All news by author: Stian Alexander

Inspectors at one of Britain's most notorious prisons have reported a drop in the number of assaults after inmates were encouraging to take part in a facial hair challenge for the charity Movember

Following the high-profile robberies of Alex Jones and Amir Khan, both of whom had watches stolen, Sunday Mirror has looked at the rise in mugging cases where timepieces have been taken

Despite being in the business for more than forty years and having hits like 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' to his name, Simple Minds' vocalist Jim Kerr admits he doesn't know basic musical chords

Sir Ian McKellen said he went to see a plastic surgeon but was horrified when he was told what would happen during a facelift - so he decided to embrace his natural look

Dunelm is among firms letting people book an Airtasker assembler as they order beds and cabinets so shoppers can avoid complicated instructions

A study of eating habits found that men from Newcastle – the home of bakery chain Greggs – rate quiche most highly on the snack scale but those from Bradford are not fans

The three-chillis rating equals 50,000 Scoville Heat Units, while the UK’s hottest curry is the phaal – rated at up to a million SHU. Some diners brave enough to try it reported hallucinating

Prisoners at HMP Full Sutton, home to killer John Cannan, enjoyed weekly walks around the 53-acre grounds but the group for over 60s has now been given the chop

Only in five people aged 18 to 24 have ever chatted anyone up in real life, a survey found. That compares to more than 90% of over-50s who have tried out their best lines face-to-face

Jail home brew doubled in price in a year, the Chief Inspector of Prisons said. Cons make the drink from fruit, sugar and yeast, brewing up to five litres per container

The caterpillars – from the larvae of oak processionary moths, which arrived here 17 years ago in a ­shipment of trees from Holland – have up to 60,000 toxic hairs

The day sailing course has become one of the top 10 prison distance learning subjects. It is laid on for the Prison Education Trust by the East Anglian Sea School

Lags at HMP Drake Hall got graze boxes in a healthy food pilot and some used the contents to make booze of up to 40% ABV

Despite planning consent for the prison being given way back in 2017, the maximum security unit failed to open until last summer due to a 'series of unbelievable errors'

A photo taken at A Wing at ­Category B HMP Garth in Lancashire - which holds 850 men - shows a neatly made bed and acoustic guitar propped up on the wall, as well as a TV and a laptop

As salad becomes increasingly hard to find in supermarkets, green-fingered inmates at The Verne, a men's prison on Dorset's Isle of Portland, have harvested their own, including a whopping 1,300 lettuces

Female prisoners out on day release were bringing back push-up bras and lacy knickers, which were later deemed to be contraband and confiscated by officers

Comic Steve Coogan and Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall used to be friends and even sang a duet together but the pair stopped speaking after Coogan gave him a ribbing

Young inmates at Cookham Wood Young Offender Institution in Rochester, Kent, have helped arrange for drugs to be thrown over the walls or dropped by drones. A source said this raises security concerns

A picture of an inmate putting his feet up in a deserted classroom was taken at HMP Ranby in Nottinghamshire, which bills itself as a training prison. Inmates at the jail are supposed to learn skills

Researchers at Museum of London Archaeology and the University of Hertfordshire spent four years examining the 17th century containers and hope their findings will be shared at museums around the country.

Paedophile Michael Thurman wrote of HMP Five Wells: 'At last I am in a prison where, as a form of respect, the guards use our Christian names and told us theirs.'

A convict released from prison asked for special permission to go back inside HMP Channing Wood so that he could take part in an end-of-course theatre production

Taxpayers' money is spent by UK Research and Innovation on schemes including eco-friendly toilets, studies of Italian cinema, and platforms to help people do knitting

Iggy, 75, revealed his Moluccan salmon-crested cockatoo can hit 130 decibels – equal to a plane taking off or close-range gunfire - and the singer seeks sanctuary in a second home nine miles away