text: Jeremy Clarkson has become a green campaigner, Simon Cowell is going to be put on the £5 note and the Leaning Tower of Pisa is becoming a luxury hotel, it emerged today. But before you get too excited about this string of massive news stories, it might be a good idea to check the date - because all the revelations are nothing more than April Fool's Day pranks. And sharp-eyed readers may have noticed that the Mail also joined in with the trend - our exclusive story about safari park visitors' cars being protected from monkeys with bubble wrap was, sadly, made up. Among the other jokes to sneak into the news today were Tesco's new trampoline aisles, and the claim that the Manchester United team is picked using the power of astrology. Scroll down for video . Made up: Contrary to what the Mail reported, Longleat Safari Park is not putting bubble wrap around visitors' cars . Mock-up: But the safari park in fact has no need of such drastic measures to protect against monkey mayhem . The Guardian's Polli Faro reported that Mr Clarkson had renounced his petrol-loving ways after a 'dark night of the soul', and decided he wanted to devote his post-Top Gear life to campaigning against carbon emissions. He supposedly told the paper that he had started driving a Toyota Prius, and wanted the Government to lower the national speed limit to 20mph, or 45mph on the motorways. 'There comes a time when a man's got to ask himself what he really stands for,' Mr Clarkson is quoted as saying. 'And for me, that's sustainable energy, traffic calming and an end to xenophobia and prejudice.' The Sun revealed that the £5 note is set to be redesigned with Simon Cowell's face on it after a public poll to find the most popular celebrities. David Beckham and Helen Mirren were also reported to be replacing the Queen on banknotes in the near future. Pranks: Jeremy Clarkson is now a green campaigner and Simon Cowell will be put on the £5 note, according to April Fool's Day reports . Innovation: Tesco claims to be introducing bouncy aisles in a publicity campaign including Lucy Mecklenburgh from The Only Way Is Essex . The Independent took a dig at Leicester University's publicity campaign surrounding the discovery of Richard III in the city - claiming that the institution is renaming itself King Richard University in tribute. The university's campus bar will be named 'Carnage@Bosworth', while the main administrative building is to be called Hunchback House, the paper added. It quoted a source as saying: 'Our research shows that up to 10 per cent of people in some countries aren't aware that it was the University of Leicester which found the skeleton of Richard III. Changing the name of the university is the natural next step.' The Telegraph reported that the Leaning Tower of Pisa will be turned into a luxury hotel, called 3.99 Degrees after the angle at which the building tilts. The new hotel will be marketed to Arab tourists, the paper said, but it will require special beds with different-sized legs to combat the slope of the tower. Another story in the paper suggested that top bookshop Foyles had created a new type of bookmark, the 'boo!mark', which emits a loud noise whenever anyone falls asleep while reading. Sacrilege: The Telegraph says that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is going to become a luxury hotel . On sale: The BBC claimed to be offering a replica codpiece inspired by Wolf Hall . Police sparked a Twitter alert after urging followers to vote for their 'favourite' prison inmate to get them freed early as part of an April Fool's prank. Officers in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester used the force Twitter page to post a message on the site at midnight stating: 'Know someone in prison? 'You can get them released early by voting for them on here. The prisoners with the most votes also wins a holiday.' Other tweets on the @GMPRadcliffe page added: 'I have been told it is two weeks in a five star hotel in Cyprus for two people and £500 spending money. It is a goodwill gesture from the politicians due to the election coming soon.' The message sparked a flurry of activity with users claiming prison was a 'holiday camp anyway', and jokingly using the hashtag #NeedHoliday to confess to carrying out their own crimewaves. In the Daily Express, it was claimed that Tesco is set to bring in trampoline aisle which allow customers to bounce up and reach the top shelves with ease. The Daily Mirror turned its attentions to the forthcoming general election, reporting that a new Office for Estimation has been set up which will use social media to decide who should run the country during coalition negotiations. Another political story came from The Sun, which said that Ed Miliband is planning to dye his hair blond in an attempt to become more like the Mayor of London. A Labour source told the paper: 'Through Boris, he has seen that hair is something that people care about.' The Local.es, an English-language news site based in Spain, reported that the popular holiday resort of Benidorm had banned the full English breakfast - a move which could strike terror into the hearts of British tourists. Local officials urged holidaymakers to try Spanish specialities such as tortillas or pan con tomate, the website claimed. Flipped: Visitors to com.google are presented with this mirror image version of the search engine homepage . Drone: An image of the 'Domi-No-Driver', which supposedly delivers pizza without human intervention . Actor David Suchet got together with his radio presenter brother John for one of the more ambitious pranks - he filled in on John's Classic FM show without telling listeners. Many fans expressed concerns that the presenter might have a cold because he sounded so different, only for David to reveal that he was in fact an impostor. Google is usually keen to join in with the April Fool's fun, and this year was no different as the web giant unleashed at least three different pranks. The search engine revealed a mirror-image version of its homepage, which can be accessed by typing in com.google and shows search results flipped around. It also jumped on the selfie bandwagon, announcing a new service allowing users to share instant photographic reactions to any website they visit. And the site's 'Fiber' division, which is rolling out high-speed internet across the US, claimed to have a new dial-up mode which replicates the experience of using the web 20 years ago in order to induce a feeling of zen-like calm. Mumsnet was another website to make a hoax announcement as it claimed to be founding a political party, the MNP, which will represent the interest of mothers. New resident: The Battersea Dogs and Cats Home claimed to have taken possession of a lion . Job ad: The BBC is apparently recruiting for a 'Director of Better', according to an absurdly verbose ad . The sporting world was not immune from April Fool's gags - the Evening Standard reported that Arsenal and Chelsea have commissioned a joint sculpture of controversial footballer Ashley Cole, wearing a shirt with both clubs' colours on it. And it emerged in The Sun that Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal uses astrology to pick his teams, only choosing players whose star signs are compatible with one another. The Independent had a scoop about a new form of football technology, left-footed balls crafted specifically for players who prefer using their left rather than right. In showbiz, it was claimed in the Radio Times that Ant and Dec were planning to add a third person to their line-up - Strictly Come Dancing's Anton du Beke. The new trio, dubbed 'Ant and Dec and Anton du Beke', will make their television debut on February 30 next year. The BBC also joined in the fun as it announced it would be selling a 'replica Tudor codpiece' based on Wolf Hall, available in Henry VIII, Henry IX and Henry XXL sizes. Local newspapers across the UK took the opportunity to prank their readers - the Liverpool Echo carried disturbing reports off a great white shark in the River Mersey, while the Western Telegraph revealed that Batman star Christian Bale is set to be immortalised in his home town of Haverfordwest with a 12ft gold statue. Workout: Virgin Trains' new 'Fitness Coach' allows passengers to exercise while on the move . Trend: Miz Mooz said it was introducing 'selfie shoes' to cash in on the narcissistic fashion . Domino's was among the companies to make April Fool's announcements, posting a video on Vine of its new 'Domi-No-Driver', a drone motorcycle which can deliver pizzas without any human intervention. Battersea Dogs and Cats Home shared a picture supposedly showing a lion, called April, which is currently living alongside smaller felines in the home, and Australian airline Qantas claimed to have changed its name to 'Quantas' - bringing an end to years of confusion over the bizarre spelling. The BBC took a dig at its own reputation for incomprehensible corporate-speak, issuing a job ad looking for a 'Director of Better' who can 're-set the dial'. Virgin Trains and Virgin Active announced a new 'Fitness Coach', allowing passengers to exercise while they travel, and Transport for London claimed that commuters should now stand on the left and walk on the right, a reverse of the usual situation. Shoe company Miz Mooz made fun of selfie sticks with its 'selfie shoes', footwear with a hole in the end which can fit a smartphone in. Change: Qantas announced that it had added a U to its name to avoid confusion over the spelling . Complaint: A letter from the Royal Albert Hall's archive addressed to Beatles manager Brian Epstein . While April Fool's Day may be thought of as a time for childish pranks, a number of more highbrow institutions also took part by issuing made-up announcements. Nature, one of the world's leading scientific journals, published a hoax paper suggesting that dragons may in fact be real, and charting their prevalence against the rise and fall of global temperatures. The Royal Albert Hall also carried out its own April Fool's prank, releasing a letter supposedly from its archives criticising the Beatles for referring to the building in their song A Day in the Life. In the letter, an official tells the band's manager that they must not claim there are 4,000 holes in the Albert Hall, adding: 'Even if you count the doorways as holes, that would only make 32.'
target: April 1 has heralded a crop of fake news stories hoodwinking readers .
  The Guardian claims Jeremy Clarkson is campaigning against fossil fuels .
  Simon Cowell will replace the Queen on the £5 note, according to The Sun .
  The Leaning Tower of Pisa is set to become a luxury hotel, says one paper .
  Ant and Dec 'will add Strictly's Anton du Beke to their presenting line-up'