Dorset (for US readers it's a 'state' in the South West of England) is the first county in England to adopt 're-peasanting' as an official policy.

In practice, re-peasanting means that all roads will be closed to cars and lorries and only accessible to cyclists and people travelling in haywains or by horseback.

A spokesperson for Dorset Council, Rambling Syd Rumpo, fresh from Ganderpoke Bog, adjusted his woggler's mooly and, munching on a Dorset Knob, explained:

Well now mi dearios.

As the county of Thomas Hardy, we felt that we should take the lead in re-peasanting to take us back to the golden days of tugging the forelock, rural starvation and transporting poachers to Australia.

Without warning he then broke into some classic Adge Cutler and the Wurzels, singing:

Oi ad er, Oi ad er, Oi ad er, Oi ay!
She did the milking
and I whipped the cream
and I showed her the works of my thrashing machine!

Well. How about that.