5 minute NATIONAL news round-up: IT'S A MAD, MAD WORLD.

BIG PROBLEM Firefighters have demanded a change in guidelines for helping obese people after being called to a house four times in one week to lift a 41-stone man. On one occasion, 10 firefighters had to move Robert Marsden two feet across his bed at his home in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire.

DOGGONE A boxer dog stole his owner's truck when he was left alone in it. Charles McCowan parked in front of shops in Azusa, California, leaving pet Max in the passenger seat. When he came out, the truck and Max were gone. He called police, assuming it had been stolen and they found it in a car park across the street. CCTV showed that the dog knocked the truck out of gear and it rolled backward across the street, threading its way through traffic and out of view.

RECORD RECORDS A record collector from Pittsburgh, USA, is planning to retire after he sold his entire collection to a man on eBay for pounds 1.5m.Paul Mawhinney said the winning bidder has already deposited pounds 150,000, and a bank has confirmed he has enough money to pay in full.