I WISH I'd been a plumber. I was baffled when water kept seeping up through the stone flags on my kitchen floor.

I thought the old washing machine had been playing up again, leaking through the front door as it does. However, despite soaking up the puddles they kept reappearing.

Further investigations revealed the cold water tap was leaking behind the sink unit. Hence a little man with the right tools had to be called in.

He arrived at 5pm and left at 5.12pm after replacing some piddling part or other and the charge for labour was £35 - in my reckoning that's £175 an hour. Not bad going.

Still what choice have you got when your boots let water in!