyone mucks in and avoids throwing anything in the water, we might be able to swim in the canal in a few years, as in numerous other European cities.’

(Picture: Rex)

(Picture: Rex) 

(Picture: Rex)

Related video:

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‘Phallic’ Fried Chicken Van Sign Is Causing A Stir In Cardiff

A street food van has caused a little controversy with its new logo - which looks just like an ejaculating penis.

Dirty Bird Fried Chicken Van in Cardiff had asked a graphic designer to incorporate their initials DB with a rooster...the results can be seen below. 

Some Cardiff residents have expressed their surprise - one customer Denise Leyshon, 43, told Wales Online: ‘The food was finger-licking good but when I saw the logo I was a bit shocked.

’It’s not really what you want to think about when you’re tucking into your meal.

‘I was a little shocked but I would still come back for seconds.’

Erm, thoughts? (Picture: Dirty Bird Fried Chicken)

Mark James, who designed the logo, said: ‘We were given the name Dirty Bird as the brief, and started working on ideas.

‘We looked at the initials, DB. Then worked with the lowercase ‘db’ linking them to form the shape of a rooster. It’s graphic representation of a rooster incorporating the initials. It depends on how you look at it.

‘I’m not sure there have been any complaints. A few comments but it’s in the eye of the beholder, as they say.’

This chicken van has gained plaudits for its new take on fried chicken, including from Michelin-starred chef, Stephen Terry, who described it as ‘top notch tucker’.

Dirty Bird owner Neil Young said: ‘We’ve never really thought about it like that.

Our designer created a d and b for “dirty bird” then pushed them together to make a cockerel.

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Alleged ‘Belgian Police Orgy’ During Brussels Lockdown Now Under Investigation

An internal investigation has begun into reports that eight soldiers and two female police officers engaged in group sex in a police station during the Brussels lockdown.

The Belgian government closed all public transportation, shops and schools from November 21 to November 25 following the Paris terror attacks.

The 'orgy’ allegedly took place in a station in Ganshoren, just north of the Molenbeek neighbourhood, where police officers were hunting the Paris terror suspects, reports the La Dernière Heure.

During the search, the Ganshoren station was transformed into makeshift barracks for soldiers.

Belgian police spokesperson, Johan Berckmans, told De Morgen that 15 to 20 soldiers had been staying at the station during the two-week anti-terror operation.

The Belgian army has already come under criticism for their conduct during the lockdown with one uniformed soldier being investigated after being photographed carrying a shopping bag while on patrol.

[mgpayton]

Bristol Residents Have Produced The Most Passive-Aggressive Parking Notes Of 2015

How do Brits vent their anger? By writing angry letters and notes of course.

This is exactly what the residents of Bristol have been doing in response to bad car parking on their streets.

A local blogger, Dan Mehmet, noticed people who lived near his home in Bristol were partial to penning such passive-aggressive messages for fellow drivers over their inconsiderate parking. 

He started taking photos of the humorous notes and posted a collection of his favourites the website for his video creation company, Sparcol.

(Picture: SWNS)

Among the best was an irate 'Mr Banks' who penned a neat note to ask a driver who blocked his driveway ‘Are you drunk?’

Another less polite local used a thick marker to write an A4 sized message - ‘Do NOT Park You're Car like AN A** AGAIN 'D**K’.

Leaving a more permanent reminder, one person wrote their warning on the ROAD in spray paint - ‘BEWARE PARKING FINE HERE’.

Other examples include a furious resident who wrote ‘DON'T PARK ON THE PAVEMENT’ on a sticky label, and plastered it to a side window.

(Picture: SWNS)

Dan, from Bristol, said: ‘What do you know about the city of Bristol? The most important thing to know is this: parking your car is fraught with danger.

‘Get it wrong, and your windscreen wiper will become a paper clip for a handwritten reprimand.

‘I'm a sucker for handwritten notes. Especially those of the passive-aggressive variety. All that rage and indelible ink. Pure communicative joy.

‘When I realised this was how Bristol's car owners spoke to each other, I started photographing their work.’

(Picture: SWNS)

A more polite person's note said: ‘Please don't park in the middle of a space for two cars’.

(Picture: SWNS)

One irate local needed two piecesof A4 to vent their fury in a note which said: ‘THANK YOU FOR LEAVING ME… ENOUGH ROOM TO GET INTO MY BOOT… A***HOLE!’ 

(Picture: SWNS)

This note below was written by one rather unhappy person on a Thursday...

(Picture: SWNS)

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'Overwhelmed' Postman 'Dumped Hundreds Of Festive Presents And Letters In Trash'

A New York postman has been accused of throwing away hundreds of festive packages and letters because he was ‘overwhelmed’ at Christmas.

Daniel Darby, 25, dumped multiple bin bags filled with packages and letters could not cope with the sheer number of Christmas deliveries he would have to make, a court heard.

The dumped mail was later found in a residents bin on his delivery route in Ozone Park in the New York borough of Queens, reports the New York Post.

According to the criminal complaint, Darby admitted to 'ripping open’ some of the mail ‘to see what it contained’.

He has been charged with unlawfully delaying and destroying the mail.

Another postal worker, James Hayden, based in Brooklyn was also arraigned under the same charges.

Hayden was caught by an instore CCTV using a stolen $100 (£67) Visa voucher still wearing his postal service uniform.

Both men could face up to five years in prison along with a $250,000 (£168,700) fine.

The men and their lawyers have declined to comment.

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Christmas Tree Is Spotted In A Derelict Hospital Abandoned Since 2005

A Christmas tree complete with fairy lights was spotted several floors up in a derelict hospital.

Charity Hospital in New Orleans has been abandoned since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Lisa Walley Staggs spotted the tree are posted a picture on Facebook, which has since been shared more than 22,000 times.

Ms Staggs wrote on her profile: ‘For those few of you who may not know...I work at an inner city New Orleans hospital that happens to be situated directly across from Charity hospital. 

‘Charity hospital has been closed, its windows darkened, since Hurricane Katrina, and is a gloomy and dreary sight on the best of days...at night it's down-right scary. Until tonight.’

(Picture: Lisa Walley Staggs/Facebook)

The nurse added: ‘I park on the roof of my parking garage, and tonight as I was leaving work, I glanced over at the forgotten building, only to see the lights of a tiny Christmas tree!

‘I wish the pictures did it justice. I don't know how it's lit. I don't know how it's even in there, but it made me smile just a little bit tonight!’

The culprit, believed to be an urban explorer, is yet to be found.

Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) told WWLTV that the hospital police found some lengths of wood wrapped in fairy lights to resemble a ‘Christmas Tree’ when they investigated.

The spokesperson for the LSUHSC, Leslie Capo said: ‘We are treating this as a break-in.’

An Instagram user known only as @shortestsim posted the below photograph with the following caption: ‘Someone is taking credit for sneaking in and putting a tree in this room, can't personally confirm... photo of the outside of this room is going viral and people think these lights are a ghost Christmas tree. 

‘The only thing scary about this is how much the City of NOLA spends to keep the power on.’

(Picture: @shortestsim/instagram)

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These ‘Before And After’ Shots Show The Devastation Of Flooding In York

Northern England has been struck by heavy rain and flooding over the festive period, with York being one of the areas worst affected.

And these alarming images show the extent of the devastation in the historic city after the most recent episode of disastrous wet weather. Around Huntington Road in the city, streets which looked perfectly fine weeks ago are now under several feet of muddy water.

To provide scale of the flooding in the Northern England - the cost has already exceeded £1.5 billion, and is expected to breach £5 billion.

(Picture: Ross Parry)

Hundreds of York homes and businesses have not only been damaged - police have increased patrols to stop looting of submerged properties.

In addition to increased police presence, a series of biker gangs have taken it upon themselves to patrol streets for looters.

Among one of the architectural victims of the floods is a 300-year-old road bridge in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire.

Hooks and Tackles shop before the floods (below):

Hooks and Tackles shop after being submerged:

Huntington Road before being flooded (below):

And two locals casually cycling though the same submerged street days later:

 A white van parked on the road before the devastation:

 ...And water levels reaching over the bonnet after the floods. Here’s hoping the driver has comprehensive insurance:

(Pictures: Ross Parry) 

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Strongest El Niño On Record Could Cause Worldwide Hunger and Disease, Say Aid Agencies

This year’s El Niño weather phenomenon is the strongest on record and is going to increase the risk of drought and hunger across the world, according to scientists and aid agencies.

El Niño is expected to aggravate drought conditions and food shortages in African countries in February and increase flooding in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

This weather event involves the shift of warm water in the Pacific ocean and has helped make 2015 the world’s warmest year on record.

Dr Nick Klingaman from the University of Reading told the BBC: ‘By some measures this has already been the strongest El Niño on record. It depends on exactly how you measure it.’

‘In a lot of tropical countries we are seeing big reductions in rainfall of the order of 20-30%. 

‘Indonesia has experienced a bad drought; the Indian monsoon was about 15% below normal; and the forecasts for Brazil and Australia are for reduced monsoons.’

31 million people across Africa are believed to be facing food insecurity, a sizeable increase from last year.

UK International Development Minister Nick Hurd said: ‘If we fail to act now against this especially powerful El Niño , we will fail vulnerable people across our world

‘Ensuring security for those affected by El Niño is important to their countries but also in Britain's national interest. 

‘Only by protecting and stabilising vulnerable countries can we ensure people are not forced to leave their homes in search of food or a new livelihood.’

El Niño occurs every two to seven years with its effects lasting up to 12 months.