In Newton Aycliffe …

The cops moooove in

Comedian Benny Hill in 1971, when he had a pop-record hit, “Ernie (the Fastest Milkman in the West).”

A milkman in this County Durham town in northeastern England was arrested—twice—on his pre-dawn delivery rounds after police deemed his behavior (“driving around so early in the morning”) suspicious. The unnamed milkman’s workday first began to curdle when officers, investigating a break-in at a local shop, followed his van and pulled him over. According to The Times of London, the driver explained that he was delivering milk, and opened the vehicle’s doors to prove it. He was allowed to resume his rounds, but a quarter of an hour later he was again pulled over and ordered out of the van for further questioning.

He showed them his work ID and delivery sheet and reiterated that he was delivering milk. A likely story! The police hauled him down to the precinct “on suspicion of attempted burglary and obstructing a police officer.” There, eventually satisfied that they’d gotten to the bottom of the mystery, they released him without charges.