NotesFromStHelena

Local news here operates on a different scale to anywhere else I have lived. 4,500 people don't produce that much that's newsworthy so the mandatory four minutes needs to be filled with things that most editors wouldn't even consider for an 'and finally ...'

For example, we get details of every road accident. As every accident has to be reported to the police, even if nobody was injured and you only damaged your own car, there are more reports than you would expect. However, as most people here drive extremely cautiously (sometimes frustratingly so), there are relatively few accidents to report, even under these criteria.

Now and again the reports are amusing. The following was in the SaintFM news yesterday. If you know Side Path you will appreciate the significance of it. If you don’t, imagine a narrow road, attached to the side of a near-vertical incline, with a three-foot high ‘retaining wall’ between you and the precipitous drop to the valley floor, then read on:

Two vehicles collided on Side Path Road. There was only minor damage to the vehicles and no serious injuries were sustained.

One of the drivers decided to sit down on the retaining wall – fell over – and all rescue services were involved in rescuing the driver.

The driver was found to be over the limit of alcohol in his breath and will appear in Court in due course.