Political correctness gone mad – a familiar phrase in this day and age and something that is always amusing if a little potty.

Take for example the shopper who went into Sainsbury to buy a bottle of Champagne only to find on the label a warning: “Do not microwave”.

Another concerned someone who bought a pre-packed lettuce only to read the label: “Wash and dress before eating”.

Or the tin of sardines which warned users “this product contains fish” and clothing in dark and light colours which then has a label on it telling you to wash coloureds separately!

Then there is the situation where everything we buy has to have instructions or at the very least a warning label on which the print is small it cannot be read without a magnifying glass.

This only just touches the surface but does go to show just how mad the world or at least the EU rule makers have become.

We have already had other rules such as banning Morris dancers carrying sticks in case they injure another dancer in their rituals.

This list is endless and for children it has certainly taken the fun out of growing up.

There is a huge tree near to where yours truly lives from which spans a huge bough on which has been tied a rope – a rope in one form or another has been there for a number of years and children have regularly been seen and heard thoroughly enjoying themselves.

That was until the local council came along and said no more swinging and promptly cut the rope out of reach.

They were concerned in case a child was injured and parents sued the authority. I might had that not only took the fun away from the children using it took it away from a few adults, me included, who knocked back the years from time to time and had a jolly good time.

It’s a mad, mad world in which we live. I wonder what is round the corner?