The vehicles, baking in the heat in Belmont Road, Uxbridge on Friday afternoon, promised a warm welcome for their owners when they got back and not just inside: parking tickets were firmly stuck to the windscreens.

Meanwhile in the High Street, the visitng continental market, with numerous stalls selling French produce, was in full swing.

Assuming the vans' owners were market traders there, the £60 fine (£30 if paid within two weeks) might make a bit of a dent in the day's profits. That is 34.7965 Euros at Friday's rate.

Sacre bleu!