Litigious Britain

A local education authority has urged schools to ban pupils from wearing swimming goggles, for fear that they pose a "drowning risk" to other children. The authority in Gloucestershire is concerned that teachers might be so distracted adjusting goggle straps that they wouldn't spot other pupils getting into difficulty. Teachers have been advised that children should only wear goggles in special circumstances, for instance if they suffer from allergies.

The England and Wales cricket board has decreed that every volunteer who comes into contact with junior players - umpires, groundsmen, scorers and even tea ladies - must be subjected to a full police vetting. The ECB has also warned coaches to insure against the possibility of "child welfare legal action".

Councils around Britain are ripping up paving stones and replacing them, with ugly asphalt, In an effort to cut compensation costs. In 2003 alone, 800 people a month tried to sue Liverpool council after tripping on uneven flagstones. Although 80% of the cases proved unjustified, it cost the council £5.6bn. Now, 60 streets in Liverpool are getting an asphalt makeover - to the horror of residents - and Bradford and Durham have begun similar schemes.

A village carnival that has been running since 1912 has been axed after someone threw a water bomb. Organisers of the Tottan and Eling carnival are being sued for "distress and pain" by a woman who was hit last year by a balloon filled with water. As a result, insurance costs have risen so high that the village has been forced to cancel the event.