How one commuter has beaten the petrol price hikes... by building his own pedal-powered 'velomobile'

A commuter has found a novel way of defying soaring petrol prices - by travelling to work each day in a pedal-powered 'torpedo bike'.


As for many, the daily gas-guzzling commute had become an increasingly expensive chore for Ian Fardoe.


So the cycling development worker found an aerobic way to beat the petrol price hikes on his home-made velomobile.




Pedal-power: Ian Fardoe beats the rising petrol prices by making his six- mile daily commute to work in a velomobile

The 39-year-old, travels the six-mile journey from his home in Whitmore Reans, Staffordshire, in the wacky vehicle, which consists of an adapted tricycle wrapped in a plastic casing.


Sitting only a few inches above the gravel of the A449 Ian can be seen each day being passed by stunned drivers of cars, vans and articulated lorries.


But Ian has been in love with this futuristic form of travel since his first encounter with a velomobile seven years ago. And he says he feels perfectly safe travelling this way along the Midlands' busy highways.


'I first came across them when someone brought one into Maclaines's bike shop in Wolverhampton, where I had worked previously, to part exchange it,' he said.


'The staff all wanted me to ride it. They said: "this is something you'd like, one of these daft bikes," and I liked it straight away.


'I don't feel vulnerable, becaure everyone sees me. People say: "aren't you worried about drivers not seeing you?", but I'm not worried because everybody stares.'


While Ian has gradually built his own bike over the last 18 months, the initial cost of buying a velomobile can be off-putting, with commercial vehicles costing £6-10,000 - but the running costs are minimal.


'There are no petrol costs, and there's not much maintenance involved because it is just made of standard bike stuff.


'And all the running gear is enclosed so it is not affected by the usual silt and muck you would get on most bikes so they last a lot longer.


'Most people I know who have one know how to repair them themselves, but If they'd take it you could probably get it repaired at your local bike shop.'


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A little goes a long way: Ian Fardoe is swamped in his velomobile alongside other traffic

But it is not just the daily commute in which Ian uses his velomobile. He had been a keen bicycle racer for several years before he discovered velomobiles and now competes in about 12 velomobile races each year.


His hobby has even taken him as far as Holland, where velomobiles are far more popular, to compete and he will take part in the World Championships in Italy this June, riding at Monza's famous Formula One race track.


'It is a great aerobic workout on the way to and from work so the concept of driving to a gym is so alien to me. I just change when I get to work,' he added.


'My vehicle is like a mobile sauna. It gets incredibly hot. A lot of commercial ones tend to be 'head out' vehicles so you are cooler, but I was riding around in it when it was minus 20 in a t-shirt and shorts and I wasn't cold.'

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Dramatic moment shopkeeper and his son fight off robbers with gun and knife

• Police release CCTV footage in appeal for information on suspects
Police are hoping that dramatic footage released today of a shopkeeper and his son fighting off two masked robbers armed with a gun and a knife will help them find the culprits.

CCTV images show the suspects, wearing balaclavas and hoods, casually enter the shop before one of the men puts a gun to the shopkeeper's head.

The shopkeeper's son races forward to tackle the gunman and the four men become involved in a violent scuffle.


Gun terror: The dramatic scene during the armed robbery at the Gonca supermarket in Finsbury Park, north London, on December 21 last year. The pistol is circled
The footage from inside the Gonca supermarket on Blackstock Road in Finsbury Park, north London, shows the gunman pistol-whipping the son while the knifeman tries repeatedly to stab the shopkeeper, bringing the weapon down towards his head.

After the incident, at 9.45pm on Tuesday, December 21, spilled out on to the street, the attackers fled empty-handed down nearby Monsell Road and may have got into a dark-coloured Vauxhall Astra.


Escape: The violence spills out on to the street before the robbers escape
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Got you: The suspect is caught on camera
Police say the gunman was about 20, wearing black bottoms, blue gloves and black trainers.The knifeman,also about 20, was wearing a black hooded top, black and white patterned bandana, and black bottoms with two white horizontal stripes and white trainers.
The 46-year-old shopkeeper and his 25-year-old son escaped with cuts and bruises.

Detectives are linking the incident to another armed robbery which took place minutes earlier at 9.37pm at My Shop, in Fortress Road, Kentish Town, where a gunman and knifeman entered the shop before threatening staff and making off with £300 cash from the till.

The first suspect was again described as wearing blue gloves, while the second man, armed with a 'kitchen-type' knife, was wearing a patterned bandana and tracksuit bottoms with two white stripes down the legs.
The pair escaped along Burghley Road from Dartmouth Park Hill, leaving staff shocked but unhurt.

Detective Constable Dawn Bolitho, from Finchley Flying Squad, said: 'These are clearly men who are fully prepared to use violence and we would urge anyone with information to please contact us as soon as possible.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 020 8358 1751 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Fitness fanatic balloons from size 10 to 18 in weeks after developing tumour on her pituitary gland

• 26-year-old finally diagnosed after five years of tests

Fitness fanatic Kathryn Weir's life turned into a 'living hell' when her weight mysteriously shot up, making her so fat she was ashamed to leave the house.

The sporty 26-year-old, who enjoyed 90-minute sessions in the gym, ballooned from a trim size 10 to a size 18 in the space of a few weeks.

Doctors were baffled when Kathryn Weir, from Widnes, Cheshire, suddenly began to gain weight around her stomach for no apparent reason.


Her face became bloated and swollen and she began to grow dark hairs on her chest and back.





Size matters: Kathryn was healthy before the shock weight gain that 'snapped' her leg bone


Her bones became so brittle that one of her legs 'snapped' when she was on a night out - breaking under her weight.

She was finally diagnosed with Cushing's syndrome, a rare tumour on the pituitary gland, after five years of anguish.


The condition, which affects fewer than one in 200,000 people, causes a small tumour to develop next to the pituitary gland,affecting the hormones released into the bloodstream.

Kathryn, who works as a carer for people with disabilities, said: 'Cushing's syndrome has transformed me into a completely different person.

'I'm ashamed to go anywhere or see anyone now. I rarely leave the house.

'I used to take such pride in my appearance - I was devastated when I started gaining weight. My friends tried to save my feelings and didn't say anything, but when we went out, people assumed I was pregnant, because my belly was so huge, but my arms and legs are still very skinny.

'I was mortified when I kept having to tell people I wasn't expecting.

'I couldn't find any clothes to fit me, because my middle was so big but my legs weren't.

'If I don't tie my trousers up with a belt, they fall down because my legs are so much smaller than my bum.

'I wasn't eating any more than normal, and I wasn't exercising any less - but everyone was baffled by my symptoms.

'I couldn't understand what was happening to me - and neither could my doctors.'



Cushing's syndrome also causes 'moon face' symptoms

After five years of tests and hospital visits, Kathryn was diagnosed by doctors at Warrington Hospital in December 2010.

The syndrome affects the amount of Cortisol released into the body, causing major rapid weight gain around the middle.It also makes sufferers' faces bloated and round - known as a 'moon face'.

The tumour can also cause brittle bones or osteoporosis, a condition usually associated with elderly women.


Kathryn is due to have an operation next month in which surgeons are hoping they will be able to remove the tumour and get her life back to normal.

She added: 'I'm really very lucky that I was able to be diagnosed and that surgeons are hopeful that they can cure me.

'It took years for doctors to realise what was wrong with me, but some people never get diagnosed.

'If the tumour had never been spotted, the osteoporosis could have got so bad that it could have killed me.

'I've been in a living hell for the last six years - and it's only now that I can start to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

'There are times when I've felt like I didn't even want to go to work, because I felt everyone was staring at me.

'But thanks to my family and friends, who have stood by me, I have managed to make it through, and hope that I can go back to being fit and healthy Kathryn soon.'

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Two mothers and their toddler children banned from council-funded playgroup - for being BRITISH

• 'They asked me what race I was and I said British. They said I couldn't come in'
Two mothers who were kicked out of a council-funded playgroup spoke of their humiliation today after being told the group was for immigrant families only.
Emma Knightley, 25, and Kimberley Wildman, 27, turned up at the 'Making Links' playgroup with their children Imogen, 21 months, and Olivia, 18 months.

But they were stunned when organisers at the centre in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, ordered them to leave after demanding to know 'what country are you from?'


Emma Knightley with her 21-month-old daughter Imogen and Kimberley Wildman with her daughter Olivia, 16 months, who tried to join the 'Making Links' playgroup in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, but were told it is only for immigrants
The best friends were told that only foreign mothers and their children are welcome at the council-funded playgroup - which they have accused of discrimination.

Shop worker Emma, who lives in St Neots, booked a place at the playgroup six weeks ago after it was recommended by a mixed-race friend.
'I said I knew it was trying to integrate people into the community but didn't realise that meant British people and their children were banned'

She said: 'The first thing I was asked about was my nationality and when I said I was British I was told we had to leave.

'She said are you not aware this is for foreign people only?

'I said I knew it was trying to integrate people into the community but didn't realise that meant British people and their children were banned.

'I felt humiliated. It shouldn't matter what nationality you are we shouldn't be discriminated against.

'You wouldn't get away with a British-only mum and children's group.

'We want to welcome other nations to the community but turning British people away is not the way to do this.'

Trainee midwife Kimberley, also from St Neots, chose the group because it was free - whereas other groups in the area charged £2.

She said: 'They asked me what race I was and I said British. They said I couldn't come in. It's ridiculous.

Making trouble: The playgroup is located in the town's Priory Centre where the women were left feeling humiliated and discriminated against
'Surely if this group is about making links in the community they should let all people in, regardless of race or nationality.

'It's a real shame. I want my children to play with children from other races and integrate in the community because that stops discrimination.

'I can't believe we were discriminated against because we are British.'
Making Links, which is based at the Priory Centre in the town, is funded by a £1,000 annual grant from St Neots Town Council.

The community group is staffed by church volunteers and also receives money from the Co-operative community development fund and the Open Door Church in St Neots.


Emma and Kimberley had taken their daughters along after successfully registering to join the group before Christmas. But as they began to sit down at the Priory Centre, organisers realised they were British and asked them to leave
According to Making Links' website the group 'seeks to operate in the spirit of the Commission for Racial Equality'.

Its targets include: 'bringing communities together and facilitating interaction between them'.

The website claims about 50 women attend the weekly sessions every Thursday.

It adds: 'Making Links frees them from feelings of isolation, helps them build multicultural friendships and empowers them with knowledge about the local community.

'Thus Making Links presents a friendly St Neots face to people who might otherwise be outsiders.'

Roger Owen, administrator for Making Links, said that the group is not a 'typical' playgroup and is funded entirely for women from other nationalities.

He said: 'We believe there are plenty of other alternatives for British mothers in the town.

'We have had an issue with men turning up before and back then we told them the group is strictly for mothers so it's nothing to do with racial discrimination.'

According to the Equality and Human Rights Commission website, under the Equality Act 2010 it ir not unlawful to set up a group especially for a particular ethnic or national group.

Under the act discrimination based on colour is unlawful.
No-one from St Neots Town Council was available for comment.

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Clare Nasir looks red hot as she shows off her size 6 figure in a scarlet two-piece

As one of Britain's most popular weathergirls, Clare Nasir has reported on a variety of weather patterns from hurricanes to drought.

But as she shows off her new slimline figure in the Caribbean, it looks like the 40-year-old has found her perfect weather.

The mother-of-one was photographed enjoying a winter break in the West Indies, which has given her plenty of opportunity to show off her new size 6 bikini collection after losing three stone.



Toned and taut: Clare Nasir shows off her amazing weight loss in a red bikini in the Caribbean after losing three stone last year for her fitness DVD

Nasir dropped five dress sizes last year after overhauling her diet and fitness regime, which she later shared in her new fitness DVD Clare Nasir's Boot Camp.


Now weighing eight stone and looking taut in all the right places, there's no danger of anyone calling Nasir a 'blob' as she once described herself.


Recalling the moment in July when she was photographed exercising outside in a green bikini, she said: 'Seeing pictures of yourself looking like a lime green blob is a pretty good incentive to lose weight.'





What a change: Nasir is now a size 6, weighing 8 stone after dropping five dress sizes since she was photographed looking overweight last July (right)

The 5ft star weighed 12st 7lb when she gave birth to daughter Sienna prematurely in November 2009, and weighed 10st 4lb when she was photographed in her bikini.



What a change: Nasir is now a size 6, weighing 8 stone after dropping five dress sizes since she was photographed looking overweight last July

But after overhauling her diet and sticking to a new exercise regime, she is now down to a size 6 after losing 12 inches off her belly.

And she's shared her weight loss secrets in a new fitness DVD Clare Nasir's Boot Camp, which went on sale after Christmas.


She enthused: 'I wanted to lose it quickly - as well as safely - and after four months and lots of sweat, I’ve lost nearly 3 stone in weight and an amazing 12 inches off my belly alone.

More...

• 'I love my new body': New mother Chanelle Hayes regains her size 6 figure after undergoing liposuction and a boob job
• Carol Vorderman causes a bit of a conundrum as she steps out in VERY unflattering jumpsuit

'I’m a 40-year-old mum, but I reckon I’ve got the body of a 20-year-old now.

'Shopping has become my new vice - I’m constantly online looking for little dresses, boots that I know will zip up and leggings I can wear now. I’ve traded in baggy jeans for sexy skinny jeans.


Explaining her workout DVD, she said: 'Boxers in training burn around 8,000 calories a day, and with this combat-style workout we calculate you’ll burn up to 1,000 calories every time you do it.


'That combined with our amazing 5-meals-a-day diet will help you drop weight fast.


'If you follow the routine 3-4 times a week with the diet you could lose up to 4lb a week, which is incredible.'


Clare's workouts include kickboxing, lengthy runs, using weighted exercise balls and completing exercises such as push-ups and sit-ups on an inflatable balance ball.



Cooling off: Clare heads back towards the pool to take a break from the scorching Caribbean sun

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Kim Kardashian defies gravity as she goes without a bra in transparent top

She insists she hasn't had plastic surgery, but Kim Kardashian was undeniably defying gravity as she stepped out without a bra in New York last night.


A sheer panel in her grey and black dress displayed more than a hint of her abundant cleavage, which showed no sign of sagging.

While admitting to using Botox, the reality star has previously denied having a breast job, saying: 'Trust me honey, if I take this bra off you will tell me I need to get them done.'



Gravity defying: Kim Kardashian's curves need no support as she displays them in a transparent panel as she arrives for The Late Show With David Letterman in New York





Showing off her figure: Kim has been visiting the gym nearly every day after piling on the pounds


Kim's shapely figure showed the effects of her new exercise regime, having thrown herself into working out since Christmas.

She was accompanied by her sister as they arrived for an interview on the David Letterman show tonight, to promote their new show Kim and Kourtney Take New York.

The two girls then met up with their other halves, Scott Disick, who is the father of Kourtney's one-year-old baby son Mason, and Kim's new beau, New Jersey Nets star Kris Humphries, for dinner at Serefina.





New love: Kim is accompanied to dinner by her new boyfriend, New Jersey Nets basketball player Kris Humphries, who towered above his reality TV star lady

And while Kim, 30, braved the elements in her revealing dress, her sister covered up in a warm wool coat, complete with fur cuffs.

Her outfit was perhaps more suitable for the cold January day, with snow falling. Earlier the two had both been sensibly dressed as they landed at JFK Airport on a flight from Los Angeles.

Unlike Kim, Kourtney, 31, has been open about her use of surgery.



Different styles: While Kim went bare to display her dress, Kourtney wore a thick woollen coat, with fur cuffs



Arrival: Earlier in the day the pair had wrapped up warmly as they landed at JFK Airport from Los Angeles

'I have had breast implants, but it's so funny 'cause it's not a secret, I could care less,' she said in an interview last year.

And even their mother, Kris Jenner, has admitted resorting to the surgeon's knife.

'Nothing ever on my face,' the 55-year-old said when the family were interviewed on U.S. show Nightline last year.


'I've had my boobs done and that was 1988 and I had it done twice in the same year because the first one didn't work... I had some Botox.'

This morning the sisters continued their round of interviews with an interview on Regis & Kelly.



Interview round: This morning Kim made an appearance on Live With Regis and Kelly to promote her new show

Meanwhile their sister Kourtney's husband Lamar Odom has opened up to Playboy magazine about meeting his wife for the first time.

The NBA star said he was surprised by the 26-year-old reality star when they first met and they married just weeks after they met.

He said: 'I was kind of surprised at how intelligent she was. You don't know what to expect. Next thing I know I'm spending every day with her. We just hit it off.'

The Los Angeles Lakers star added that he's not worried about one of his sex tapes being released.

He said: 'We wouldn't have anything to be ashamed about, but, no, that's not going down.'

The couple will start filming their own reality show, Khloe & Lamar, later this year.



Sister act: The pair wore matching blush, with Kim in a dress and Kourtney in a skirt

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She's just purrfect: Anne Hathaway to play Catwoman in Dark Knight Rises

The cat's whiskers: Anne Hathaway has landed the role of Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises

Anne Hathaway is set to slip into a skin-tight suit to play Catwoman in the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises.

Director Christopher Nolan has cast the actress as Selina Kyle, the feline superhero's alter-ego, in his third and final instalment of the franchise.

The 28-year-old is said to have won the role over Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts and Blake Lively.

The part has previously been played by Michelle Pfeiffer in 1992's Batman Returns and Halle Berry in 2004's Catwoman.

'I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway, who will be a fantastic addition to our ensemble as we complete our story,' Nolan said in an official statement released by Warner Bros.


British actor Tom Hardy s set to play 'the man who broke the Bat', Bane, and Christian Bale will return in the lead role.

Hathaway, who most recently starred in Love And Other Drugs, is now one of the hottest names is Hollywood.

She is set to present the 83rd Academy Awards next month alongside 127 Hours star James Franco.


Dark Knight Rises is set for release on July 20, 2012.





Leading ladies: The role of Catwoman has previously been played by Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry

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