Sir,

An Italian engineer friend of mine had a very expensive “call of nature” the other day. He had hired a car at Brussels airport and set off along the Motorway towards Liège, where he now works. He was forced to stop to relieve himself and went well off the road, with the car on the hard shoulder. As he was about to get into the car again the Police arrived. They asked him what he was doing stopped on the hard shoulder, if his car had not broken down and there was no accident. He explained and was promptly fined on the spot. He was told he should have waited until he could turn off the Motorway and the fact that he was a foreigner to their country made no difference. Happy motoring!

H.M. Girvan – Great Bookham.