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SOME PEOPLE DESERVE ALL THEY GET
Conned shoppers are buying laptops from cowboy salesmen at Riverside Retail Park and St James Retail Park, both Northants, only to find the computer boxes are full of onions. The victims are shown a genuine laptop but when they hand over the cash the rogue traders swap it for a box of vegetables. Consumer watchdogs are now urging shoppers to be on their guard against the car park conmen. (Source: Sunday Mirror, Feb/07)

AIRPORT RESTRICTIONS
In one incident, listed at Manchester airport since restrictions on taking liquid on planes came in to beat terror bombers, a passenger, ordered to hand over all liquids he was carrying, urinated into a plastic bag in front of airport security staff. A person tried to board a jet carrying bottles of frozen water, claiming it was solid, and another man downed a bottle of vodka rather than have it confiscated. He was kicked off the flight for being drunk. (Source: Sunday People, Feb/07)

SOME PEOPLE....
A charity production of The Vagina Monologues in Florida has changed its name after a woman complained it was offensive. Atlantic Theatres in Atlantic Beach changed the title of the play to The Hoohaa Monologues after a complaint from a woman who had driven past the theatre with her niece who had asked her what a vagina was. The production is being staged by a group of law students, with all proceeds going to charity. The director has asked for the title to be changed back. (Source: Ananova, Feb/07)

ONLY IN BRITAIN
Residents waited nearly 30 years for their road in West Park, Leeds, to be resurfaced, only to see it dug up by gasmen three weeks later. Surveyor Peter Johnson said, "Over the years the council have filled in the odd hole but they finally did the proper job. When they finished I turned round to the wife and jokingly said 'I wonder how long it will be before it is dug up again'." Gas company United Utilities apologised and promised to repair the road as new. (Source: Daily Mirror, Feb/07)

NOT EXACTLY A CRIMINAL BRAIN
Peter Higgon threatened cabbie Steve York with a knife just moments after being picked up outside his front door. The taxi driver had gone only a short distance when Higgon told him to pull over and pulled out the knife. He fled with £55 but was later arrested when the driver told police where he lived. Higgon admitted robbery at Portsmouth crown court. After the case, Mr York said, "It was not the cleverest of crimes." (Source: Daily Mirror, Jan/07)

JADE GOODY IGNORES POLICE
Jade Goody has refused to be interviewed by police probing the racist row in the Celebrity Big Brother house. Detectives have made repeated attempts to speak to her but her agent wouldn’t let officers see her and she has snubbed Hertfordshire Police attempts. A police source said, “She isn’t co-operating with us. We just want to get to the bottom of everything.” Can you refuse to be interviewed by the police? (Source: The Sun, Jan/07)

OVER-AGE DRINKING
Jack Archer, aged 87, was asked to prove he was over 18 when he tried to buy a bottle of his favourite sherry. Mr Archer naturally assumed the cashier at a Morrisons store was joking but she then repeated the question. It emerged that he was a victim of the supermarket chain's new policy of asking all customers their age, however superfluous the inquiry may seem. He was not alone in discovering Morrisons policy. Audrey Sawyer, aged 80, was asked for proof of her age when buying a bottle of wine as was 70-year-old Don Parlabean when he tried to buy alcohol there. A spokesman for Morrisons said, "The question is not being asked to cause offence and no disrespect is intended. We simply wish to make sure that we satisfy our moral and legal obligations with regard to the sale of alcohol."

He added, "As a member of the Retail Alcohol Standards Group, we take our responsibility with regard to selling alcohol very seriously and have procedures in place designed to ensure that we meet all legal requirements. Store staff are trained to be highly vigilant in the sale of alcohol and the detection of potential underage purchases." Mr Parlabean said, "I think it's a ridiculous policy. You don't need to ask someone in their 70s and 80s if they are old enough to buy booze. Surely the staff can use a bit of common sense." No sir, common sense went out of the window years ago! (Source: Mail on Sunday, Jan/07)

SACKED FOR EXPOSING FLAWS
Trevor Cross was sacked after exposing how checks on people applying for jobs working with children had been downgraded. Trevor, who worked as a criminal records checker for Devon and Cornwall police, said the flawed system might allow another tragedy like the Soham murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The police force immediately called him in to listen to his concerns and promised to work with him to tackle issues raised. But his bosses at RIG recruitment agency, his official employers, reacted by dismissing him for "breach of confidence".

Trevor exposed two flaws in the criminal records checking system which put children at risk. He revealed that certain jobs, including school caretakers, scout leaders and lifeguards, were no longer subject to high level criminal records checks. He also told how application forms for criminal record checks are being scanned on computers at the Criminal Records Bureau headquarters in Liverpool and sent to India for typing into a computer system by Capita staff. Some names and addresses of applicants were inputted wrongly, although Capita say they reach their targets for accuracy. (Source: Sunday Mirror, Jan/07)

NOISY CHURCH BELLS
A medieval village church could be forced to silence its bells, which have chimed for 200 years, following a single complaint. A resident is claiming the bells at St Cuthbert's Church in Halsall, Lancashire, are keeping children awake at night. The complaint was made to the council after the clock was restored after a year out of action. Villagers have collected a petition to save the chimes at the church, which dates back to the 13th Century. So far almost 100 names have been collected.

The Rev Paul Robinson said, "We've been told it's a noise and nuisance so we may have to stop the chimes completely or switch them off during certain times. The chimes are traditional and in days gone by would let people working in the fields know what time of day it was. Today, those chimes remind people of the importance of the church in the community. If the Christian faith is about anything, it is how we live as a community, not this society which is all me, me, me."

A spokeswoman for West Lancashire District Council said, "The council is very mindful of strong local concerns and fully recognises that the clock has been present for many decades without any previous complaints. However, the council has no choice but to take heed of the national legislation which demands that any complaints are fully investigated and that formal action is taken where necessary. We hope that both the church and local residents in Halsall will work with us in an attempt to resolve the matter to the satisfaction of all parties concerned." (Source: BBC News, Jan/07)