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We had the police in the office last week after we reported a case of credit card fraud. Most companies don't bother getting the police involved but I figure it is always worth reporting a misdeed - our money is lost but it might help a future potential victim.

It being another slow day for the local fuzz, two officers turned up and while they were taking statements and drinking tea I asked them what other stuff that had been working on that morning. We were their third call of the day and the other two were:

1. Milk theft
Not a dairy heist but the theft, from a doorstep, of a pint of milk. Cost of property stolen: £0.46. That is less than a buck my dear yank friends.

2. Dead badger
Someone called in to report a dead badger in the road. This is rural England - at this time of year there is a daily slaughter of the innocents. Later in the year the youngsters have learned a bit of road sense but right now it is the killing fields. Badgers, rabbits, deer and birds. Calling to report a dead badger is like calling to report the sunrise. Technically it could be a hazard to traffic, but believe me, a dead badger is less of a hazard than a live one and within a day it will look like a striped doormat.

There really is a different pace of life out here.