FASCINATED by the whirling colour and excitement of Kendal Whitsuntide Fair on New Road, a keen amateur photographer decided to take some pictures of it in full swing.

"Imagine my dismay when a policeman came over and told me to stop," he said.

"After some discussion to ascertain it was not a wind-up he told me that taking pictures of people on fairground rides was prohibited, unless their permission had been obtained first.

"As we were on the other side of the road and the people were flying round 20 feet in the air I did not feel this was practical.

"After much further discussion the policeman conceded that photography was allowed, but only when the people had gone and the fair was shut.

"This suggestion somehow lost its appeal as it would hardly be action-packed.

"I wonder how many other events are banned from being photographed, perhaps I'd better ask a policeman," he says, adding: "Please withhold my name and address, I seem to be in enough trouble with the police as it is."

Carry on snapping I say, having checked this out with our photographers, who are pretty well grounded in the law of what can or cannot be photographed.

They tell me it was just a bit of nonsense by a policeman with little knowledge of the topic.

If it was right they would have to have around 40,000 cops on duty on Torchlight procession night to arrest everyone taking pictures of people on the floats without their permission, said our experts.

It would also mean a swift end to the police's own CCTV surveillance cameras.

BIRTH PAINS!

I AM told that a lady living in Burneside opted for a home birth and a few weeks before the midwife turned up and offloaded from her car all the necessary apparel.

With the birth imminent, the lady was then out walking in the village in the hope of loosening things up a bit when the midwife reappeared outside her house and, after fiddling about in her car boot got out a grass-strimmer.

Is this some development in gynaecology of which we are blissfully unaware?

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

IN VOLUME 339 of South Lakeland District Council Cabinet meeting minutes my colleague Ellis Butcher found the following: "The aim of the agreement is to encapsulate key areas of joint working between both organisations reflecting local and regional priorities, investment and leverage, and new joint initiatives. It also aims to broaden access to and raise the quality of the arts experience."

"Does that means we all want to work together towards the same goal?" says Ellis and adds: "If it does, perhaps council officers should take advantage of a service offered by the council on its own website, which reads: The Council has access to an interpretation service to assist anyone whose first language is not English.' Call it, now."