Knitted scarves, socks and tea cosies we’ve heard of. But knitted breasts?

That is what a group of mothers in Somerset have been commissioned by the NHS to make.

The Somerset Mothers’ Union has been asked to knit 150 of the woollen breasts. They will be used to teach mums-to-be how to breast feed, and how to deal with problems such as mastisis and blocked ducts.

It’s not quite as odd as it sounds. Apparently knitted breasts have been popular in the US for some time, where they are sometimes used as prosthetics for women affected by breast cancer.

Body Art 1

An American woman nicknamed the Illustrated Lady has been named the world’s most tattooed woman by the Guinness Book of Records.

Ninety-five per cent of Julia Gnuse’s body covered in tattoos of jungle scenes and cartoons of her favourite characters, such as Popeye.

It isn’t all about vanity, however. Julia started covering her body with the illustrations to tackle a painful condition called porphyria, which causes the skin to blister when exposed to sunlight.

The tattoos don’t stop the blisters forming – but they do cover the scars she is left with.

Revealing her tattoos at a BookExpo in New York, Miss Gnuse said she had been put off traditional medication for her condition because she was told it carried the risk of blindness.

Body Art 2

Anthony Gonzales’ facial tattoos certainly make him stand out from the crowd.

The 20-year-old has the words East Side tattooed across his upper lip to look like a moustache – and 13 on his chin in the shape of a goatee.

He seems to have forgotten just how distinctive his facial art was when he allegedly decided to try to burgle a home in Colorado, however.

A witness told police one of the suspects had East Side emblazoned on his upper lip.

Already in jail on a separate drug offence, Gonzales has now been charged over the burglary.

Hardly a criminal mastermind.

Sunbathing can damage your health

It was one of the hottest days of spring so far on New York’s Long Island.

Marcus Starkman headed to the beach for some sun and sand.

Unfortunately, while he was lying on a chaise longue, a swimmer got into trouble.

Police rushed to the rescue in an SUV – American for a 4x4. But in the confusion, they managed to run over Mr Starkman as he was talking on a phone.

The 43-year-old was airlifted to hospital with a broken spine, internal injuries and other broken bones.

“I’m alive but in a lot of pain,” he told Newsday. “The only thing I can remember is getting hit, not knowing what it was, realising that I’m alive.”

Reports do not say what happened to the swimmer.

Up, up and away

Adventurer Jonathan Trappe has flown across the Eng;lish Channel – in a chair dangling from dozens of helium balloons.

He set off from Kent Gliding Club near Ashford at 5am, sailed over the channel, then soared high over the French countryside towards Belgium.

After cutting away some of the balloons to aid his descent, he made a textbook landing in a French cabbage field four hours after setting off.

Asked why he had done it, the trained pilot told Sky News: Didn’t you have this dream – grabbing onto a bunch of toy balloons and floating off?”