Aldridge: Empty handed

Olympic diver Blake Aldridge has been arrested on suspicion of theft and actual bodily harm.

The 27 year-old from the Crystal Palace Diving Club is alleged to have taken two bottles of wine from a branch of Tesco, followed by a physical altercation with a security guard at the store. The wine is reported to have been worth £13, some £9 more than the plumbing fittings he was fined for taking from a B&Q back in 2009.

Aldridge has never been too far from the headlines since his controversial public disagreement with diving wunderkind Tom Daley during the Beijing Olympics. Last year, in addition the incident at B&Q, he was also beaten unconscious by three men in a Southampton nightclub.

Actual bodily harm carries a maximum score of 5.0 years in prison, but it is as yet unclear what the judges will award. The final result is likely to be announced next month after action replays have been viewed via CCTV.

Davies: Famous double act

Sharron Davies has failed in her bid to win ITV1’s Dancing on Ice after being eliminated in the seventh week of the televised competition.

During her time on the show the 37 year-old’s performances received both positive and negative comments from the judges. Obligatory Nasty Judge™ Timothy Claypole controversially described one effort as ‘like watching faecal matter that won’t flush’.

There were negative comments too, with judge Emma Bunton saying the former Olympic silver medallist was ‘not a team player’ and show host Philip Schofield adding that she caused a ‘frosty’ atmosphere on set.

In an interview with respected academic journal The News of the World prior to the start of the series, the individual medley specialist said she hoped that her appearance on the show would lead to her finding a new future ex-husband, her fourth. An update on her progress in this area has, as yet, not been forthcoming.

Goggles: Potential death trap

Leicester City Council has banned the use goggles at a recent swimming event in the county.

Participants at the Aqua Splash Festival had their goggles confiscated when they arrived at the Hermitage Leisure Centre in Whitwick, Coalville, Leicestershire.

The half-term holiday event was aimed at children aged between 5 and 11 years old and organised by the North West Leicestershire Schools Sports Partnership in conjunction with the local council.

The decision follows in the footsteps of vowel-challenged Ysgol Bryn Coch junior school, in Mold, north Wales, which introduced a similar ban earlier in the year.

A spokesperson for Leicester City Council said ‘Goggles can carry risks and there is little medical benefit to be had from them,’ astutely adding ‘which is presumably why you never see any serious swimmers wearing goggles’.

Although a specific ban on swimming costumes was not mentioned on this occasion, many fear that it is only a matter of time before similar insurmountable risks come to light. The widespread use of water in swimming pools is also said to be ‘under review’.