Did you spot our hose hoax?

It was the hosepipe story that was too bad to be true. Our April Fool's Day report that police would be accepting hosepipes in stations as part of a nationwide amnesty had many people wondering.

The article said Kingston-on-Thames police were piloting the scheme, giving out "I've Piped Down" badges to anyone who gave up their hose. Press officers at Kingston Police station were surprised to get a call from BBC Radio London last Sunday asking whether anyone was available for an interview about it. "It took [the reporter] a while for the penny to drop that it was a spoof," a police spokeswoman said.

One outraged reader wrote to the paper saying: "So they want an amnesty on hose pipes, and for people to hand them in. This is another rich man's option – if we hand ours in we will have to buy a new one when the ban is over. Or will it never be over?"