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Cows wander through neighborhood

HARROGATE, England, July 19 (UPI) -- Residents of a British town said they were awakened in the early morning by a stampeding herd of about 30 escaped cows.

The residents of Harrogate, England, said they heard a commotion around 6 a.m. Sunday and looked out to see the herd of cows wandering the streets for about 5 minutes before heading back in the direction of the field they came from, The Sun reported Wednesday.

"It was a quite a confusing sight to wake up to, very odd and extremely surreal to see at that point in the morning," said resident James Lee, who captured video footage of the cows. "When I heard the noise I first thought it was a family member in the house snoring but then I took a look outside. I think most people on the street found it quite amusing really, it's a bit different for a Sunday morning."

Some residents said they had to file insurance claims for gardens ruined by the cows.

The residents said they are unsure of the identity of the animals' owner.

Suspicious powder revealed as flour

EDMONDS, Wash., July 19 (UPI) -- Authorities in Washington state said a suspicious powder found spread around an intersection turned out to be flour spread by a pair of crows.

Firefighters said a hazardous materials team was called to the Edmonds intersection Tuesday and traffic was diverted for more than an hour while the team worked to identify the substance, The (Everett) Daily Herald reported Wednesday.

"It turns out the white powdery substance is, in fact, flour," Snohomish County Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes said.

A woman who had been jogging in the area earlier said she saw a pair of crows dragging a bag of flour.

"She took it away from them, put it in a garbage can and kept running," Hynes said. "Two crows and a two-alarm hazmat incident."

Shoplifting suspect flees store topless

UPPER DARBY, Pa., July 19 (UPI) -- Police in Pennsylvania said a suspected shoplifter fled topless after losing her shirt in a struggle with security guards.

Upper Darby police said Aishana Clayton, 26, was caught stealing a package of Pampers diapers at a Pathmark store Saturday and was taken to the security office where she struggled with a female security guard, the Philadelphia Daily News reported Wednesday.

The guard grabbed onto Clayton's shirt, but the suspect managed to get free of the garment and fled the store topless.

"Her breasts were swinging as she ran to the car," Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.

Clayton fled in an older-model Buick, which was later found abandoned.

Police said they are searching for Clayton, who has four prior convictions for retail theft and arrests for aggravated assault and attempted murder.

Bat interrupts zoning board meeting

SUDBURY, Mass., July 19 (UPI) -- Members of a Massachusetts zoning board said their meeting was interrupted twice by a bat that had flown into the building.

The Sudbury zoning board was meeting July 11 when the flying mammal entered the room, causing some members to hide under their desks, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

"It was a little weird to be having a bat flying around our meeting," board member Jonathan Gossels said.

Gossels said the bat flew into the hallway, but made a second appearance just as the meeting was being adjourned.

"Somehow it came back and we're not sure how that happened," Gossels said.

Gossels said the bat is believed to have eventually exited the building through the front door.