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People are being urged to avoid leaving pumpkins in woodlands this Halloween as it can be “dangerous” for wildlife and make animals “very poorly”.

The Woodland Trust and Forestry England warned revellers the fruit can lead to a series of problems for creatures – including hedgehogs, foxes, badgers and birds – and spread disease.

Experts said they have noticed a “worrying trend” in recent years of pumpkins being left in the countryside in a “well-meaning but misguided attempt” to provide food for birds and other wildlife.

But they added it is “really detrimental” and said it can lead to hedgehogs becoming “dangerously dehydrated” because the pumpkins can cause them to have “stomach upsets and diarrhoea”.

Forestry England said around eight million pumpkins could be “part of this year’s fun” – but warned people to ignore tips and online information which tells them the fruit helps wildlife.

Kate Wollen, assistant ecologist at Forestry England, said: “We see many posts on social media encouraging people to leave pumpkins in the woods for wildlife to eat, but please do not do this.

“Pumpkins are not natural to the woodland and while some wildlife may enjoy a tasty snack it can make others, such as hedgehogs, very poorly.

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“Feeding pumpkins, or any other food in the forest, to birds, foxes, badgers, deer, and boar can make them unwell and can spread disease.

“Pumpkins are also often decorated and have things such as candles in them. Animals eating the pumpkins could then eat a foreign object and this could kill them.”

Paul Bunton, the engagement and communication officer at the Woodland Trust, said: “A myth seems to have built up that leaving pumpkins in woods helps wildlife.

“People think they’re doing a good thing by not binning them in landfill and instead leaving them for nature.

“But pumpkin flesh can be dangerous for hedgehogs, attracts colonies of rats and also has a really detrimental effect on woodland soils, plants and fungi.”

Instead, people are being urged to turn their pumpkin into soup or even into a birdfeeder – or add to the garden compost.

‘Fleshy fibrous fruit can cause stomach upsets’

Trevor Weeks from East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service said hedgehogs spend autumn and early winter building up their “fat reserves for hibernation”.

He added: “As a result, hedgehogs can gorge themselves on easily available food like dumped pumpkins.

“Although not toxic to them the fleshy fibrous fruit can cause stomach upsets and diarrhoea as they are not designed to eat large quantities of fruit.

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“This can lead to them becoming bloated and dangerously dehydrated which in turn can be fatal.

“At this time of year, they can’t afford to become ill, or they may not survive the winter hibernation.”

Forestry England said leftover pumpkins can be donated to some zoos, animal shelters, farms and community gardens.

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Prince Harry denies having ‘physical fight’ with Prince Andrew

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Prince Harry denies having 'physical fight' with Prince Andrew

Prince Harry has denied having a fight with Prince Andrew after it was claimed “punches were thrown” between the pair in 2013.

The allegations appeared in excerpts from a new book on the Duke of York being serialised in the Daily Mail.

It claims a row started after Prince Andrew said something behind Harry’s back, with Andrew “left with a bloody nose” and the pair needing to be broken up.

It also claimed the Duke of York once warned his nephew about marrying Meghan and suggested it wouldn’t last long.

However, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex strongly denied the claims.

“I can confirm Prince Harry and Prince Andrew have never had a physical fight, nor did Prince Andrew ever make the comments he is alleged to have made about the Duchess of Sussex to Prince Harry,” a statement said.

They said a legal letter had been sent to the Daily Mail due to “gross inaccuracies, damaging and defamatory remarks” in its reporting.

The book – Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York – is billed as the first joint biography of Prince Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

It’s said to be based on interviews with “over a hundred people who have never spoken before”.

Prince Harry – in his own 2023 book Spare – made his own claims of an altercation with Prince William.

He said his brother once knocked him to the floor amid a confrontation over Meghan’s “rude” and “abrasive” behaviour.

“It all happened so fast. So very fast,” Harry wrote in the book.

“He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me.”

“I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out,” the prince added.

Harry claimed his brother wanted him to hit him back “but I chose not to”, and that William later returned and apologised.

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The Duke Of Sussex has described his relationship with his family as extremely strained after he quit as a working royal and took legal action against the media, and over the removal of his UK police protection.

He claimed earlier this year the King wouldn’t speak to him and there had “been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family”.

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Search for British woman who disappeared from Greek beach

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Search for British woman who disappeared from Greek beach

A search is under way for a British woman who went missing from a beach in Kavala, northern Greece.

The Hellenic Coastguard said the port authority received reports that Michele Ann Joy Bourda, 59, was missing on the evening of 1 August.

The woman went missing from the Ofrynio beach area.

The coastguard is investigating reports that her belongings were left on the beach.

On Sunday, three recreational craft, five fishing boats and two patrol boats were involved in the search.

According to local media, she lived with her husband, who is reportedly of Greek origin, in the Macedonian city of Serres.

She had gone to the beach with him and reportedly vanished while he was sleeping on a sunbed.

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The charity LifeLine Hellas, which put out an appeal to try and find Ms Bourda, said she went missing at noon on 1 August.

She has been described as having straight blonde hair up to her shoulders and being 1.73m tall.

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Martin Lewis reveals who is due for car finance compensation – and how much they’ll get

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Martin Lewis reveals who is due for car finance compensation - and how much they'll get

Martin Lewis says motorists who were mis-sold car finance are likely to receive “hundreds, not thousands of pounds” – with regulators launching a consultation on a new compensation scheme.

The founder of MoneySavingExpert.com believes it is “very likely” that about 40% of Britons who entered personal contact purchase or hire purchase agreements between 2007 and 2021 will be eligible for payouts.

“Discretionary commission arrangements” saw brokers and dealers charge higher levels of interest so they could receive more commission, without telling consumers.

Pics: PA
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Pics: PA

Speaking to Sky News Radio’s Faye Rowlands, Lewis said: “Very rarely will it be thousands of pounds unless you have more than one car finance deal.

“So up to about a maximum of £950 per car finance deal where you are due compensation.”

Lewis explained that consumers who believe they may have been affected should check whether they had a discretionary commission arrangement by writing to their car finance company.

However, the personal finance guru warned against using a claims firm.

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“They’re hardly going to do anything for you and you might get the money paid to you automatically anyway, in which case you’re giving them 30% for nothing,” he added.

Read more: How to tell if you’ve been mis-sold car finance

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Who’s eligible for payout after car finance scandal?

Yesterday, the Financial Conduct Authority said its review of the past use of motor finance “has shown that many firms were not complying with the law or our disclosure rules that were in force when they sold loans to consumers”.

The FCA’s statement added that those affected “should be appropriately compensated in an orderly, consistent and efficient way”.

Lewis told Sky News that the consultation will launch in October – and will take six weeks.

“We expect payouts to come in 2026, assuming this will happen and it’s very likely to happen,” he said.

“As for exactly how will work, it hasn’t decided yet. Firms will have to contact people, although there is an issue about them having destroyed some of the data for older claims.”

He believes claims will either be paid automatically – or affected consumers will need to opt in and apply to get compensation back.

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What motorists should do next

The FCA says you may be affected if you bought a car under a finance scheme, including hire purchase agreements, before 28 January 2021.

Anyone who has already complained does not need to do anything.

The authority added: “Consumers concerned that they were not told about commission, and who think they may have paid too much for the finance, should complain now”.

Its website advises drivers to complain to their finance provider first.

If you’re unhappy with the response, you can then contact the Financial Ombudsman.

Any compensation scheme will be easy to participate in, without drivers needing to use a claims management company or law firm.

The FCA has warned motorists that doing so could end up costing you 30% of any compensation in fees.

The FCA estimates the cost of any scheme – including compensation and administrative costs – to be no lower than £9bn.

But in a video on X, Lewis said that millions of people are likely to be due a share of up to £18bn.

The regulator’s announcement comes after the Supreme Court ruled on a separate, but similar, case on Friday.

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