I have a document formatted into two columns. I need to insert 3 tables into it. One of them is one column wide and two span both columns. When I paste them into the document white space suddenly turns up either before or after and the text ceases to flow around them (ie. if I delete some text, text from further on doesn't back up over the blocked section). I have the tables formatted to text wrap 'around'. I have gone into 'lines and page breaks' and set the pagination to widow/orphan control only (everything else is unchecked)- for the whole document. It's as if there is an unseen table anchor that blocks the text from moving, but it isn't necessarily where the table is. Sometimes there is a paragraph mark (backwards P) that seems to be the problem but I can't delete it.

Can anyone help, because this is seriously messing with my mental health.

Thank you!