It wasn’t all bad

With up to 30 large-scale works underway on England’s motorways and trunk roads, there is at least some good news for beleaguered motorists. Highways England has decided to increase the 50mph speed limit that is often imposed around roadworks, in an effort to reduce both congestion and drivers’s stress levels. The limit will go up to 60mph on some stretches as early as next year – but the lower limit is likely to remain in place in areas with narrow lanes or contraflows.

An “elevating house” that can rise about five foot above the ground could be a solution to Britain’s flooding problem. Planners have given developers permission to build a three-bedroom prototype near Spalding, in Lincolnshire. This will look like a normal house, but will have eight mechanical jacks, powered by a central motor, capable of raising the 65-tonne building in less than five minutes. Though it’s not anticipated that residents would stay in the house, it could get electricity via solar panels, while water and sewage systems would remain connected through flexible hoses.

A music-loving decorator saved the day by stepping in to sing in a concert after the pianist on the bill pulled out. John Pierce, 34, a trained tenor, was working at Maldon United Reform Church, Essex, when he mentioned his love of music to the organiser of the lunchtime concert. Minutes later, the pianist who was meant to be playing cancelled. Pierce agreed to go on instead, and sang a string of opera classics, still dressed in his paint-flecked overalls. “It is the first time we have had a complete standing ovation,” said the Rev Mark Ambrose.