POLICE capes were the best piece of clothing I was ever issued, they kept you dry, warm and you could hide the odd pack of fish and chips under them.

One old bobby who enjoyed his fag even used to have a crafty gasper under one and blow the smoke out through the bottom like a modern day Sir Walter Raleigh!

One very wet and miserable day I was trudging up Bromwich Road thoroughly browned of with boots squelching when motorists starting indicting that something was amiss around the bend at the top of the hill.

Imagine my surprise when I saw a swan sat in the egg laying position in the middle of the road with car drivers carefully giving her a wide berth as befits an expectant mother!

As I approached my feathered friend I gave my head a scratch under my cap and the swan suddenly gout up on its paddles!

We looked at each other rather warily and I suddenly realised she thought she was looking at a six foot six black bird with a silver beak!

I gave an exploratory flap of my newly acquired cape wins and the old bird started staggering down Bromwich Road hopefully with a little flapping reaching her natural home on the River.

Sadly, coming up Bromwich Road was a lorry right in the flight path of the white bombshell! The driver skidded to a stop and through half closed eyes I saw my bird lift her undercarriage and miss the top of the lorry by inches.

JOE WALTER,

St John's, Worceste