Swedish slimming disaster

Twenty overweight Swedes in the Weightwatchers club in the town of Vaxjo in Sweden have been dieting for a year.

Over last year they stuck to an uncompromising regime and gave up high-calorie treats; they have worked out and done everything possible to lose weight both individually and, as an example to all, as a group.

They decided to have their crucial end-of-year weigh-in as a group. In to the chosen room, fitted out with the scales, they all trooped, feeling both virtuous and thinner.

Unfortunately, the floor beneath them collapsed. It tore away from the walls under the pressure and, so it is reported, sank deep into the earth.

"Thankfully, nobody was injured," a Swede said. But – to quote Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times – not physically, Sven, not physically!

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