After having dug to a depth of 10ft last year, Manchester scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years. They came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be outdone by the Mancs, in the weeks that followed, a Birmingham archaeologist dug to a depth of 20ft and, shortly after, a story in The Times read: "A Birmingham archaeologist, finding a 200-year-old copper wire, has concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the Mancs."

One week later the Redruth edition of The West Briton reported the following: "After digging as deep as 30ft, in his meadow near Shallow Adit, Treeve Pendarves, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing. He has, therefore, concluded that 300 years ago, Redruth had already gone wireless."

D' make 'e proud ta be Cornish, dunna?

Everyone knows that copper wire was invented by a Cornishman and a Scotsman arguing over a penny.