Street without post for six months after dog bite

A street in Liverpool has been left without post for nearly six months after Royal Mail suspended deliveries because one of its workers was bitten by a dog. Deliveries to the Ash Vale cul-de-sac’s 26 properties were put on hold after a postman was chased and bitten by a dog in September, noted the Liverpool Echo. Royal Mail said that the animal remained at the address, meaning that it was unsafe, but residents said this caused them to miss important letters, including cancer test results and hospital appointment messages.

Japan has 7,000 more islands than thought

Japan has discovered it has 7,000 more islands than it previously realised. The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan used digital mapping to recount the islands and found there to be 14,125 islands in Japanese territory, more than double the figure of 6,852 that has been in official use since 1987. The technology used previously was “not able to distinguish between small clusters of islands and larger individual islands”, explained Gizmodo, “meaning thousands of these islands were counted as one”.

Woman eats scones at every National Trust site

A widow has completed her challenge to sample a scone at every National Trust location that offered them, in tribute to her late husband. Sarah Merker, 49, began her tour in 2013, and has enjoyed 244 scones around England, Wales and Northern Ireland. She completed the challenge this week at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. “It’s all very emotional,” she told The Times. “It’s been a weird experience. I don’t know what I’d call it — it’s more than a hobby.”

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