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John Kershaw (pictured main) was due to celebrate 50 years in the trade in August but has now quit after the vicious assault. The 65-year-old was pulled out of his van and attacked midway through his morning round on Easter Monday. He was then rushed to hospital where he was treated for intense bruising to his face and body. The grandfather-of-four (shown on his roud in 1980, inset) and his wife Jill, 64, decided to hand-write to his 200 customers explaining his retirement. Proud John was halfway through his shift on Monday morning when a masked-thug targeted the father-of-two and pulled him out of his float. He was beaten for several minutes before the balaclava-clad thief drove off with the float.

The SNP leader said she would try to pass plans for a second referendum on the issue by the end of the year - and dared Theresa May to stop Scotland voting on the issue again. Speaking in Edinburgh today Mrs Sturgeon argued the current Brexit deadlock makes indyref2 necessary, five years after she lost the last one. She said: 'A choice between Brexit and a future for Scotland as an independent European nation should be offered in the lifetime of this Parliament'. But Scottish Tory interim leader Jackson Carlaw called the plan 'frankly absurd' and Scottish Labour chief Richard Leonard warned: 'Leaving the UK would lead to unprecedented austerity for Scotland's public services'.

Bolstered by the defection of Ann Widdecombe from the Tories, Mr Farage walkabout tour of Clacton-on-Sea, where UKIP gained its first elected MP in 2014 when he was leader. Mr Farage's Brexit Party double decker bus arrived on the Essex coast, and while wearing sunglasses he addressed people from the top deck with a megaphone. Speaking at the event to announce three new European election candidates for the east of England, he described Clacton as 'the most patriotic and the most Eurosceptic town in the whole of this country' and said Brexit 'isn't about left or right. It's about right or wrong.' And he also stopped off in Wetherspoon's where he posed for photos with a pint, and then spoke to a crowd of hundreds gathered for a rally at the pier.

Thousands of mourners across different communities and political groups of Northern Ireland joined together today for the funeral of murdered journalist Lyra McKee. The 29-year-old reporter was killed by indiscriminate fire as she observed clashes April 18 between police and New IRA dissidents on the Creggan estate in Londonderry. The gay rights activist was non-sectarian and broke down barriers in a divided community, mourners heard. Priest Father Martin Magill said her death should be a 'doorway to a new beginning' for Northern Ireland. Pictured today: Miss McKee’s partner Sara Canning (top left; and together, inset), Prime Minister Theresa May (top right), Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Irish President Michael D Higgins (bottom centre) and DUP leader Arlene Foster, Sinn Fein's leader Mary Lou McDonald and Vice President Michelle O'Neill (bottom right, from left).

Nicola Bartlett (left) claimed that she suffered injuries in a car crash while working in a hospital A&E; department at Ystrad Fawr hospital near Caerphilly. The NHS nurse managed to get £16,764 in compensation after saying another driver ploughed into her car and wrote it off. But a disciplinary hearing was told police became suspicious and investigated a garage which had written off her 'damaged' car. The garage fraudsters were caught out by their own CCTV cameras showing a Land Rover being deliberately driven into a forklift truck (right).

Lorraine Campbell (left), 55, from Manchester, was killed while having breakfast at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo on Sunday morning. Her devastated husband Neil Evans confirmed she was among the 359 dead in the co-ordinateds attack today, calling her his 'best friend in the world'. Mr Evans said: 'Lorraine was a real tour de force, she epitomised the qualities she lived by, and was a conduit for bringing people together to both make things happen, and make them better.' Yesterday investment management Matthew Linsey (bottom right) revealed he lost his two children Daniel, 19, and Amelie, 15, after they tried to flee following the first blast at the Shangri-La Hotel. Ben Nicholson (top right) lost his wife Anita, 42, his son Alex, 14 and daughter Annabel, 11.

The Shadow Home Secretary, who will be in charge of policing if Labour win the next election, told demonstrators they have done an 'amazing job'. She also praised Greta Thunberg, the Swedish 16-year-old advocating climate 'strikes' in schools, calling the teen 'comrade' and saying 'she was amazing'. The 65-year-old Labour MP received 'jazz hands' instead of applause, a method of cheering used by campaigners due to fears clapping can cause anxiety. The protesters have been slammed for their actions in the capital, with critics saying they have wasted police resources, hit the economy and should be focusing on countries which emit more CO2.

Kodie Richardson's (left and right) outburst terrified fellow passengers on board a Thomas Cook Airlines flight about to set off from Manchester Airport for Turkey. It prompted the captain to abort the scheduled departure, turn back to the terminal and ask police to remove the 20-year-old, and her drunken mother, Kelly Meadowcroft, (inset) who was also jailed for two months.

Christopher Fitzgibbon, 23, (main) from Limerick, dropped the height of his VW Passat to just four inches off the ground to improve stability and 'look fresh', but now has to drive double the distance to work. This is because his car scrapes on speed bumps in his local village, meaning he is unable to travel through it on the way to the office. He now wants the council to pay for £2,000 worth of damage, claiming he is being 'discriminated against' for having a modified motor. Pictured bottom left is his new diverted route to work, with the first dot marking his home. Bottom right is a zoomed in view of the speedbumps in his local village, which is just north of where he lives, and used to be on the route he took to the office.

Apparently, Britain’s already got too small for the couple dubbed ‘royal rock stars’ by their own palace courtiers. So it’s been revealed that Meghan and Harry are planning to move to the much larger global stage of the gigantic African continent after their baby arrives, to rub off a bit of their regal stardust magic there. Lucky Africans! Poor Brits! Well yes, very poor Brits actually, because we’ll be the ones who pay for it for however long this African jolly, or should I say folly, lasts. And with full Metropolitan Police protection teams required to provide 24/7 security, and Meghan’s large retinue of personal staff, the cost could run into millions. We’re also told that one of the other reasons for Harry and Meghan leaving Britain is to keep them apart from Wills and Kate, because the wives especially can’t stand each other.

Dr Jennifer Rudd (pictured left) took part in a discussion on the recent climate change protests in London on 5 Live's Stephen Nolan (bottom inset) show on Easter Sunday. The Swansea University academic spoke alongside an Extinction Rebellion spokesman called Dr Rupert Read (right) and a policeman who has been one of thousands tasked with monitoring demonstrations in London. After the show Dr Rudd accused the BBC of 'everyday sexism', claiming she had been repeatedly referred to as 'Jennifer' while her male colleague was 'Dr Read' (tweet inset).

The driver of a silver Ford Focus shouts out to the cyclist to 'keep to the side of the road' during the altercation at a set of traffic lights in Greenwich, London. He says: 'Keep to the side of the road, you're not a car.' And he repeats the sentence multiple times before the cyclist moves to cross in front of the car to wait in the designated cycle bay. But the driver, who is clearly angry, gets more riled up as the cyclist remains in the middle of the road. He says 'test me' before driving his car forwards until he knocks the cyclist off his bicycle.

Urban explorers have discovered the mansion used in the 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Again. Matt Nadin, 39 (top left), and Andy Thompson, 53, salesmen from South Yorkshire, visited the £23million property called Shrubland Hall in Suffolk. Footage from their exploration shows the abandoned property with furnished rooms, including bedrooms, dining rooms, an overgrown foyer (centre), luxurious red sofas (right), as well as regally decorated in golden gilded doors and chandeliers (left). It also features an especially elegant room with the 007 plaque on the door (top right), kitted-out with a spa and views overlooking the stone courtyard before the luscious country landscapes.

Piers Corbyn (right, pictured in London on Easter Monday), 72, a climate change denier who runs forecasting firm WeatherAction, said the 16-year-old activist who is visiting Britain from her native Sweden is 'wrong' about climate change. Reposting a BBC News article titled 'Teen tells UK politicians 'listen to climate scientists', he tweeted (centre): 'Listening to an ignorant brainwashed child is deranged. I am an actual scientist of physics, meteorology, astrophysics and climate and say Greta Thunberg is wrong and suffers mental abuse by manipulative adults.' Yesterday, Labour leader Jeremy met with Greta (left), who is visiting the UK to express her support for the ongoing Extinction Rebellion protests in London.

The former minister, who was a Tory member for 55 years, has put retirement on hold because she believes Theresa May and MPs have betrayed the 17.4million who voted to leave the EU. She has pledged to 'campaign vigorously' for Farage's party in the upcoming European elections in May and will stand against Boris Johnson's sister Rachel and Jacob Rees-Mogg's sister Annunziata in the South West. Paying tribute to the former UKIP leader's political record she said: 'Nigel Farage has been more successful than any politician other than Margaret Thatcher in my lifetime in getting his agenda through, and he's done this from outside Westminster'. She added: ‘I’m on a mission. We need to send a seismic shock to both parties that the electorate have had enough. Just get it done'.

Matthew Linsey told yesterday how he met Ben Nicholson as they searched for their children in a hospital. Mr Linsey, 61, told the Mail: ‘We hugged and tried to support each other. We helped each other.’ Hours earlier they had been strangers having breakfast in the Table One restaurant at the Shangri-La Hotel in the capital Colombo with their families when it was bombed. In the first blast, Mr Nicholson’s wife Anita, 42, his son Alex, 14 and daughter Annabel, 11, were all killed instantly. Investment manager Mr Linsey and his children Daniel, 19, and Amelie, 15, tried to flee, but the teenagers died in a second blast designed to target survivors and any rescuers rushing to their aid.

There is a misconception that 'going green' is expensive. But you don't need to spend thousands on solar panels or buy only pricey organic food to save the planet. There are lots of simple ways to help the environment while also putting money back in your pocket. We explain how you could save nearly £2,500 with our top 20 eco-friendly lifestyle swaps.

Britain's most high-profile politicians heard from 16-year-old environmental activist Greta Thunberg today (pictured main). MPs including John Bercow, Jeremy Corbyn and Ed Miliband welcomed the teenager to Parliament, where she made a speech about climate change (left) and got a rapturous round of applause. Miss Thunberg is the schoolgirl whose refusal to go to school because of global warming led to children around the world skipping classes in protest. Today, she met political leaders at Westminster, including Mr Corbyn (inset ), John Bercow and Ed Milliband (top right) and Green Party MP Caroline Lucas. Opposition leaders left an 'empty chair' for Prime Minister Theresa May (bottom right) who was chairing a cabinet meeting during the teenager's visit.

Pop star Ed Sheeran has been ordered to remove a huge pub sign (top right) dedicated to his new wife in the grounds of his £1.5million mansion (main) along with a sauna beside his 'wildlife pond' (bottom right). Planning officers in Suffolk told the 28-year-old musician to take down the 'unauthorised signage' from his drinking den, which he named The Lancaster Lock after his wife, Cherry Lancaster Seaborn (bottom left, last April). Sheeran, who married his childhood sweetheart just before Christmas last year, has also removed a sauna from beside the pond after council officials told him it needed planning permission. Sheeran, who is believed to be worth around £40 million, hung a huge 16ft sign on the side of his pub, which he has created from the barn in the grounds of his estate.

Alex and June Carr are among residents furious at a revamp of Southend Airport in Essex that they say has made their lives a misery. Their garden (left and right with an EasyJet and Ryanair plane) backs on to the runway where jets are regularly passing by. Many other houses are also situated just yards from the airport (see map, inset) and people are worried about the impact of the constant noise and fumes, as well as what could happen to their property prices. One pensioner, June Marchant, claimed that she no longer has barbecues in her otherwise picturesque garden due to the booming engines of planes. The 67-year-old also said that one day she opened her curtains and turned to her partner and said: 'There's a bloody great jet in our garden!'

Southampton striker Shane Long scored the fastest goal in Premier League history on Tuesday night as he found the net after just seven seconds against Watford. Watford kicked off but Long closed down a clearance from Craig Cathcart and proceeded to lob the ball over goalkeeper Ben Foster. The previous record was held by former Tottenham defender Ledley King, who scored after 10 seconds against Bradford in 2000. 

Donald and Melania Trump will not stay with the Queen (pictured together left in London last year) during the President's state visit because of a £365m renovation programme (pictured right, workmen move furniture in Buckingham Palace’s East Wing). It is an unusual move for such a prestigious official visit, but aides insisted there was no snub intended. They said the work began last autumn – long before the idea of a state visit began to take shape. There is no suggestion the couple will be offered accommodation elsewhere, such as Windsor Castle, meaning they will most likely take up residence at the palatial London home of the US Ambassador – where they stayed last summer. Trump is expected to face further protests, including from the organisers of last years’ baby blimp (inset) which mocked the President as an infant.

RICHARD KAY: Just days ago it looked as though Moggmentum would be the new political catchphrase de nos jours, as Jacob Rees-Mogg’s younger sister, Annunziata, (pictured right) was unveiled as the glamorous face of Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party for the European elections. Now, before a leaflet has even been delivered, the opposing Change UK party – set up by The Independent Group of MPs – has hit back with their own alluring candidate: Boris Johnson’s little sister Rachel (pictured left). And what makes it all so intriguing is that the two women now on the front line of the great Brexit divide are taking on their better-known siblings. So who’s who when it comes to the Moggs versus the Johnsons and what are the similarities and differences between these two rival political dynasties?

Theresa May, 62, looked tired and pale prior to Parliament's break for Easter recess. But an Easter trip to Wales with her husband Philip has done wonders for her complexion, according to beauty expert Olivia Todd. She says the Prime Minister has a much more radiant look since returning from her holiday (pictured left), having previously displayed a lacklustre appearance on the final day of Parliament on April 11 (pictured right).

Wearing backpacks, the two Sri Lanka bomobers appear to discuss their plans in the elevator on the second floor of Colombo's Shangri-La hotel, in the final moments before the Easter Sunday massacre. The attackers then enter the Table One eatery almost unnoticed while hotel guests are having breakfast before he detonates his deadly weapon. In a split second the plush restaurant becomes a scene of horror as the bomb explodes in a cloud of smoke and bright red flame. Sri Lankan officials believe one of the attackers at the Shangri-La was the son of a wealthy Colombo spice trader, and one of two Muslim brothers among the perpetrators of the Easter attacks in which more than 300 died.

The bombs used in the Easter Sunday attacks are believed to have been made in a copper factory in Wellampitiya, a north-eastern suburb of Colombo (pictured). The factory was owned by businessman and father-of-four Inshaf Ahamad, who blew himself up at a hotel. Sri Lankan police raided the copper factory last night and took nine suspects - including the manager - into custody.

The warning came after Tesco, Boots, Sainsbury's and B&Q; were exposed as allowing a little-known agency to film British customers. SBXL used footage to provide advice on how to increase sales, based on analysis of customer behaviour. Some of the film was even put on YouTube (pictured) in apparent violation of data protection laws.

A robot stationed on the red planet has, for the first time, detected what’s thought to be a ‘marsquake.’ NASA’s InSight lander has been listening for faint rumbles beneath the surface since December, when it placed its seismometer down to begin the groundbreaking mission. In what scientists have hailed an exciting milestone, the InSight team says the lander measured and recorded a seismic signal on April 6, its 128th Martian day using its Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument.