CRYPTIC CROSSWORD: NO. 28,606

Across

4 Criticise a metropolitan area’s greed (8)

8 Sacred text fellow’s appended to paintings from the East (6)

9 Brief a student – it’s not official (8)

10 Stuff in the sea rafter’s located by not capsizing (8)

11 Attendant about to upset soup (6)

12 Speaker’s prohibited articles from Left and Right that may go over one’s head (8)

13 Trade union newspaper site originally having most small branches? (8)

16 Main goal to remove bloomer (8)

19 Bit of food Greek character and I found in river (8)

21 Cavalryman seen in northern county town strangely sat out (6)

23 Set off for school in time (8) 24 Chord reproduced in opera gig (8)

25 In need of food country area’s lacking (6)

26 Take to court over retaining worth and title in retirement (8)

Down

1 Lines of communication? (7) 2 Go off duty, keep a low profile? (5,4)

3 Swallow most of drink (6) 4 Rule said pets will be needed for pelt (4,4,3,4)

5 Breathe out repeatedly making child’s engine for 1 (4-4) 6 Vehicle’s parked over half that – it’s worth its weight in gold (5)

7 Great as rioting control material? (4,3)

14 In burrow, northern insect getting heated (9)

15 Very well, that’s 100% accurate (3,5) 17 Wordplay involving a horse and another farmyard animal (7) 18 Trendy shop arriving soon (2,5)

20 Irritable and so on in your old surroundings (6) 22 Companion always providing comfort (5)