It wasn’t all bad

Shoppers have cut the number of disposable plastic bags they use from 140 a year, on average, to just 19 since the introduction of the 5p levy in 2015. According to government estimates, the seven biggest supermarket chains issued just over a billion single-use bags in the past year, down from 7.6 billion in 2014. The extent to which shoppers have simply swapped disposable bags for sturdier “bags for life” – now the only type available in many supermarkets – is unclear.

When police refused to allow volunteer speed monitors to go on patrol in a Wiltshire village plagued by dangerous drivers, residents came up with their own solution: a pair of scarecrows. Kitted out in high-vis jackets and holding a fake speed gun, the pair have been on duty in Hindon for three weeks, and locals say they are highly effective. Made by parish councillor Frank Freeman and his wife, they stand next to a real digital monitor in the 30mph zone, where villagers say cars often go at 60mph. “We don’t know whether drivers slow down to look at them, or whether they are fooled,” Mr Freeman said.

A 25-year-old British woman has become the youngest skipper ever to complete a round-the-world yacht race. Nikki Henderson returned to Liverpool last weekend, 11 months after setting off on the 40,000-nautical-mile Clipper Race, and just days after turning 25. She came second behind Australian Wendy Tuck, 53, who herself made history by becoming the first woman ever to win a round-the-world race. The skipper and a core team remain on each 70ft boat throughout the race, aided by rotating support teams.