Who said that today's news is tomorrow's fish and chip wrappers? This certainly wasn't the case in the late-1800s, as workers renovating a North Yorkshire hotel found out.

While removing sash windows from the Crown Hotel, Harrogate, joiners discovered newspapers dating back to 1893 stuffed between the windows and frames.

The find includes pages of the Telegraph, the Caterer and Hoteliers Gazette, detailing events of the time and the type of goods being offered to the hospitality industry including sauces, beers, cider, whisky, snooker tables and Roses lime cordial.

Hotel owner Peter Grazier, who is overseeing the multi-million pound refit of the Grade II Listed Building, said: "Obviously, the joiners who were fitting the original windows needed something to fill the gaps and it seems that they used newspaper for the job.

"It's quite remarkable to think these pages from newspapers have been in the window frames for more than 100 years.

"The colour adverts including one for Roses lime cordial have lost none of their detail or sharpness and look like they were only placed in the windows last week, not 113 years ago."

Mr Grazier says some of the pages would now be carefully preserved and form part of a display outlining the renovation process currently being undertaken at The Crown Hotel.

AFTER backing a loser on the racetrack it's a not unnatural reaction to moan that a snail would have run faster.

Well, at Thirsk race meeting on Monday night (June 5) you can see for yourself how quick snails can be.

The annual Snail Derby will be one of three snail races during the evening between the horseracing. Several North Yorkshire racehorse trainers have got "runners" in the gastropods' Derby.

The snail racecards cost £1, with proceeds going to The Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre at Halton, near Lancaster. The first horse race is at 6.45pm.