This isn’t the beginning of a joke.

Bar staff at the Oak Inn got a surprise on Sunday as a pony wandered into the pub and approached the bar exactly as if it was going to order a pint.

Landlord Martin Barrett and bartender Lizzy Peeling were stunned.

The brown New Forest pony walked in through the front door of the pub as customers were tucking in to their Sunday roasts.

Along with the Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes, they got a side order of New Forest pony.

Martin Barrett told Metro.co.uk: ‘The pony had obviously come in for a spot of lunch.

‘It was a bit of a shock and the pub was full of people. We were doing the second sitting of Sunday dinners and I literally looked up and there was a pony at the end of the bar.

‘The customers all started taking pictures and the horse didn’t seem bothered at all.

New bartender Lizzie Peeling, 24, used her knowledge from a previous job as a horse groom to lead the horse back outside.

‘Luckily, my new member of staff Lizzie had experience with horses.

‘She said: “I’ll sort it” and went straight round, got the pony by the nose and led it out for the pub.

‘The New Forest ponies tend to be very docile. People own them but they don’t have a lot of contact with humans. They’re allowed to just roam around and hang out with other ponies.

‘They tend to be inquisitive and mischievous, and they do come into the car park and sneak up behind customers!’

It sounds like the Oak Inn hasn’t seen the last of the curious New Forest ponies.

Equine enthusiasts now know the a great place to grab a beer.

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It may only be September, but brands are already getting ready for Christmas with Primark announcing a Disney bauble advent calendar.

The 25 Days Of Disney Baubles advent calendar will mean you can decorate your house one day at a time all throughout December.

Unless, of course, you just can’t wait and end up ripping into the entire calendar on day one.

The calendar features 25 Mickey and Minnie mouse inspired baubles, including the signature silhouettes, bows, Mickey’s gloves and lots of glitter.

They also come in a range of colours, including red, silver, pink and blue.

The calendar, which will cost £15, was revealed on Instagram account Disneyfind, owned by a woman named Roisin.

Sharing a photo of all the baubles included in the calendar, she wrote: ‘So many of you have been asking so I thought I would share.

‘These are the baubles that you will find inside the NEW Primark bauble advent calendar which will arrive in store in the next few weeks.’

Since the photo, people have been getting super excited for Christmas.

Comments on the post included: ‘I NEED THIS’, ‘I want one!!’ and ‘Ooooh they are fab!’

Primark isn’t the only high street retailer releasing its calendars early.

Harrods has also launched its £250 beauty advent calendar which is worth £680.

The calendar features an illustration of Harrods’ famous façade and the 25 mini drawers contain products such as Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonderglow face primer and the Nars Velvet Lip Glide.

Some favourites within include the Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser and the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow in Beach Bronze.

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Morphe’s beauty products are incredibly popular amongst beauty vloggers, including big names like Jeffree Star, Jaclyn Hill and Manny MUA.

One product they’re all especially hyped about is the Morphe Continuous Setting Mist – and this seems to have a lot to do with the application of it.

Unlike other setting sprays, which squirt out the liquid, this spray is more like a spray deodorant – misting your face, as the name suggests.

Alongside the mist, the spray leaves a dewy look, rather than looking dull and matte.

This is one of the reasons Manny MUA loves it so much.

‘Not only do I notice a difference in the longevity of my makeup, when I use it to prep and set my makeup I love the application and how lightweight and airy it is,’ he said.

‘But it still gives you a nice, full application and gets you everywhere, but it doesn’t feel like your face is completely drenched in setting spray.’

With so many big names bigging the spray up, it’s become a very popular product.

It’s been really difficult for people to get their hands on but now it’s set to arrive in the UK in a big way.

The first step is that Cult Beauty has just started stocking the spray for £15.

They describe it as being able to deliver ‘a continuous lightweight mist that leaves skin feeling fresh and subtly hydrated’.

If you can wait a little longer, as we’ve already reported, Morphe is going to be opening its first UK stores later this year and we’re expecting supplies to be plentiful.

The first ones will open in London and Birmingham so if you’re near either of those places, you’ll no longer have to pay online delivery.

And given that it’s super hard to buy the setting spray due to its popularity, this is a pretty big deal for many people.

While there aren’t exact launch dates yet, UK shoppers can at least find solace in that it’s not far away.

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When people brag about sex, they often talk about having done it ‘all night long’.

Personally, I can’t think of anything worse than having sex all night. It sounds like a recipe for chafing and much as I like sex, I’ve got to get up in the morning.

Most women I know seemed to agree. Anecdotally, I’ve only ever heard women express a desire for sex which goes on for a bit. Twenty minutes. Maybe half an hour. Certainly not more than an hour. In the words of writer and comedian Stevie Martin on The Climax, ‘It’s going to erode. ‘

But is there a ‘right’ amount of time for sex to last?

We’ve talked a lot about how often couples ‘should’ be having sex (spoiler: it’s however many times you and your partner feel mutually happy with) but what about how long that sex lasts?

We spoke to registered psychologist Dr Becky Spelman, an expert in sex and sexuality:

‘It doesn’t matter how long you have sex for, it matters how much satisfaction both partners are getting from it,’ She tells Metro.co.uk.

Usually, aeroplane seating mix ups are annoying. But for two strangers, it was fate.

Thinking that a stranger by the window had taken her seat on a flight from London to Tel Aviv, Israel, Adaya Cohen, 24, asked him to move.

But instead they got talking and love was definitely in the air.

Adaya ended up sitting with the stranger, Michael Hoffman, 27, and talked for the entire flight.

Though they went their separate ways five hours later, Michael couldn’t get Adaya out of his head.

This led to him tracking her down on Facebook and asking her on a date a few days later.

It turns out that they were destined to be together as the pair fell in love and and live together in London, three years after their first meeting in the air in September 2015.

Adaya said: ‘I felt like we really hit it off and was a bit disappointed when he didn’t ask for my number before we landed.

‘I thought he just wasn’t interested or maybe he had a girlfriend. When I got the message a few days later, I said yes straight away.

‘It’s so strange to have such a connection with someone you’ve known for just a few hours.’

When they met, Adaya and Michael were both studying in Israel – her in Tel Aviv, where they were flying back to ahead of the new term, and him about an hour away at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

But, while she grew up in Israel, Adaya – who was flying with her brother but sitting separately – had family in the UK. Michael, who was travelling alone, had grown up in the UK but moved to Israel in 2010.

‘My brother was in the same row on the plane, but on the opposite side. He was sat by the window and I thought I had a window seat, too, but there was a guy already sat there.

‘I said, “Excuse me, that’s my seat” but he explained that I’d got a bit confused. There was a girl in between us and when I sat down, we all continued the conversation.’

Immediately, they hit it off so well, that the girl in the middle assumed Adaya and Michael knew each other and offered to swap seats, so they could be together.

Michael added: ‘She asked Adaya if she wanted to swap seats, but she said no. The conversation kept going as the flight was a bit delayed, but when we started to get ready to move, the girl in the middle was drifting off, so she offered again to swap.’

After that, they chatted non-stop for the entire five-hour flight – even discovering they had some mutual friends.

‘It felt like we had a lot in common,’ Adaya said.

‘It was like I’d known him for a lot longer than five hours. The conversation just flowed. We talked about our friends, family and our studies.’

Hoping that Michael would ask for her number before they left the plane, Adaya assumed she would never see him again when he didn’t.

‘I really wanted to ask her, but I was worried she would feel a bit trapped,’ Michael said.

‘When you’re on a plane there’s nowhere you can really go if you feel uncomfortable. I didn’t want to put her in that awkward position.

‘As soon as I got off, I regretted it.

‘I looked on Facebook, as she has an unusual name and I knew we had some mutual friends.

‘I thought I might as well send her a message and just explain why I hadn’t asked on the plane.’

Adaya worried that once their new terms began at university, the distance between them would put Michael off but they ended up keeping up a long distance relationship, seeing each other every weekend.

After two years of living in separate cities, Adaya and Michael decided to move to London together to study for their respective master’s degrees.

‘It’s funny because before I met Michael, I knew I wanted to study in either the UK or the US,’ said Adaya.

‘I had thought about it for my BA degree, but that hadn’t worked out and, at the time, I said I would do it for my postgraduate studies.

‘When we met, that plan worked for Michael, as his family are back in the UK and it meant he could spend more time with them.’

In September 2017, Adaya started her master’s in post-production at the Met Film School, while Michael started his studies in genetics of human disease at University College London.

Michael loves living with Adaya.

He said: ‘To go from seeing each other at weekends to spending so much time together is great. It’s just the little things like cooking together and even cleaning together.’

And studies argue that their experience isn’t that uncommon. One in 50 people have fallen in love on a flight, HSBC research found.

Now having finished their studies, Adaya is working as a junior video editor and Michael is applying for jobs in London.

‘We love living in London and we are very happy here,’Adaya said.

‘We have no plans to move any time soon but we think we would eventually like to go back to Israel.’

And if they do – they’ll book their lucky seats. Ever since first meeting, they’ve booked the same seats, in row 12, where they were in when they met, to look back on where their relationship started.

‘It’s not always possible, but it’s a nice thing to do,’ said Michael.

Meanwhile, Adaya is still gushing over their love story, three years later.

‘It’s such a nice story to tell people,’ she said.

‘When they ask where we met and I say “On a plane”, the conversation never ends there.’

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‘Quintessentially British’ designer brand Burberry has announced that it will stop using real fur in its products.

Burberry joins the ranks of major fashion houses ditching natural fur, including Armani, Versace, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Vivienne Westwood, and Stella McCartney.

The decision is particularly interesting as for many years Burberry stood firm on their use of fur. Their collections – with Christopher Bailey at the helm – historically made use of rabbit, fox, mink and Asiatic raccoon fur.

Yet in his first season as creative director, Riccardo Tisci has rid the brand of fur, announcing that his debut show at London Fashion Week will be fur-free.

The sale of existing fur items will be phased out following the announcement.

LFW chief executive Marco Gobbetti said: ‘I don’t think it [fur] is compatible with modern luxury and with the environment in which we live, and Riccardo has a very strong view as well on this.

‘It’s part of what Burberry is today.’

Burberry’s decision has been hailed as a cause for celebration by animal rights organisations, with Peta announcing they’re doing ‘cartwheels’ at the news.

However, not everyone is rejoicing.

The International Fur Federation (IFF) say they’re ‘disappointed’ with Burberry’s decision because, they say, a move to using faux fur is not environmentally friendly.

The IFF’s CEO Mark Oaten says: ‘Substituting natural fur with plastic petroleum-based materials, like fake fur, is in no shape or form either luxury or responsible and sustainable.

‘Using plastic fake fur in fashion is not sustainable and ends up damaging the oceans, the environment and the entire ecosystem.

‘Any fashion business with a commitment to sustainability should be using natural products such as wool, cotton, leather, silk and natural fur.

‘Fur is farmed to the very highest standards, it is sustainable and many designers and brands continue to work with it.

‘We think Burberry should allow its customers freedom of choice in purchasing natural or plastics.’

The IFF claim that real fur is better for the planet than fake fur, which is most commonly made using plastics such as acrylic that are made using petrochemicals and can take thousands of years to biodegrade.

A counter-argument of this nature from the IFF comes as no surprise. After all, it is their business to protect the fur trade.

It does, however, neglect to mention the environmental impact of its own industry: keeping animals comes with its own cost to the environment, as do the potentially polluting toxic chemicals used to process and preserve the fur.

The feed for animals on fur farms and their waste products have environmental consequences as the same way as the food and waste of animals raised in the meat industry do.

And mass-produced fur garments are still assembled in factories that use dirty energy, just like faux fur clothing.

However, as demand increases, it really is worth thinking critically about faux fur.

Although studies have been conducted on the environmental impact of natural Vs faux fur, they tend to be commissioned by invested parties: animal rights organisations and the international fur lobby.

It’s difficult to find unbiased information on whether fur or ‘fur’ is the most environmentally sound choice, but there are certain factors we can consider to get a better overall impression of the pros and cons of each fabric.

Cruelty

The most common reason cited by people who choose not to wear fur is the cruelty to animals involved.

It is the biggest issue facing the fur industry and, while many claim to be sustainable and as animal-friendly as possible in the way they keep and kill animals, all fur is the inevitable result of animal death and there is plenty of cruelty, mishandling of animals and barbaric practice reported.

A US study of Chinese fur farms, which supply North America with more than half the fur sold there, revealed they go virtually unregulated in terms of animal welfare.

Animals were kept in cramped, dirty cages, unprotected from the wind and rain. There were high levels of infant mortality, animals would mutilate themselves in distress and were extremely frightened and often unresponsive.

According to Peta, animals on fur farms are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death or skinned alive for their fur.

If animals aren’t dying brutal, violent deaths, campaigners say they’re being killed by the cheapest means possible – gas, suffocation, poison and electrocution.

For animals not raised in captivity, the practice of ‘fur capture’, where wild animals are captured for their fur, is still considered to cruel.

After being caught in traps, animals might spend days bleeding out, Peta says, or die from shock, frostbite, dehydration, gangrene or attacks by predators, caught in a steel jaw trap that has sliced their legs to the bone.

There is no doubt about it: fur comes at a cost – and the animal pays the ultimate price.

Biodegradability

Real fur is organic, and as such, biodegrades and rots away.

Clothing made of synthetic fibres (plastics) does not break down so easily.

The fashion industry is increasingly coming under fire for their role in filling the world’s oceans with microfibres or tiny bits of plastic.

Every time we wash garments made of non-natural fibres like polyester, acrylic or rayon, we’re putting microbeads of plastics into waterways, where they are ingested by marine life, eventually ending up in our food chain.

The scientific community has only just begun to truly dig into the implications of microfibres in the oceans for aquatic life and human health, but we do know that generally, plastic can take anywhere between 500 and 1,000 years to fully decompose.

This means that your discarded faux fur coat will clog up some landfill for a very long time.

Invasive species and predators

Can it ever be considered environmentally friendly to kill an animal? It could be argued that it can, if the species is threatening another type of creature.

Sometimes, the population of one species becomes so large that it begins to threaten the survival of another animal that shares the same territory or is hunted for prey, or an invasive creature threatens a native creature.

This is the case with coyotes in America, which are now putting populations of caribou at risk by preying on their young.

Coyotes are trapped for fur by companies like Canada Goose, who use them to trim and line coats.

Trapped coyotes will suffer and die, but their proliferation is harming baby caribou.

If an overly large population is set to be culled anyway, it better to kill and use the coyotes for fur rather than merely culling them and discarding their bodies?

Garment lifespan and environmental impact

We live in the age of disposable products, and the fashion we buy is part of this.

Fast fashion is cheap, unsustainable and easily discarded. We don’t mend things anymore – it’s quicker (and often cheaper) just to buy a replacement item.

The fashion industry – and that includes both fake and real fur – is one of the biggest global polluters, responsible for pouring toxins into waterways, using poisonous dyes and filling dump sites with rejected or discarded clothing.

It guzzles water at an unbelievable rate and is a bigger contributor to climate change than international air travel and maritime shipping combined.

Your faux fur coat is going to require a lot of water and energy to make. If you bin it after six years or less, you’re doing four times more damage to the environment, according to the study commissioned by the International Fur Trade Federation, than you would be by buying a real fur coat.

Real fur coats tend to be passed down, upcycled and sold on, they say. They are seen as ‘investment pieces’ that will last.

However, with faux fur increasingly being seen as a viable option by major fashion houses, the longevity and perceived classiness of the fabric could rise.

If a quality faux fur is treated as a long-term investment and kept for many years, its environmental impact will be reduced.

There is also increasing conversation around the creation of more eco-friendly, plant-based alternatives – and the more designers that join the conversation, the faster we will end up with better options.

Peta director Elisa Allen told Metro.co.uk: ‘The fur industry is clearly worried and sees the rise of faux fur as well as the move towards eco-friendly vegan fashion as a threat to its cruel business – and it has reason to be anxious.

‘All animal skins are disastrous for the environment. They’re loaded with chemicals in order to keep them from decomposing in people’s wardrobes.

‘Dutch research company CE Delft found [in 2011] that it is up to 10 times more harmful to the environment to produce a garment made out of animal fur than it is to produce one made out of faux fur.

‘We mustn’t forget that, as well as being damaging to the planet, all animal-derived materials used in clothes or accessories are stolen property and belong to the beings they were taken from, not to us.

‘No animals ever volunteer to give up their fur, skin, wool, or life for a pom-pom on a bag, or a pair of boots.

‘The future of fashion must be about innovative and sustainable fabrics, not toxic skins. And new vegan fabrics – including pineapple leather, yarns made from recycled plastic bottles, and down-alternative seed fibres – are leading the way.’

Of course, pro fur campaigners question the research, which was specifically focused on mink fur production.

So, should we fake it or not?

Neither is perfect.

Faux fur is generally synthetic, sheds plastic microfibres with each wash and are likely to end up in landfill. The pollution of creation and disposal could last hundreds of years.

Natural fur means death of an animal that all too often has lived a miserable, degraded life before being brutally killed or trapped in the wild in cruel and painful ways. It also comes with its own environmental cost.

If a recycled, cruelty-free or plant-based vegan alternative were readily available, faux fur would become the clear winner, an animal- and plant-friendly choice.

However, as it stands, it cannot claim to be that.

A small number of firms are creating fake fur from wool, alpaca and other natural animal fibres and other non-animal methods of making fake fur are slowly being introduced – but they are still rare and more expensive than most are willing to pay.

In short, fast fashion deals in profit. While the cheapest and easiest way to make faux fur is with plastics, the industry at large will be slow to switch to more environmentally friendly methods.

To make that happen, it is necessary for us all to examine and tackle the environmental problems endemic in the fashion industry.

And that means everyone – from designers and suppliers to shoppers like you and me – must play our part.

Burberry had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

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A nine-week-old boy could be one of Britain’s ‘hairiest babies’, as his hair is almost longer than his mum’s.

Renzo Henderson’s jet black hair shocked doctors when he was born, telling his mum, Shannon Kaitell, 24, ‘wow, he has a lot of hair’, when they could see his head during labour.

The baby’s hair has grown so long that now, at nine weeks, his mum jokes that it’s almost outgrown her own hair when she’s not wearing extensions.

Pictures show that even by just 20 days old, Renzo’s hair had begun to extend inches down his tiny back.

Mum-of-two Shannon bathes and washes her little boy’s hair every day to keep it soft and clean but admits it ‘does what it wants’ when she tries to style it.

Although her older son Rome Henderson, four, also had hair when he was born, Shannon claims she’s never seen hair as long as Renzo’s on a newborn baby.

Shannon, from Gravesend, Kent, said: ‘I haven’t actually ever known a baby to have hair like it. I do think he’s definitely up there as one of the hairiest – his hair is bigger than he is.

‘When Renzo was born it was really long, especially at the back. When I was in labour they didn’t even say if they could see the head. There were a few people in the room and quite a few shocked faces.

‘The first thing they said to his dad when they took him to see him was “look how much hair he’s got”. It’s been long since birth, but since then it just keeps growing.

‘It’s not until I look back over the pictures that I realise how fast it’s grown.

‘I’ve never actually measured it, but it’s inches long, especially at the back.’

Shannon says her son’s hair is a bit like ‘a long haired cat once they’ve been brushed and it’s like fluff’ when she touches it.

‘It’s so, so soft. I’ve never felt hair like it,’ she said.

Apparently, Renzo gets compliments constantly, with people always stopping to ask to touch his hair. He’s very popular.

‘I didn’t really realise that babies with hair is such a big thing,’ Shannon says.

‘It’s not until you look that you realise that most people’s aren’t actually born with hair or that much hair, and then a lot people say their baby’s hair falls out.

‘I’m hoping that Renzo’s doesn’t. My first son’s didn’t, so I’m hoping it will be the same with Renzo.’

Shannon and her fiancé Chris Henderson, 33, love their baby’s thick locks and plan to avoid cutting it for as long as possible.

Shannon, a stay-at-home mum, said: ‘I quite enjoy him having long hair. People haven’t mistaken him for being a girl but they do ask first, “boy or girl?”

‘Whereas with my Rome I never had anyone mistake him for a girl because he just looked like a little boy.

‘Chris just laughs at Renzo all the time. He finds it hilarious.’

Even though both her sons have been blessed with thick hair, Shannon doesn’t know where they get it from.

‘I don’t think I have particularly nice hair myself,’ she says.

‘I’m half African and I don’t actually have afro hair but with my ethnicity our hair doesn’t grow that well.

‘Mine is naturally curly but I straighten it so much and use so many heat treatments it doesn’t ever grow that much.

‘I think men’s hair always grows quicker, but I never expected for my newborn to have that much hair.’

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Marks & Spencer is planning a U-turn following a backlash from parents over their excessive use of plastic packaging for school uniforms.

Following the news that the store would no longer be providing plastic cutlery, it seems M&S still has a way to go in reducing the plastic it uses.

The retailer has this week come under scrutiny from parents over their ‘unnecessary’ use of plastic used in their school range – and considering kids went back to school this week, there’s been lots of it.

Furious parents have taken to social media to share images of the amount of packaging used for their children’s shirts, trousers and blouses.

On Monday Keren Hudson shared a photograph of a huge heap of cardboard and plastic used to package up shirts for her children.

Complaining to M&S on their Facebook page, she wrote: ‘Eight school shirts. This much packaging?’

On the same day another disgruntled customer, Heather Richardson posted an image of her school uniform packaging, writing: ‘All this plastic just for three school shirts…

‘Can you not make the collar guards and clips out of cardboard?’

Marks and Spencer responded to Heather’s complaint by saying: ‘Hi Heather. We’re passionate about reducing our use of plastic packaging and keeping it minimal.

‘We use recyclable materials wherever possible and are currently committed to making all our packaging widely recycled by 2022. We’re also aiming to be zero waste by 2025.’

Michelle Robertson also shared snaps of her purchase and said even her daughter was shocked by the packaging.

She said: ‘Back to school shop yesterday, my 10-year-old daughter was horrified at how much unnecessary plastic packaging was used in a pack of three school shirts.

‘Please explain to her why it is needed because I am unable to answer her question.’

Following the uproar, Marks & Spencer has announced that it is reducing plastic packaging on their clothing range by 20%, and will be testing out new packaging for next year’s Back To School range.

A spokesman for Marks & Spencer said: ‘We’re working hard on plastic reduction, listening to customer feedback and making changes.

‘We’re taking out around 20% of the plastic packaging used for our Clothing & Home products and testing new packaging for next year’s Back To School range.’

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You know what’s cool these days? The ‘90s. It was inevitable that the decade that gave us The Spice Girls, Friends and iconic movies like Clueless and Fight Club, that the style would boomerang back faster than you can say ‘you can’t handle the truth!’ Jack Nicholson style. (Yes, A Few Good Men was a ‘90s hit too.)

But, there’s an abundance of style that is coming back into fashion – so much so you will wish you kept your first pair of platform trainers.

The ‘90s are certainly getting the Instagram treatment, with the cool kids picking out the highlights from the retro look book.

Here are the ones that we wish will come right back to stay and are hoping that mum kept safe and sound for us from the first time around.

1. Platform shoes

Not everyone is graceful and can glide around in strappy heels without nearly breaking something, so thankfully platform shoes or trainers are finding their way back to our feet and we are relieved! Adored by the girl bands of the ’90s, the platform trainers gave you an extra boost but feels solid and you can dance all night, but not if you roll your ankle!

2. Popper tracksuits

Athleisure is all the rage, especially as a co-ord. Who wouldn’t want to step out in the most comfortable item in your wardrobe and look bang on-trend? Popper tracksuits might not make that much sense, but they are basically lounge pants that make you look cool. Win/win.

3. Chenille jumpers

Why did these ever fall out of style, that’s what we want to know? The classic Chenille sweater – basically a hug in clothing form. Perfect with a mini skirt or jeans, you can dress up a chenille sweater – which adds a touch of glamour to any look – or dress it down with a simple pair of jeans. Boot-cut jeans aren’t really a favourite, but team it with a pair of flares or skinny jeans and you’re golden.

4. Mood rings

Gothic lace and mood rings are an absolute ‘90s fashion staple we can not live without. Sure, you were always ‘happy’, until you lost the mood chart your ring came with. But now with the internet, you can just search for the answers to know what mood you’re in. Or at least your pals can before they try to speak to you before your first coffee.

5. Trouser skirts

The type of clothing that would really come in handy when you can’t decide what to wear. A trouser skirt solves everything. Yes, it’s a bit complicated when you make a trip to the bathroom, but it’s definitely a conversation starter and a statement maker.

6. Combat trousers

No, you’re not going on an assault course, but you basically could if you wanted to get physical. These baggy pants can be whatever colour you like, and once you get one pair and realise that you don’t have to lubricate yourself into a pair of skinny jeans and heels ever again, you’ll probably want them in all the colours of the rainbow. Combats don’t just have to work with trainers either, Madonna rocked these with a pair of platforms, so you could too.

7. Colour me crazy

Well it’s not quite a genie in a bottle, but a pop of colour from a bottle that Tai and Cher would be proud. Christina Aguilera rocked it, and we were sad to see it go but now we can add a pop of colour to every day with dip dye locks. In all fairness, it makes having to choose between colours a hell of a lot easier, but pick the right hairstylist because you do not want to get this wrong.

8. Stripes

French is making a stylish comeback in a good way. You’ll wish you had a Renault Clio and your name was Nicole, by stepping out in monochrome stripes.

Pick a style that suits your shape – horizontal stripes are thought to be most flattering. But be brave, and don’t forget your beret, which is after all, the pièce de résistance.

9. Mini buns

How much time do you leave for yourself in the morning because mini-buns are back in. You don’t have to be a model to make this look happen, but you do need to be nifty with a comb. Want it messy? It works, or you can be meticulous and get through a bottle of hairspray to make sure not a hair falls out of place.

10. Chokers

Iconic statement without being too garish, a choker is a nod to the grunge era. It doesn’t just have to go with a full goth mode. Ditch the plastic swirls in favour for a lace, or velvet choker. Now, that is a classic item.

11. Bandannas

Tie your hair back with a bandanna. This accessory is not only timeless but universal. If you find one big enough, you can wear as a hankie top – that is nailing the retro trend to a tee. But you can also wrap it in you hair for street-style look or improvise and wrap around your wrist like a cuff.

12. Butterfly clips

Yes, these cute accessories are back to give your hair some extra texture and colour. Pin straight hair is no longer a thing, you can be unique and show off yourself of style by creating the most outrageous styles with just a few of these butterfly clips. You can get them in a variety of colours to complete your outfit and you won’t get the annoying dent in your hair when you’ve tied your ponytail too tight. But let’s face it, you have to take these bad boys out before you try and get a decent night sleep. Uncomfortable to say the least.

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You might remember that earlier this year upskirting was very nearly made illegal thanks to the tireless work of campaigner Gina Martin.

Unfortunately her efforts weren’t successful at the time, thanks to a vote from MP Christopher Chope. But Gina has continued to work towards her goal of making it illegal to take a picture of someone else’s crotch without their permission, and it’s on the way to happening.

In light of her work, actress and comedian Samantha Baines has launched a crowdfund to support Gina, who has spent hundreds of hours of her time working on the campaign.

Samantha tells Metro.co.uk: ‘Gina is an amazing woman who is campaigning for a cause which affects so many people and she’s doing it all on her own.

‘Gina has ploughed so much of her time and money into travelling to meetings, taking time off work to attend events to further the calls, researching politics and even writing a bill whilst trying to work a full-time job to have enough money to live.

‘Gina would never ask anyone for money, so I thought I would.’

The crowdfunder page explains:  ‘Gina had a photo taken up her skirt at a festival over a year ago and has since campaigned to make that illegal. Gina has done this at her own expense and has worked the campaign around her full-time job. Whilst she is an amazing driven woman, I believe she deserves some compensation for the amazing contribution she is making to society.

‘Please help provide some financial support for travel to and from the house of lords for the hundreds of meetings she has attended as well as the time she has taken away from her paid job to make this change for women everywhere!’

We contacted Gina to ask her what else the public could be doing to help the movement.

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘I started the campaign July 2017 and have worked on it daily alongside my job – my bill is now backed by the government and heading into the house of Lords after completing it’s stages in the houses of parliament.

‘I’m so proud of all the hard work that’s gone into it – and I can’t wait for when it hits the statute books and becomes usable.

‘The public can keep up to date with it via my social – the bill has cross party support so it’s not a case of convincing MP’s anymore but I would ask people to be vigilant and call out upskirting if they see it.’

If you’d like to donate to the crowd fund, you can do so here. 100% of the money raised will go to Gina to cover the costs that she has incurred while fighting to pass this legislation.

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Vegan sneakerheads rejoice!

Adidas has partnered with British designer Stella McCartney to create the world’s very first vegan-friendly pair of Stan Smith trainers.

These ubiquitous tennis shoes are consumer favourites around the globe but they’ve previously only been available in leather.

Now, vegans can slip on a pair of Stan Smiths guilt-free for the first time 1971, when the trainer first graced a tennis court.

The new design will feature a portrait of Stella McCartney on the tongue, three rows of stars, and blue and burgundy stripes along with the Stella McCartney logo on the heel.

Stella McCartney is a life-long vegetarian, following in the footsteps of her mother Linda, whose range of vegetarian meat products are still a supermarket staple today.

McCartney has shown a real commitment to opposing animal cruelty in her career as a designer, abstaining from using fur and leather in her collections.

The Stella McCartney brand is fully vegetarian and the label’s website boasts that not only do they select wool from only the highest quality animal welfare farms, but they are also looking into new biotechnology that can create silk without the use of silkworms.

‘The Stan Smith sneaker is just an incredible design that has stood the test of time,’ McCartney said in a statement.

‘I’m a fan of the original as much as almost everybody is.

‘It just connotes a heritage in tennis and performance that was really important at the time.

‘Now it seems like part of the furniture in footwear, a classic, but at the time it was pretty revolutionary and obviously the cutting-edge technology in tennis footwear for the athletes.’

Last year, McCartney came under fire for cultural appropriation, after sending African-inspired dresses down the runway.

Thanks to this partnership, vegans can channel the vibe of tennis legend Stanley Roger Smith, who the shoes are named after.

American Smith was the world number one, a two-time Grand Slam singles champion and half (with partner Bob Lutz) of one of the most successful doubles teams ever.

Whether you’re ready to hit the tennis court or simply stroll round town in a fresh pair of kicks, the Stella Stan Smiths could be a great cruelty-free choice.

You can pre-order them on 5 September and pick up a pair in store on 10 September.

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Michelle Keegan took to Instagram yesterday to reveal a new dress launched within her Very collection.

She unveiled a new black denim bodycon dress – a new version of the original blue denim bodycon dress which sold out within 24 hours of its first release.

Oh, and that’s back, too.

Both dresses cost £45 and, while the black is currently in stock in all sizes, the blue denim is selling out pretty quickly once again.

Both dresses are styled like a pinafore, with a hugging bodycon shape and a button-through front with pocket detailing and a split to the midi pencil skirt.

Since the new black dress was posted online, customers have been getting pretty excited about it.

One person wrote: ‘That is one of those dresses that you need in EVERY colour…. red for a date night… citrus yellow for your holidays, baby blue for a BBQ and possibly a khaki green with a sleeve, belt and some gold hardware for the autumn.’

Another said: ‘It’s an investment because you could wear in the winter with a nice knitted white polo neck underneath.’

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A family has adopted ‘Britain’s biggest puppy’ – a Great Dane that is over 6ft and weighs 43kg (95lbs). And he’s still growing.

Five-month-old Arnie the dog was the biggest pup the team at Dogs Trust in Glasgow has ever cared for.

He was put into care and now a family have fallen in love and decided to adopt him even though he towers over all of them when he stands at over 6ft on his hind legs.

Julie and Colin Reid and their son Josh from Stonehouse, South Lanarkshire have adopted him.

Julie said: ‘I received a call from someone at Dogs Trust saying Arnie had come in and that he was a Great Dane.

‘We didn’t have a specific breed in mind when looking for a pet but Arnie is the perfect companion.

‘When we went in to have a look at him it was just love at first sight.

‘He is gentle, loving and so playful; he will definitely fit in at home, we are just relieved we have a big enough home to accommodate our new baby hippo.

‘He’s just a big lovable rogue.’

Julie and her family – who were unfazed by Arnie’s size – have four other dogs, including a Dogue de Bordeaux, two Chinese crested dogs and a French Bulldog.

She said: ‘We’ve always fostered and have had Dogue de Bordeaux which are medium to large dogs.

‘It’s so funny taking them for a walk because they’re so different in size.

‘Arnie’s just a puppy but is so big already, I’ve no idea what he’s going to be like when he grows up.’

Dogs Trust said Arnie was handed in to them by a family who cited a change in personal circumstances.

His vet records showed the first time he was weighed at eight weeks he was 10kg (22lbs).

A dog’s height is calculated, according to the Dogs Trust, from the tips of his back claws, to the tip of their nose, when they are at full extension with his head up.

Arnie, who according to Dogs Trust is big for his age and could potentially double in size as he gets older to 90kg (198lbs), eats a kilo-and-a-half of raw meat every single day, along with fish, eggs and vegetables.

Luckily his new owners have an acre of land for him to exercise and burn off his food.

Julie, who encourages others to adopt instead of buy from breeders, praised Dogs Trust for their help.

She said: ‘The Dogs Trust Glasgow team have been fantastic, they’ve said they’re there is we need any support which is great.

‘I’ve had two calls so far about follow ups to do with behavioural advice and making sure everything’s OK.

‘But he’s still young and hasn’t learned any bad habits.’

Sandra Lawton, Rehoming Centre Manager at Dogs Trust Glasgow said: ‘We are always overjoyed when a dog finds their perfect someone and we are sure Arnie has gone to a home where he will receive lots of love and care.

‘The team can’t wait to get regular updates from Arnie’s family on all his antics because he is definitely a lap dog at heart and has no idea just how big he is.

‘We can’t be sure how big Arnie will grow to but, even now, he is still the biggest puppy Dogs Trust Glasgow has ever re-homed.

‘We still have plenty of dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds in our care awaiting their forever homes so anyone interested in adopting a rescue dog should pop down to Dogs Trust Glasgow for more information.’

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With sex dolls getting more and more realistic, it seems like only a matter of time before they become part of our everyday lives.

What does it say about an ‘equal’ society when the vast majority of dolls are of the female form?

Are women still objects?

Women as inanimate objects might make for uncomfortable viewing but that’s kind of artist Stacey Leigh’s point.

Her stark images have been compiled into a book called Play With Me by Grace Banks, a writer and editor of popular culture.

Grace says the book looks at ‘ownership of the female nude in today’s current political, economic and social climate’, using sex dolls, mannequins, CGI, nude neon reliefs to depict appropriations of the female form.

While also seeing the dolls in the bedroom, a more recognisable terrain, the work is questioning whether a woman is seen as more than her body.

‘Artists are reclaiming the ownership of the female body from the pervasive male-defined tropes and spaces for the female body in contemporary art,’ Grace Banks says.

‘The female nude is one of the most contentious topics of our post-internet age.’

Banks is keen to talk about Kim Kardashian-West and THAT naked photo with two black stripes censoring her body.

‘Was this a harmless post or a step back for feminism?,’ she asks.

The world reacted, the internet broke but it really brought out varied views on where the female body is in society.

Bette Midler said that ‘if Kim wants us to see a part of her we’ve never seen, she’s gonna have to swallow the camera’.

Piers Morgan told her to ‘put some clothes on’, while Chloe Grace Moretz said role models need to teach young women ‘we have so much more to offer than just our bodies’.

When her sister Kylie Jenner turned 18, she was offered $10 million to make a sex tape by a pornography site. Two years later, she has a business worth over $900m (£700m).

But commentators still say the Kardashians/Jenners ‘are little more than walking blow-up dolls’ and are not good role models.

‘I definitely find the whole commodification of feminism really problematic,’ Banks told ID magazine.

‘And I’m still conflicted. I feel quite strongly about supporting the virtues of fashion and beauty for women, but I do not think wearing a T-shirt that says “feminism” is a feminist act.

‘But then much of what highly educated feminists do are not feminist acts either.’

After a sex doll brothel opened in Paris, Lorraine Questiaux of feminist group Mouvement du Nid (Nest Movement) reportedly said it was a ‘place that makes money from simulating the rape of a woman’ and called for it to be banned.

Members of the MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way) movement have argued that replacing women with sex dolls would be ‘cheaper’, ‘hotter’ and ‘the future’.

A new wave of art is working to depict the female form on women’s terms in what Grace describes as a ‘wide movement of feminist art’.

‘These are contemporary artists, sure, but they’re also activists, theorists, political commentators and more,’ Banks says.

‘They deal with online post-internet feminism, but in working largely offline their work shows a triumph of real-life feminism versus online activism.

‘With the tools once used to objectify them, these artists transform women’s bodies into a self-governed piece de resistance.’

China’s online sex toy market is already worth $3bn-a-year and is expected to grow exponentially in years to come.

The sex doll, seen by many as a mass produced version of the female stereotype, is driving a significant part of that growth.

The craze for sex dolls is not just a recent phenomenon, with Dutch sailors in the 17th century using them to keep company while at sea.

But their significance in society has certainly changed.

As women are arguably taught to view themselves as objects, the commodification of female bodies is unlikely to vanish from the history books for at least a little while yet.

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Provocative US brand Sugar Thrillz dropped a collection this spring entitled ‘Lolita’.

The name is a reference to Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel Lolita, about a middle-aged man who becomes obsessed and later sexually involved with a 12 year old girl.

Exclusively available on the alternative retailer Dolls Kill’s website, the collection features pale denims, white lace, fruit prints, gingham, and a red lingerie set that bears the word ‘Lolita’ on both the bra and knickers.

The lingerie set is called ‘So Precocious’.

Precocious, when used to refer to a child, means that they have developed certain abilities or inclinations at an earlier age than expected.

While plenty of customers are here for the collection’s aesthetic, others are finding it a little creepy and have even suggested that the brand is glorifying the sexual abuse of young girls.

One Instagram user drew a parallel between Sugar Thrillz’ collection and the costumes in Stanley Kubrick’s 1962 film of the same name:

‘The clothes in this collection are clearly made to look like what Lolita wears in the flim. It’s not a fashion statement to dress up as a victim of child abuse.’

Another comment on Dolls Kill’s Instagram reads: ‘Dolores’ “sense of style” is not lingerie, high heels and erotic clothing cause 1- she is a preteen 2- she is described like erotic in the book cause the narrator is a PEDOPHILE 3- even if this eroticism is part of the Lolita image that we have in popular culture it is gross and false af and don’t have to be reproduced anymore.’

In Nabokov’s novel, 12 year old Delores (dubbed ‘Lolita’ by narrator Humbert Humbert), is deceived, drugged and raped by a man who can only become aroused by preteens or ‘nymphets’.

Accusations of ‘perpetuating rape and pedophilia culture’ abound on Instagram.

‘Oh ya! When a 12 year old was habitually raped by her stepfather! And now we want to perpetuate the infantilization of women for the male gaze!!!

‘Keep women small, hairless, and obedient!! Great message!! Really love this brand!!!!’

Twitter users have also weighed in on the collection, with some posters gushing that the collection is the ‘best thing that’s ever happened’ to them and others taking a strong opposing line.

‘Can we stop with the little girl romanticisation now it’s 2018 it’s creepy and gross and dolls kill literally released a lolita ‘collection’ with UNDERWEAR saying lolita on the crotch earlier this year as well.’

This isn’t the first time that Dolls Kill has offered Lolita-themed products, previously selling an O Mighty Lolita Halter Top that the brand described as ‘seductive and sassy’.

They also courted controversy with their ‘La Femme Mathilda’ collection, inspired by the 1994 film Leon: The Professional.

The garments mimic the costumes of another 12 year old character, famously played by Natalie Portman, and the advertising trailer features a model sucking lollypops and swinging a stuffed bunny rabbit.

The retailer has also been criticised for cultural appropriation after selling a ‘Battle Feather Headdress’.

Is it acceptable to use the name of a fictional child abuse victim to sell lingerie? Let us know in the comments.

Dolls Kill had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

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You can’t live in London without spotting an urban fox (or three).

Catching sight of a burnished, brown-red coat and bushy tail disappearing down an alleyway or spotting a curled-up specimen snoozing on a garden lawn is not uncommon.

Whether they’re bouncing on a makeshift trampoline or sunbathing on a roof, urban foxes are sharing London with us.

Over the last 20 years, the number of urban foxes in the UK has increased fourfold. There’s now one for every 300 humans in England.

Perhaps surprisingly, London doesn’t have the highest concentration of urban foxes in Britain.

That title goes to Bournemouth with 23 foxes per square kilometre. London has 18 foxes per sq km and Bristol has 16.

It’s believed that the high populations of rats and mice in London are a big draw for urban foxes, and they are instrumental in keeping numbers of rats down in the city.

Foxes don’t always get a particularly sympathetic hearing. Many people view them as a dangerous nuisance, and they can still legally be hunted for sport, without the use of dogs.

However, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s website says that foxes pose very little risk to humans and far from being riddled with terrifying germs, they only carry the same diseases as dogs.

We are far more likely to be attacked by dangerous dogs than foxes.

Fox attacks on children are extremely rare, despite being extensively covered in the media.

Coupled with all the bad press, the life of an urban fox isn’t an easy one.

Foxes can live for between 12 and 15 years, but in urban environments most foxes only survive for around two or three years.

Around half of all foxes in the UK are killed on the roads, while up to 80% of cubs die before they can reach sexual maturity and breed.

They don’t tend to pose a risk to cats and dogs, as domestic pets hugely outnumber foxes. Although foxes may chase cats, attacks are rare.

It’s actually fox cubs that suffer at the paws and jaws of cats and dogs, and many are killed every year by our pets.

Small creatures like rabbits and guinea pigs are at risk from urban foxes, and need to be kept in secure hutches.

Although some dub urban foxes a ‘menace’ that the city would be better off without and others bemoan the fox’s lack of regard for neatly-planted flowerbeds, others take a more accepting approach.

Trevor Williamson, founder of The Fox Project, a charity that rescues and rehabilitates foxes before releasing them back into the wild, told Metro.co.uk that the urban fox population in London is holding steady.

‘Scientists are continually working to improve models to identify populations of many species, including foxes.

‘Perhaps the best current population estimate in Greater London (inside the M25) would be around 15,000, having fallen since the annual cub season peak of 20,000.

‘The overall population in London is known to have been generally stable for around 40 years despite the national population having fallen by around 40% since the mid-nineties.’

Trevor says that the diet of urban foxes doesn’t differ particularly from that of their rural brothers and sisters, although there’s definitely more human food waste available for urban vulpines to consume.

‘Urban foxes hunt and find prey as readily as foxes anywhere.

‘Their range may be smaller than rural foxes as food is more plentiful in the city and no need to range more widely.’

Urban foxes and their rural counterparts both hunt and both depend on scavenged food and roadkill.

Hunting food requires more effort, so if a fox can get by eating food waste and animals that are already dead, it will certainly choose this option.

Should animal lovers who want to help their furry friends feed urban foxes?

Trevor says there’s probably no need, since foxes are pretty self-sufficient.

‘There is no particular reason to feed foxes. There is adequate food everywhere for an opportunist like the fox.

‘Many people do, however, feed in the same way as we feed birds – more because we like to see them around than because the foxes need any help.’

How does London’s human population feel about foxes? We asked some residents to find out.

Grace, 21, lives in Greenwich. She likes foxes but wishes they were quieter and less predatory.

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘They are beautiful creatures and I love coming across one at night.

‘However, they like to scream into the night when they are mating, waking the whole street! It also means I can’t have guinea pigs because it’s not safe for them to be around foxes in any capacity.’

Steve, 62, is a big fan.

‘We have a family of about six to eight foxes that come into our garden three times a day to be fed.

‘They now sleep in the flower pots and both my son and I feed one of them by hand! Our dogs get on with them too! Beautiful creatures!’

Saurav, 36, doesn’t like London’s foxes at all.

‘Urban foxes are a complete nuisance. An outbreak of the urban population of foxes today is almost too ghastly to contemplate and the sooner they are removed from our towns and cities the better.

‘Alongside the disturbance from rooting through rubbish and their excessively loud mating they carry various pests and parasites, including toxocara canis.

‘Also, there’s the digging, defecating and the fact that you don’t them to be so tame they can run up to a child.’

Suzy, who lives in Bloomsbury, thinks that foxes are perfectly tidy.

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘When I first moved to my flat, a pair were such polite neighbours that they used our dog toilet area for its intended purpose.’

Paul, 45, has put food out for foxes before.

‘I think they are a wonderful presence, it always makes me smile to see a fox paddling along a pavement.

‘I’ve fed foxes in my garden. It’s nice to see a bit of wild nature seeping into the urban landscape.’

Terry, 35, lives in Richmond and says he loves foxes.

‘Years ago, there was a small wood behind the home I grew up in.

‘The local butcher used to set aside scraps of meat that would normally go in the bin, and I’d take them to the wood and hand-feed a family of foxes in the early hours of the morning.

‘There are few things I love more than spotting a fox dawdling through the streets on my way home.’

Whether you’re a fox fanatic who eagerly leaves out leftovers or a fox-phobe (Alepouphobic) who’d prefer the capital to be entirely devoid of long snouts and pointy ears, foxes are as much part of London’s landscape as the phallic tower of the gherkin or the ubiquity of the red double-decker bus.

Urban foxes aren’t going anywhere fast.

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T3 N2 M0

This was the ‘code’ I was given when I was being diagnosed with cancer.

I knew that I had bowel cancer but in late February I was waiting on the results of the scans I’d recently undergone to tell me the extent of the illness. Over the phone, I was told ‘T3 N2 M0’.

I didn’t know what that meant.

I had been told that a doctor would ring me on Thursday 29 February with my scan results. So when that Thursday came around I accordingly took to my sofa and stayed there. All day. Occasionally I may have sat up.

There were possibly reruns of Friends on the telly. Thank God for Friends and its dependable technicolour picture of New York life, full of beautiful haircuts and big sofas. Better than any anaesthetic I have tried.

Anyway, I didn’t know what time the call would be, just that it would happen and then I’d know what I was dealing with.

Cancer has four stages: Stage 1, I’d be reasonably sure of continued survival. Stage 4 would mean it had spread and I would be in real trouble.

So far I had no indication where on this scale my cancer had fallen, or whether or not I was already dying. The phone call would reveal all. Wouldn’t it?

The phone rang at five. But it wasn’t my consultant calling – it was a nurse.

She thought she was ringing me to talk me through my surgery.

I explained that they had missed a step and could I know how close I was to death please? Only because I’m compulsively organised and like planning ahead.

Because the nurse didn’t realise she was breaking the news to me about my cancer’s staging, she had to call up my scan report and read the code out to me: T3 N2 M0.

I have a degree, a mortgage, I can do quadratic equations – but I understood about 5% of the report given to me.

She offered to read the rest of the histology report if I wanted? I said no, since I wouldn’t understand it.

I have a copy of my histology report with me now and it contains phrases like ‘PR Bleeding’.

It tells me I have ‘colonic glands set within a desmoplastic stroma’ but that there is ‘no morphological evidence of an enteropathy’.

Apparently ‘my small bowel is mostly collapsed’ (an alarming thing to read but it turns out that is how bowels are supposed to be, so ‘un-collapse’ is the thing you’ve got to worry about I guess? The message is: keep your bowels collapsed, everybody).

I have a degree, a mortgage, I can do quadratic equations – but I understand about 5% of this report. I am not boasting about any of these attributes, I mention them only to ask: if I can’t understand this stuff, then what hope is there for any of us?

Thankfully, because I have access to a computer, I was able to Google what the code – T3 N2 M0 – implied.

‘T’ is the stage of cancer. ‘N’ is how many lymph nodes it is in – but ‘N2’ does not mean two lymph nodes, it means two or more. And then ‘M’ is short for Metastasis, meaning ‘spread’. All in all it meant I had Stage 3 cancer.

But not everyone has access to a computer, or can read English well, or can have the mindset to explore all of this.

My diagnosis has been a labyrinthine experience, one that I have had to drive, researching mystical terms that doctors throw around like ping pong balls.

Recently, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges issued new guidance to hospital doctors on how to write to patients. They encourage avoiding clinical jargon and writing directly to patients, not their GPs.

Since I began chemotherapy, I have been delighted to receive news on how I’m doing in the form of letters that are addressed to my GP.

The missive from the Academy is great news. Sadly I don’t think it goes far enough.

My experience revealed administrators run ragged, poor communication between hospital departments and clinicians beleaguered.

This is why I didn’t hear from my consultant on 29 February but instead had to speak to a poor nurse who had not been properly informed of her role in my treatment process.

But clearer letters are a start. An excellent start.

For information and advice on cancer visit www.macmillan.org.uk or call 0808 808 00 00

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A new kit can tell you whether your drink has been drugged.

Undercover Colours – the company that invented a nail polish to detect spiking – has now launched a kit that can tell if your beverage has been tampered with.

It works in a similar way to a pregnancy test and only needs a few drops of liquid in order to reveal whether a drink has been contaminated with Xanax, Diazepam or Rohypnol.

On Facebook, the firm said: ‘After four years in a lab, we are so excited to unveil the most effective test for detecting spiked beverages.

‘With just one drop, we give you a portable, quick and accurate way to determine the presence of commonly used date rape drugs in more than 100 liquids.’

The company’s press released stated: ‘UC’s tests are discreet, quick, effective, versatile, gender-neutral and work in over 100 liquids – this includes both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages such as juice, mixed drinks, beer, wine and liquors.’

In Britain, hundreds of people of all genders are believed to be the victims of drink spikings every year.

Under UK law, spiking someone’s beverage with drugs or alcohol is illegal for any reason at all, and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

If the spiking is accompanied by a rape, assault or robbery, the sentence will be even higher.

In 2014, four male college students from North Carolina State University created the first iteration of this new drug test, in the form of nail varnish.

If the wearer stirred a drink with her finger while wearing the product, the polish would change colour on coming into contact with a date rape drug.

The creators professed to have come up with the idea because they all knew someone who had been the victim of sexual assault.

Although their invention garnered praised from some corners, it also received heavy criticism from those who believed that the nail polish placed the responsibility for not getting date raped on to those who might be victims of this crime.

Maya Dusenbery from Feministing pointed out that date rape drugs are not used to faciliate sexual assault particularly often and that: ‘Personally avoiding sexual assault — or one particular, rather uncommon type of sexual assault — is not the same as preventing sexual assault.’

In the Huffington Post, Sophia Kerby described the nail polish as a ‘gimmick’ that ‘perpetuate(s) rape culture by placing the burden of safety back onto women’.

It’s difficult to see how the new date rape drug test from Undercover Colours will avoid the same criticism.

It still involves those who might be the victims of drink spiking having to buy something and do something to avoid being drugged, robbed, assaulted or raped.

Undercover Colours’ website states that ‘protection is not acceptance.’

Will the test ‘promote safety’ as the brand insists or simply become another product that makes preventing rape the responsibility of the victim rather than the rapist?

Undercover Colours had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

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The UK could almost be smoke-free within the next 12 years, according to Public Health England.

Top health official Duncan Selbie said that less than five per cent of people in England should be smoking by the year 2030 and called on the NHS to do more to help people overcome their ‘addiction’ to tobacco.

Selbie said: ‘Smoking should no longer be seen as a lifestyle choice, it is an addiction that warrants medical treatment.

‘Everyone who smokes must be offered the support they need to quit.’

He also cited cardiovascular disease and obesity as important areas for the NHS and Public Health England to address.

‘These three priorities are where the NHS and PHE should focus efforts. It is not that other priorities won’t matter, but these will need to matter most.

‘Successful delivery will require action from every part of civil society.

‘We must pull together to use our resources and we must engage the public directly in the choices they are making about their own health and wellbeing.’

According to the NHS, smoking is responsible for 90% of lung cancers and can also cause cancers of the mouth, lips, throat, larynx, oesophagus, liver, bladder, kidneys stomach and pancreas.

Smoking is also linked heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, infertility, pneumonia, bronchitis, and emphysema, and can worsen conditions like asthma.

Between 2016 and 2017, there were 484,700 NHS hospital admissions attributed to smoking.

In 2016, 77,900 deaths were caused by smoking.

Could Britain become smoke-free within the 12 years that Selbie specified?

NHS figures from 2017 show that 14.9% of adults are currently classed as smokers, compared to 15.5% in 2016, and 19.8% in 2011.

The number of current smokers would need to be reduced by around a third in order to hit Duncan Selbie’s target of under five per cent.

However, Twitter users are skeptical.

One user remarked wryly: ‘That would mean me giving up some time in the next 12 years, which is unlikely the way things are at the moment. Or I could die of course.’

Some took exception to Selbie’s comments about addiction because they were interpreted as stripping smokers of personal agency.

Tom Bourlet of the award-winning blog Spaghetti Traveller told Metro.co.uk: ‘I would love to say yes, Britain could become smoke free by 20130, but I really can’t imagine it!

‘While young people are moving towards vapes, it is a move in the right direction, but we are still attracting young people to doing something they shouldn’t.

‘Also, the main time people fall short is when drinking alcohol, however while there are smoking areas outside bars and easy access to cigarettes, I don’t see why England would be rid by 2030.

‘It’s an idealistic utopian concept, but not based on the real world. We’re only human after all.

‘In countries like Vietnam and Malaysia, the government runs a huge number of anti-cigarette TV and banner campaigns to help lower the number, yet we can’t honestly say this is mirrored here in the UK.

‘Even in countries where smoking was banned in public areas like Russia, this simply created a “rebellious” outlook towards smoking and the number of young smokers have actually increased, so the answer to tackling the habit is still unknown.

‘Movies and TV series still continue to make supposedly “cool” characters smokers, which is a serious hindrance.’

Although Russia banned smoking in public places back in 2013, the country still has one of the highest smoking rates worldwide.

Simon Clark, from the lobby group Forest which is funded largely by the UK tobacco industry, dubbed Duncan Selbie’s comments ‘an attack on choice and personal responsibility’.

He said: ‘Millions of people smoke not because they’re addicted but because they enjoy it.

‘No-one should be forced to stop smoking because of excessive regulations, punitive taxation or creeping prohibition.

‘Prioritising smoking cessation in order to create a ‘smoke-free’ society would be an attack on choice and personal responsibility.

‘If adults choose to smoke in full knowledge of the health risks and don’t want to quit that choice must be respected.’

The serious health risks of tobacco smoking are well-documented and clear.

Whether we’ll have a smoke-free society by 2030 remains to be seen.

But if adults who are aware of the risks choose to continue smoking, should they be permitted to make an informed personal decision?

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‘I’d always been fed the idea that a degree would set you up for life, that you had already made it once a university accepts your application.

‘After the effects of the recession started to become apparent, I found out that this wasn’t the case.’

Matt graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2009, with a 2:2 in English and Creative Writing.

He didn’t do any work experience, volunteer anywhere or intern in any capacity.

He walked straight into a good job with a video editing company.

Six months later, the recession-hit business laid off around 90% of their employees, Matt included.

He told Metro.co.uk: ‘After being made redundant I had a very long stretch of being on benefits.

‘I decided around this time to move to Manchester to see if there were more job options available, but it seemed even harder.

‘I eventually found myself in bar work and hospitality, thinking it would be a short-term job move, but I would remain doing that for nearly seven years, eventually moving into management.

‘The first few years were fine because I felt like I finally had a stable job and income, but very soon I realised that it was becoming harder and harder to get off the hospitality ladder onto anything else.

‘I thought that my degree had been pointless and I felt completely stuck.’

In 2007, ballooning bad debts in the US housing markets resulted in a credit crunch that sent shockwaves through economies in both the US and Europe.

The UK’s stock market was plunged into a period of volatility, struggling high street bank Northern Rock was nationalised and by September 2008, Wall Street bank Lehman Brothers had filed for bankruptcy.

The consequences of the recession were keenly felt by graduates, who were described by think tank Reform as the ‘iPod generation’: insecure, pressurised, over-taxed and debt-ridden.

Thousands of people were applying for minimal numbers of graduate trainee places.

A more volatile job market meant that businesses were cautiously taking on fewer graduates and applicants were forced to work harder to differentiate themselves.

Which brings us to Matt, who had no internships to his name or a wealth of impressive extra-curriculars on his CV, and a degree that didn’t immediately funnel him into a profession.

In 2017, eight years after he’d lost his graduate job, Matt decided to retrain as a teacher.

He said: ‘I would have done it earlier but until two years ago you weren’t able to receive a student loan for post-grad studies so it was impossible.

‘I’m now an extra £10,000 in debt but at least I’ve got my qualification.

‘It seems like a first degree got me nowhere, except fulfilling a small portion of the requirements to get on the post-grad PGCE course.

‘I still had to take several exams to be allowed to start training and am in more debt than ever, even with years of work now behind me.

‘Thankfully, retraining was the best decision I ever made and am now starting my first year as a secondary school teacher in London, and am extremely proud to be doing so.’

Matt’s story isn’t unique.

Ruth also graduated from university in 2009. She studied journalism and took a paid position at a magazine after graduating.

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘Four months later, due to poor advertising sales, it folded. I wasn’t given any notice or severance and ended up having to work two jobs, six days a week to pay rent.

‘2009 was literally the worst year to graduate because most of the damage from the recession had just hit.

‘I worked Monday to Friday doing admin for Barclays and then all day Sundays at Topman.’

Ruth had to go down a different avenue to make use of her skills.

‘I ended up in digital marketing as a writer and then specialising in PR.

‘But it took a fair few years to get everything back to normal and rebuild my life.’

Sam*, who asked to remain anonymous, had first hand experience of the bubble bursting.

‘I graduated in 2004 with a politics degree, and got a job in 2005 with a public affairs agency that mostly had property developer clients.

‘The role of the agency was to advise developers on getting planning permission – lobbying councillors etc. It was borderline corrupt because councillors aren’t supposed to prejudge applications.

‘From about 2005 to 2007 they were basically printing money, all the developers were rolling in it and had cash to spare and didn’t audit their spending very closely.

‘Our office was getting thousands of pounds a month in some cases just to do weekly local newspaper monitoring, and we were having expenses paid away weekends to resorts in Portugal, involving about two hours work and then drinking the rest of the weekend.

‘A lot of the developers were putting in dozens of spec applications for housing, mostly in places with little hope of getting permission, on the basis that if one out of ten got approved, then that one would pay for the other nine.

‘Then the credit crunch happened and the property boom suddenly stopped and the economics of that model were destroyed basically within weeks.

‘They all started auditing their project spending and in many cases cancelling projects that had been dormant for a long time (but we were still getting paid for).

‘The office started losing money from early 2008 and I got made redundant in September of the same year, which was just as the crunch became the actual crisis.

‘About nine months later the office closed altogether. It was very surreal.’

However, the consequences of the financial crisis didn’t spell disaster for all graduates.

Simon, 34, told Metro.co.uk that the crash helped him to get where he really wanted to be.

‘With a degree from the London School of Economics, I landed a graduate job with Lehman Brothers in the summer of 2007.

‘This was just 12 months before the bank collapsed.

‘I had my degree, but I also did an internship with Lehman Brothers before I started, so I guess I already knew some people. I think I primarily got the job because I went to a good university and got a good degree, and I was involved in the investment society which was relevant to the role.

‘I left Lehman a few weeks before the crash and went through a number of different jobs in the city because of course a career in the city was very volatile during the recession.

‘This ultimately led me to doing what I do now, which is very different. Now I coach CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs. I do a lot of motivational speaking in London and abroad, and this is coming from a career in the city which was fairly expected with a degree from LSE.

‘If I’m honest, at the time it was very scary and uncertain. We had no idea what the future would have in store, but in hindsight it was probably a blessing in disguise.

‘It gave me the opportunity to reflect on what I really wanted to do because up to that point, I very much had understanding from my parents that if I was in an accountancy job or a lawyer, I would be considered a success.

‘But the recession gave me a chance to step back and think about what I wanted.

‘To me, it seems like things are far more competitive for graduates now than when I was at university. There are probably more ways that graduates need to differentiate themselves.

‘Companies are being more careful about how many people they’re hiring. When I joined the graduate class of Lehman Brothers, there were 150 people in a graduate class – now businesses just aren’t taking on as many people.’

In 2018, having a glittering CV stuffed with work experience, unpaid internships, volunteering and extra-curricular gems is seen as necessary, rather than optional for those applying for hotly contested grad schemes.

Over a quarter (27%) of graduates are worried that they will lose out to peers who can afford to do unpaid internships, a culture of which is rife in industries like journalism.

The same research found that 55% of graduates believe that an internship will secure them the position they want.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies.found in May that the UK economy is experiencing the most ‘feeble and protracted economic recovery’ in modern history, meaning that people will be nearly £9,000 worst on average by 2022-23 relative to pre-financial crisis trends.

Graduates aren’t out of the woods yet.

Some may have reaped long-term personal benefits of the upheaval and uncertainty caused by the recession, but many have been financially and professionally devastated by events far outside their control.

A degree is no longer a guarantee of a good graduate job or a secure employment trajectory, making the ‘extras’ on our CVs more important than ever.

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