TELEGRAPH CROSSWORDS

Across

1 Feminine, ash-blonde, old, mad — but family (5,3,5)

9 Got back with insurance, after evacuating Rome (9)

10 Nuisance taking first portion of onion sauce (5)

11 Tradesman’s pound deposited in bank (5)

12 Works on garden dwellings with no end of charm (4)

13 Dull brown flatfish swimming across river (4)

15 Large ugly tear with a line on the side (7)

17 Left home, absorbed by island’s horizon (7)

18 Supplied personnel and stopped replacing students with females (7)

20 Lobster served as this on a bed? (7)

21 Question source of water (4)

22 Title held by the Mirror (4)

23 Mother gets fellow — one with a criminal family (5)

26 Found television well-informed (3,2)

27 Progress with daughter meeting standard set by hospital department sponsor (9)

28 Festive wit’s annual missive? (9,4)

Down

1 Letters offering a good job (5-5,4)

2 Do better in former prison accommodation, being cut off (5)

3 Complete skill shown by hospital transport vehicle (10)

4 Swimmer’s nervous anticipation returned when help arrived laughing, initially (7)

5 Fast traveller that no one welcomes (3,4)

6 Dearie me! Top’s come off chicken enclosures (4)

7 Germany? First to accept coach’s seizure ordered by court (9)

8 A jacket like this needs new blue beret, as odd (6-8)

14 Many labels must be wrong, of course (2,3,5)

16 Distressing illusion, mostly about gold rug (9)

19 A long time after mother’s court award (7)

20 The tedium of showing embarrassment during sudden prosperity? (7)

24 Father always stands for this Scandinavian beauty (5)

25 Refuse with contempt, lacking new incentive (4)