Jottings
News from the UK and around the World compiled by Dave Jamieson
... the wild , the wacky , the wonderful , the weird and the downright infuriating
Boys in Blue
Greater Manchester Police abandoned action on 28 per cent of the speeding tickets issued in 12 months . Nationwide , the figure was over 241,000 cases dropped from the total of 2.2 million speeding fines issued . Reasons included successful challenges by motorists and technical problems with cameras including speed measurement inaccuracies and unclear images , as well as errors made by officers . The number of tickets issued ( and cancelled ) is expected to rocket if Britain ’ s road policing chief Andy Bangham gets away with his plan to penalise drivers who stray just one mph over the limit . Anybody worked out the cost in wasted manpower ?
Bruce Grubb , a farmer in Aberdeenshire , was on high alert when he reported to police that he had spotted a tiger in his cowshed last month . Several police vehicles , including an armed unit , converged on the site near Peterhead , although the first officer on the scene refused to get out , and nearby wildlife parks were called in case a fugitive was on the run .
Slowly , they surrounded the building , waiting for the animal to show itself while Mr Grubb feared for the safety of his pregnant cows . After 45 minutes with no action , however , the boys in blue began to be concerned and sent in one of their bravest in a well-protected vehicle to investigate .
He drove cautiously to where Mr Grubb had reported the tiger had been seen , and sure enough , there it was : a large cuddly toy with no ill bovine intentions . The police , who kept the tiger as a mascot , said they have to consider every option in such an operation , while Mr Grubb said he felt , “ a bit silly , but felt it was a real emergency .” He immediately launched his own hunt – to find out who left the toy in the cowshed .
Yellow Perils
It seems a breakdown in communication led to two NHS blood donation vans receiving parking tickets while staff were inside a Kent leisure centre . The warden who issue the tickets was criticised when a photo appeared on social media with
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