Battle of Waterloo bones found in attic

Bones thought to belong to troops killed at the Battle of Waterloo have been discovered in an attic in Belgium, reported CNN. Although more than 10,000 men are believed to have died during the battle, only two bodies have ever been discovered. It is believed that many of those who died at Waterloo were dug up by farmers, who sold their remains to the sugar industry to produce a form of charcoal to purify sugar. The battle was fought near Waterloo village, south of Brussels, in 1815.

Relative says Harold Shipman ad is ‘despicable’

A life insurance ad featuring a picture of the serial killer Harold Shipman has been criticised by a victim’s relative, reported FT Adviser. DeadHappy placed a picture of Shipman alongside text reading: “Life insurance: Because you never know who your doctor might be.” Tim Hill, who had a relative murdered by Shipman, described the advert as “despicable”. Shipman is believed to have killed hundreds of people before his arrest in 1998. DeadHappy said: “We do take risks with our brand and sometimes we may step over the line.”

House buyer sues over knotweed

A man who sold a £700,000 property that was “riddled” with Japanese knotweed faces a £200,000 legal bill after the buyer successfully sued, reported The Times. Jonathan Downing, a 30-year-old furniture designer, purchased a three-bedroom house in London from Jeremy Henderson, a 41-year-old chartered accountant. After discovering the invasive species, Downing sued the accountant for damages over allegations that Henderson had misrepresented the state of the property before purchase.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

For more odd news stories, sign up to the weekly Tall Tales newsletter.