Help Elderly Residents? You Are Nicked!

in another case of a total lack of common sense, police wanted to arrest Philip Barnes, 17, who went to the aid of the residents on an estate in Kendal, Cumbria, who were unable to leave their homes because the footpaths outside had not been gritted, and the ice on the paths had not been cleared, 'I went to the council depot and was told that if I could find one of the yellow bins with some grit in, to help myself, I found a bin at the station - took a bucketful and spread it, however, two days later British Transport Police arrived at his home and accused the youngster of theft of the grit, the officer said that if they did not take me to court I might still get an official caution, I have been worrying ever since.' Andrea Loudon, a resident of Cedar Grove said: 'We should be thanking Philip and his mates not persecuting them. A spokesman for British Transport Police said: 'We have investigated this but it appears the 17-year-old and his friends who took the grit did not realise they were committing an offence, but wait a minuet, the grit did not belong to British Transport, it was in a yellow bin - it belongs to the council, what a waste of police time!