LOOKING for a reason to vote Labour – try this for size.

If Gordon Brown holds on to power, he’s promised to attend to the problem of peek-a-boo hospital gowns.

The new gown, unveiled this month, has poppers down the side so it doesn’t gape at the back and a pouch for a mobile phone, reports AP.

It comes with a fleece blanket too.

The designer said hospital patients “are at their very lowest ebb” and a better gown could help them feel more confident.

The Labour government has promised to issue the new gowns across England if it wins the election.

Banged up for jail break-in

A MAN in Florida has finally had his wish granted – he’s back in jail.

Sylvester Jiles, of Florida, was convicted of trying to climb a 12-foot fence at the Brevard County Detention Center.

He had been released just a week earlier after accepting a plea deal on a manslaughter charge, says AP.

But Jiles begged jail officials to return him to custody because he feared retaliation from the victim’s family.

You can’t squat here

A MAN popped back into his house to pick up his wallet and found a Romanian family had moved in as squatters.

As he entered the property, the homeowner found Mihai Dediu, 30, and his wife Laura, 24, moving his belongings out of the house while their young child looked on, reported The Sun.

Dediu told Northampton Crown Court that his family had heard the house was empty and was planning to squat to save money.

“The house was a mess. We were tidying it up. It did not look as if anybody was living there,” he said. “I met a man in a shop and he said this house was empty. I just wanted to save on rent. I don’t earn much.”

The couple were cleared of burglary but were sentenced to 12 months of probation for pleading guilty to criminal damage of the home’s locks and windows.

Don’t tell Mom

A TEEN carried out a botched robbery in Salt Lake City, then turned round and pleaded: “Don’t tell my mom”.

Salt Lake City police said the teen went into the convenience store early one Saturday morning and approached the counter with several items.

As the clerk rang them up, the teen tried to sneak behind him and hold a knife to his neck.

The clerk spun around with his hands up and smacked the teen in the face, knocking him to the floor, reports AP.

The teen then asked the clerk not to call the police, adding: “Don’t tell my mom” before fleeing.

Library book back after 45 years

LIBRARY staff are used to dealing with late returns – but not many books come back 45 years overdue.

Staff at Dinnington library, Sheffield, received the book, Quatermass And The Pit by Nigel Kneale, in the post. It had been borrowed on September 24, 1965, reports Reuters.

“I thought at first it was just a normal return, until I saw the color of the pages: they were very brown around the edges,” said librarian Alison Lawrie. “It’s true that some people like to take their time with a good book, but 45 years is an incredible amount of time!”

The identity of the borrower remains a mystery because records do not go back that far. There would have been no danger of a huge accumulated fine because all fines are capped at £6.

“The person who posted it back to us would not be in any trouble whatsoever,” said Alison. “If the person who returned the book wants to come forward, we’d love to know the story behind it.”

School orders lie-in for teens

TEENAGERS at a school in North Tyneside are the envy of the country after being allowed to start lessons at 10am.

Teachers are allowing the 800 pupils to start an hour later following research that suggests teens learn better later in the day.

Early results indicates that general absence has dropped by eight per cent and persistent absenteeism by 27 per cent.

Head teacher Paul Kelley said that changing the school day could help towards creating “happier, better educated teenagers”.

Mr Kelley said it was now medically established that it was better for teenagers to start their school day later in terms of their mental and physical health and how they learn better in the afternoon.