If you go down to the woods...

They may be blessed with magical prowess, but even fairies cannot wing it when it comes to planning laws — after all, if one of their buildings were to collapse it would raise lots of questions about elf and safety.

The naughty nymphs set up home in Rineen Wood in West Cork a few years ago but with trade brisk in the old tooth game and all their spare time spent on gnome improvement, they never got around to getting planning permission for their foot-tall dwellings. Now they are not only seeking that permission but also to expand their little community.

A planning notice has appeared on a large tree next to the home of Pod the “elder and wisest of all the faeries [sic]”.