Britain is 'shut for the weekend'

Britain is shut for the weekend because of the foot-and-mouth crisis and the newspapers are at a loss to offer alternatives to their readers.

The Daily Mail says the traditional weekend chance to unwind has been turned into a time to become wound up.

Much of the countryside is out of bounds, shoppers are fretting over the availability of the Sunday joint and a large part of the East Coast rail line is again out of action.

For The Times too, the weekend has been cancelled.

Using theatrical language, it says Britain has gone dark - it has no actors, no audience and no life.

The Independent carries a large map of the United Kingdom on its front page, showing the 40 areas hit by the outbreak as well as the numerous parks, woodlands, zoos, historic homes and other amenities shut to the public.

The country, according to the headline, has become "no-go UK."

A visit to the supermarket might be one of the few things left to do, but it is likely to bring an unpleasant surprise, with a number of papers reporting that a surge in demand for meat is pushing up prices in some outlets by up to fifty per cent.

The Mirror, which leads on the price increases, says traders are being forced to pay more for foreign meat because British supplies are running out fast.

According to The Independent some outlets in the north of England have run out of British stocks.

The Times reports that the Chancellor is understood to have decided not to cut the basic rate of income tax in the Budget next week because it would not benefit everyone in work.

Instead, the paper adds, he is expected to opt for a tax cut for every worker, by widening the band of income on which people pay tax at 10p.

The compensation award for two men injured while attempting to escape from Whitemoor prison seven years ago is the main story for The Guardian.

It is also the subject of an angry editorial in the Mail.

Even in the realms of fantasy, the Mail says, it would be difficult to conceive of a more incredible story.

This is the crazy world of British justice, it goes on, where common sense is turned inside out and the hapless taxpayer is left to pick up the bill.

Speaking tour

The Independent reports that the former American presidential candidate, Al Gore, has cancelled a speaking tour of Britain planned for next week because of a lack of bookings.

It says oil, telecommunications and banking companies turned down the opportunity to spend between £50,000 and £70,000 to hear Mr Gore.

The cost and short notice of the trip are given as reasons, and the paper points out that the controversy surrounding Bill Clinton's pardon for the fugitive billionaire, Marc Rich, in the final days of his presidency, also put off prospective clients.

Finally,The Daily Telegraph carries the results of a survey which suggests that one woman in five teeters around in uncomfortable high heels to please boyfriends, husbands or bosses.

According to the paper, all women link fashionable footwear with sexuality, status and power, even when they reach their seventies.

The survey of women registered with an Oxfordshire doctor's practice, it says, appears to show that women prefer to put up with pain and the risk of serious long-term foot problems rather than wear less sexy shoes.