IT WAS bad enough for the parents of Pendle teenager Craig Megson to learn their son had been knocked down and injured in an accident with a car outside his school.

But they had another shock when they got to the hospital.

A bill for damages to the car - for £321 - was waved under their noses.

And who was holding it?

A police officer! Compensation for any damage to the car is a civil matter - absolutely nothing to do with the police.

So what goes on - when we have a bobby behaving like a petty writ server from the county court?

As Craig's Mum aptly comments, it was adding insult to injury.

It was, says a police chief, a case of misunderstanding and lack of communication.

Oh, really?

Will he then communicate with his constables and let them understand forthwith that it is not their job to act as leg-men over car bump claims?

For we are sure they have other things to do.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.