I COULD not let the opportunity pass without mentioning that yesterday (Wednesday) was World Toilet Day. There is a distinct possibility that you are reading this column while ensconced in the smallest room of the house. You would not be alone, so to spea

I COULD not let the opportunity pass without mentioning that yesterday (Wednesday) was World Toilet Day.

There is a distinct possibility that you are reading this column while ensconced in the smallest room of the house. You would not be alone, so to speak.

A survey aimed at making people sit up and take notice on the special day revealed that more than 14 million people in the UK read newspapers, books and magazines while in the loo. Quite right, too, it is the only place where you can get some peace and quiet.

It is reckoned that eight million people talk - either on the phone or to family - while doing the business and one in five send texts.

The study also came up with the "fact" that, strangely to my mind, people mostly thought about food while on the toilet.

And men were more likely to look around for a distraction than women, which could mean them quickly becoming bored with the same familiar scene. There's only so many times you can look at the bath with interest or wonder at the artistry of the loo roll holder.

Pointing out that we visit the toilet an average of 2,500 times a year and spend a total of about three years of our life on the loo, the Consumer Council for Water used the day to call on people to use their loos responsibly by not sending inappropriate items round the U-bend.

By this it meant things like cotton wool, nappies, razor blades, fats, oils and grease which would all be better off in the bin.

These items do not break down and can get caught in pipes, building up a blockage over time.

So you have been warned - dump the wrong things down the toilet and you could be flooded out!

A PRESS release from the Co-operative Group caught my eye the other day. This announced that its stores across Hertfordshire would be offering police officers a free cuppa if they wanted to pop in as part of a new scheme to help them spend more time out on the beat (as opposed to beating a retreat back to the station for a brew up).

The idea is that while officers sip their cups of char, people can have an informal chat with them and pick up information, support and advice along with their shopping.

It might be a bit of a storm in a teacup, but every little helps in the fight against crime.

The release made me think of the time I put a photographic job in the office diary, for brevity detailing that the event was at Stevenage cop shop.

There was much confusion when the staff snapper turned up at the Stevenage Co-op shop and said he was there to take a picture. Mind you, he probably got a cup of tea and a bun out of them before leaving.