There was me minding my own business, out training for my charity cycle ride (more of which later) when a squadron of police cars passed me on the road to Brighouse. It’s not an uncommon event in this part of the world. Normally it’s to do with a domestic, drunken brawl or the M62 being stuffed up. However, the presence of the West Yorks police helicopter, circling Brighouse town centre made me think something a little more serious may be afoot.

Sur enough, when I dodged the lines of traffic to get into the town centre I found what looked like a movie set. Police tape aplenty around a square outside a bank, with platoons of police, a brace of ambulances and a pair of fire engines. On the edge of the tape were a few dozen locals who seemed glad of the diversion! On enquiring I was told it was the aftermath of a bank robbery which may, or may not, have involved acid.

I thought bank robbery had been consigned to history in the 21st century due to all the modern technological advances. But then this IS West Yorkshire, which is in many ways firmly embedded in a different age still.

Bank robbery being part of that it would seem…