BY rights, a fourth Covid-19 tier should be created for Somerset (colour - like the incandescent glow from an acetylene torch).

My 90-year-old father - who's in the highest risk category - has no end of people traipsing in and out of his house.

My sister visits in the morning; my brother-in-law in the afternoon; the cleaner cleans most days; the Meals on Wheels ladies feed him twice a week; and Jeff from up the pub brings a roast Sundays with Yorkshire puddings the size of flying saucers.

And there's a visit from the barber this week. Dad's crowning glory has gone all wrong, and it's been a month since 'ee last come ere'.

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'Do any of these people wear gloves or masks dad?' I dutifully ask.

'Oh no, they don't bother with any of that. They did to start with, but not now,' comes the anticipated reply.

Cornwall has never really considered itself part of Great Britain, Devon looks seaward, and Zummerzet is frontier country: our deep-seated distrust and disregard has stymied centralised control many a time.

Truth is, we're still stewing over the grisly punishments meted out to us after the Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685.

If you want us to toe the Covid line Boris, it's city status for Taunton, or no dice.

HOWARD VICARY

Taunton