British houses are built to retain heat, not release it. A spell of hot weather in May or June exposes this quickly, particularly in older properties with solid walls and small windows. If your home has turned into a radiator, here are the tips that actually make a difference, and the ones that are more myth than method.

On Church Lane in Culcheth, tucked beside Newchurch Parish Church and set back from the road behind its car park, sits the oldest pub in the village.

Most streets have a history if you look hard enough. Stonyhurst Crescent in Culcheth has one that is genuinely remarkable. The homes that buyers compete for today, the large semi-detached Victorian properties with thick walls and generous proportions that sit along the crescent's distinctive oval layout, were not built as family homes at all.

If you currently drive between Culcheth and Birchwood for work, or you've ever thought about cycling that route but ruled it out because of the A574, there's a development worth knowing about.