MRS DOWN'S DIARY

Both of these checks took place fairly soon after I had taken the car in for its MOT test, so at neither time was I unduly concerned by the procedure.

I was interested to note the large number of police involved. Not in the check itself, but in waving vehicles in and out and generally chatting away to each other.

The sensitivity at police numbers was heightened by the extra number of roadside speed checks that day too. Twice we spotted police vans parked up with cameras/whatever poking out of the back door/window. I presume hoping to catch an errant farmer in a souped up 4X4. No worries there for us, then.

Coincidentally, I had been reading an article in a farming magazine about the failure of the police to attend an incident at an agricultural show, because of a lack of manpower.

Apparently, when opening the hopper cover of a seed drill that was to be exhibited on an agricultural stand, the staff found a man, an illegal immigrant from Afghanistan, hiding in the bottom of the tank.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette July 4