There are two types of mudlarker, the professional and the amateur. The pros tend to work the shore on the low tides on weekdays. You’ll see them with metal detectors and spades digging frantically before an incoming tide. That day I also found 15 polished garnets (semi-precious gemstones), a few medieval pins and possibly a [...]

We cannot return documents, give personal replies or guarantee to answer letters We accept no legal responsibility for advice.. Britain’s tax credit system, designed to boost the income of poorer families, was last week branded a “nightmare” by an influential group of MPs. It will take 10 days if you apply over the phone on [...]

The Orange Order’s call for supporters to take to the streets had been clearly answered not just by its supporters but also by armed paramilitary groups, who evidently had guns and blast bombs at the ready.Trouble had been widely forecast after the Northern Ireland Parades Commission ruled it would be dangerous to allow a march, [...]

When the Sky contract ends, coverage would have to return to free-to-air television.. The Confederation of British Industry warned that as many as 14 per cent of absences may be down to the cricket. For much of the day, it hung just 400ft above the wicket, dimming Australian hopes of victory, but lighting up the [...]

A whistlestop visit to Bangkok was greatly enhanced by one of its tips to get a riverside restaurant to pick me up for dinner by boat. You will find the tone either fabulously witty or fantastically irritating depending on your point of view. There is no denying its series of guides’ usefulness however, offering some [...]