Military Performance Brings the House Down

An eagle-eyed observer on board a helicopter got rather more than he bargained for when he spotted a pretty girl in a bikini sunbathing in the conservatory of a mansion in East Sussex some time ago. The High Court has been hearing last week about the exploits of the four man crew of a Merlin helicopter which was flying over Eastbourne when the lass was sighted. They decided to drop below the 500ft minimum operational floor to, as they put it, "communicate" with her. Sadly the machine's downdraught caused this attempt at close range reconnaisance of the au pair to result in the virtual demolition of the conservatory. The owners of the £1.7m house to which it was attached, Barry and Anne George, are suing the military for repair costs. Better use binoculars next time...