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New Norfolk map produced by Suffolk Gazette

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Norfolk map

By Ian Bred, Norfolk Correspondent

The people of Norfolk are delighted with a new map that carefully illustrates the county so visitors can find their way around.

Produced by Suffolk Gazette Cartographers Ltd, the map is a must purchase for anyone foolhardy enough to want to visit Norfolk.

While much of the county is home to dragons or is so far unexplored, there are some high points for tourists.

On the north Norfolk coast, there is Wells Next The Sea, a town whose name does not even make sense, and which is jealous of Suffolk’s posh coastal towns of Southwold and Aldeburgh.

Also on the north coast is an area called Cromer, made famous recently by the visit of jolly members of the Irish travelling community. Everybody was having such a nice time that even all the local businesses shut up shop to join in the celebrations.

Further down the coast is a town famous for kiss-me-quick hats, drunken sex, unemployment and slot machines. Yarmouth, which surprisingly has the word ‘Great’ in front of it, is a holiday destination presumably for those who had not done any sort of research beforehand.

The Norfolk Broads can be seen on the map, together with Wroxham, a town that is owned entirely by the Roy family.

Norwich, home to local radio host Alan Partridge and a crap football team, is the county administrative HQ and is accessible by horse and cart.

Finally, the map identifies the southern border, where Suffolk authorities have erected a huge Game of Thrones-style wall to prevent Norfolk people from crossing into the Promised Land and stealing crops.

The map is a sister to the Suffolk map, and also the Essex map, and is available for £19.99 from the Suffolk Cartographers website.

Wayne Rooney charged with driving VW Beetle

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Wayne Rooney

By Hugh Dunnett, Crime Correspondent

Football star Wayne Rooney has been charged with driving a VW Beetle, it has emerged.

The Everton and former England captain was stopped by police in Cheshire in the early hours of Thursday morning.

It is an offence for a man to drive a VW Beetle, which are explicitly for women motorists.

Police stopped the car at 2am in Wilmslow when they suspected a male was behind the wheel.

A police spokesman said: “Officers stopped a black VW Beetle because they were sure they had seen the driver was a man.

“They discovered Wayne Rooney, 31, in the driving seat, and he has now been charged with driving a VW Beetle.”

The footballer had been on a night out with pals while his pregnant wife was away on holiday.

Rooney has been bailed to appear before Stockport Magistrates on September 18 – the day after Everton take on his former club, Manchester United.

Men have been forbidden from driving VW Beetles for 20 years under the 1997 Driving Decency Act.

News of Rooney’s alleged offence comes just weeks after the Suffolk Gazette revealed a man had been spotted driving a Fiat 500.

A pal of the star said: “This will be so embarrassing for Wayne. Being allegedly caught driving a VW Beetle is a massive no no for any self-respecting man.

“He’ll have a lot of explaining to do when Coleen gets home.”

Dutch seize Felixstowe after war re-enactment goes wrong

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Dutch control Felixstowe

By Doug Trench, Defence Editor

A historical re-enactment of the Battle of Landguard Fort went badly wrong – and now the Dutch control Felixstowe for real.

Enthusiasts met up to celebrate the anniversary of the 1667 conflict, with the Dutch side attempting to storm the fortress next to Felixstowe docks.

But they took their role too literally and seized the fort before marching into Felixstowe and taking over the Town Hall as well.

Armed with muskets and swords, they raised the Dutch flag and, according to ancient charter, now officially control Felixstowe.

Battle of Landguard Fort

The unexpected development caught organisers of the re-enactment by surprise, and they blame Dutch nationalists for infiltrating the normally-friendly historical war society

Police and army officers are in talks with the group to find a peaceful resolution and return Felixstowe to British control.

“It’s all a bit embarrassing,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said. “This group of Dutch war enthusiasts managed what the Dutch failed to do in the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1667.

“Twelve of them currently occupy Felixstowe Town Hall. They have not made any demands yet, aside from asking for some bread, cheese and rum.

“We expect this all to end peacefully soon enough.”

Residents in Felixstowe were unaware they have been invaded and over run.

Mum of eight Phyllis ‘Phil’ McCracken said: “It’s very worrying. It’s not the sort of thing you expect to happen around here. Do I have to start speaking Dutch?”

Photos from the Felixstowe Museum.

Women spend as much on Prosecco as their mortgage

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prosecco

The average British woman now spends as much on Prosecco as she does on her mortgage or rent, it has been confirmed.

Researchers discovered women are guzzling more of the delicious Italian sparkling wine than ever before.

And they are forking out on average £650 a month on the bottles in pubs, bars and supermarkets – as much as the average mortgage or rent payment across the country.

John Barclay, of the Institute of Retail Measurement, said: “It’s a great time to be in the Prosecco business – British women can’t get enough of it.

“Bottles are flying off the supermarket shelves and are now a staple part of any visit to the local pub.”

But medical and financial experts warned boozy ladies they could be heading for health and money problems.

Dr Phil Ward, of the Suffolk Clinic of Medical Studies, said: “If you assume an average bottle of decent Prosecco in the supermarket is £10, this shows women are drinking 65 bottles of the stuff a month to spend that £650.

“This is way above the safe alcohol limit. Cutting consumption of Prosecco by 75% is probably still not enough.

“We would recommend one glass a day – not more than two bottles.”

And George Churchill, an independent financial advisor from Bury St Edmunds added: “This spending on mortgages and rent is far too high and is not sustainable.

“Women should consider downsizing their homes if they wish to keep up their Prosecco lifestyle.”

Trump will sell Alaska back to Russia to pay for Mexican wall

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Donald Trump Alaska

Donald Trump is poised to sell Alaska back to the Russians in order to fund his Mexican wall, it has emerged.

The US President sees Alaska as surplus to requirements now that America has plundered most of its natural resources.

And with the White House locked in a Mexican standoff over who will pay for the massive wall across its southern border, the sale proceeds will come in handy.

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America bought Alaska from the Russian Empire in 1867 for $7.2 million. Since then they have taken all of the gold and most of the oil and gas.

Furthermore, environmentalists have become a pain about keeping the state, north-west of Canada, in tip-top shape, and the residents have become a strain on the welfare budget.

Mr Trump came up with the plan to sell Alaska back to the Russians when an envoy from Moscow muted the idea of leasing back the territory so its super rich could go there on bear-hunting holidays.

The Russians also believe native Americans in Alaska are actually Russian.

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A White House spokesman said: “We don’t really need Alaska anymore. It’s stuck on the top of Canada miles away from anywhere, and quite frankly looking after it has become increasingly annoying and expensive.

“We have quoted a price of $10 billion to Russia, which represents quite a profit – and that will be more than enough to build our huge wall along the Mexican border.”

Professor of Politics at Suffolk University, Dr Hugh Williamson said: “While this sale will solve Mr Trump’s wall problems, it does pose another question: what will become of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin? The Russians won’t want her.”

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Now it’s Postman Patel and Bartosz the Builder as BBC rebrands kids TV

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Postman Patel

The BBC will cause uproar this week by insisting that children’s television favourites be remade to reflect a “modern and diverse Britain”.

Postman Pat is first for retirement and will be replaced by Postman Patel, a cheery new character who delivers the mail in inner city Birmingham rather than Longsleddale.

Also hanging up his tools is Bob the Builder, making way for Bartosz the Builder, who has moved to Britain from Poland to set up a new life for himself and his lovely family.

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The BBC is also concerned that so many of the popular kids TV characters are men, so Fireman Sam is now being rebranded as Fireperson Samantha.

“Our children’s television shows are stuck in the 1950’s and need bringing up to speed with a modern and diverse Britain,” a BBC insider revealed.

“We needed a complete rethink of how characters are portrayed on the small screen so youngsters feel more comfortable.

“This is also a perfect way to reduce racism and feminism in the workplace.”

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But the move sparked a furious reaction from some quarters. Suffolk UKIP councillor Major Reynold Besqinthorpe fumed: “This is utter nonsense from the left-wing BBC.

“Our children grew up with these beloved characters – there is simply no need to update them in this way.”

Mum of eight Phyllis “Phil” McCracken, from Great Yarmouth in Norfolk added: “This is political correctness gone mad.”

The BBC is likely to cause further outrage by insisting that Ivor the Engine be rebranded as a transgender express called Eva the Engine.

The lovable Welsh train will get into lots of arguments with the newly slimmed-down Thin Controller.

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Most Bank Holiday BBQs cause Tuesday sickness

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bbq sickness

Nearly 99.9 per cent of barbecues eaten this Bank Holiday Monday will be riddled with germs, rendering diners feeling gruesome, says a shock survey.

Sausages and chicken – even those pieces cooked in the kitchen and just put on the barbecue to add the smoked sizzle – will contain salmonella and E. coli as well as gastroenteritis and severe diarrhoea and sickness.

Burgers will be no better, even those burned to a cinder with no raw bits in the middle.

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The survey was compiled by The Board Of British Bosses and is based on data collected on work absence over the past 20 years.

A spokesman said: “Millions of workers will be incapacitated tomorrow.

“Based on previous evidence one in ten will get their partner to phone the office or factory saying one of the following:

“He/she was up all night being sick and is too weak to come to the phone. We think it was some barbecued burgers we had at our neighbours’ house.

“He/she has had the squits about 30 times in the night and is afraid to leave the house for work. We think it was some undercooked chicken we had at the village barbecue.

“He/she has been shitting and vomiting ever since eating a barbecued prawn yesterday at a pub Bank Holiday barbecue. We can’t get an appointment with the doctor so we can’t say if he/she will be in at all this week.”

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The spokesman added: “They will have sent their partners to the supermarket for emergency Imodium which is supposed to work in an hour but clearly these cases are more serious.

“The work place will be empty as they writhe on the lawn in agony, getting sunburn that will make them feel even worse.

“Even middle management will be debilitated by toxic fillet steaks and lobsters.

“Surprisingly, we checked with toilet roll distributors who said they had not noticed any upturn in sales.

“With the sun blazing and the kids off school it will be hell for these workers and we can only hope things return to normal by the end of the week.”

“Many of these poor souls will try to anaesthetise the germs with acidic wines, beers and cocktails but our Bureau medics have told us that copious amounts can make the patient feel even worse.”

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Couple, 85, win record Felixstowe Seniors Ice Cream Race

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Ice cream race

Sprightly Suffolk pensioners Basil and Audrey Belmarsh have won the annual Felixstowe Seniors Ice Cream Race in record time.

The Ipswich couple bought their cones at Felixstowe Pier and “ran” all the way down Sea Road to the Mannings amusement park before the last of the ice cream melted.

Thousands of elderly couples take part in the popular race each summer bank holiday weekend – and the Belmarshes, both aged 87, came out on top with a winning time of just 19 minutes.

The 400-metre course is fraught with obstacles, including greedy seagulls, drunks, people walking on the promenade while looking at their phones – and others whizzing around on disability scooters.

But Basil and Audrey, who recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary, evaded the lot to reach Mannings with several licks of their ice creams left.

“We’ve been taking part in the Felixstowe Seniors Ice Cream Race for years,” explained Audrey. “But we have never been close to winning before.

“We’ve been practising in the garden on hot days, and that, together with a bit of luck, was enough to see us romp home.”

Entrants must be in mixed pairs and be over 75 years old to take part in the race, which attracts huge crowds who love the thrills and spills of the competition.

The contestants set off from the pier at 30-second intervals to prevent congestion on the promenade.

But that did not stop one unfortunate incident yesterday when four couples caught up with each other and began jostling for space.

Six people fell down from the prom to the beach below. They were not seriously hurt.

Organisers Sunset Promotions Inc. said the race, which was first run in 1898, had attracted 1,057 retired couples yesterday – an increase of 15% over last year.

“The weather helped,” said Sunset’s spokesman Graham Cobbold. “We were impressed with Mr and Mrs Belmarsh, and it was good to see the course record broken. Will anyone be able to beat it next year?

“The pensioners love taking part. Fortunately, there are many benches for them to rest on if they get tired.”

The Belmarshes were presented with their first prize – a year’s free gym membership – at a special ceremony outside the Regal Fish Bar.