Mary Berry to Blofeld: Bizarre queries to council call centres

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-34107598

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Questions on everything from James Bond villains to Great British Bake Off cake tins have been received by council call centres in England.

"What time does your website close?" in Poole and "Can I exercise my kestrel on your tip?" in Nottingham are among the top ten bizarre calls of the last year.

Three of ten were made in Somerset, including: "What are the rules and regulations for hosting a mouse race?"

Councils are people's "first port of call" whatever the query, says the LGA.

The Local Government Association said councils' customer service hubs in England and Wales handled more than 50 million calls a year - the bulk of which are about council tax and parking.

But it compiled its top ten of the "slightly amusing to the outright bizarre" queries received in the past 12 months.

Peter Fleming, of the LGA, said: "These light-hearted examples of calls highlight the variety of issues that councils deal with every day."