Police beat villains to The Bill gear

The recession must have hit Scotland Yard, as the Star and Mirror report that real-life police have bought hundreds of pieces of uniform from recently demised ITV series The Bill to stop them falling into the hands of criminals. Among the second-hand gear snapped up was 29 items of body armour, 72 police hats, 93 pairs of trousers and 28 high-visibility jackets. It looks like the famous pavement-pounding shoes were overlooked, however.