Traffic trouble

One sunny summer afternoon in the mid 1960's I set out on my afternoon patrol from the Police Station in Stoke(which at that time was situated in Copeland Street). One of the places I was scheduled to visit was the place then known as the Motor Taxation Department in Woodhouse Street. I crossed Church Street and walked around into Lonsdale Street. Having walked along Lonsdale Street for a short distance I needed to get to the pavement on the opposite side of the road. I looked to my left and stepped off the kerb between some parked vehicles and began to cross the road.

Almost immediately a very pompous sounding horn blew.

Looking to my right I was confronted by the large flat radiator and dancing Silver Spirit of a large Rolls Royce coming to an abrupt halt and almost colliding with me.

The driver who was sporting a nice big fat cigar wound down his electric window and bellowed out "I say Officer, you are not setting a very good example to other people. You should look both ways before you cross the road!!" I walked round to his window, reaching for my trusty notebook as I went. I then said to him " I am afraid Sir that you are about to find out that you are the one who should have been looking where he was going."

The gentleman concerned duly was Fined £5 for travelling the wrong way down a one way street!!

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