EVERY generation finds that progress leads to an entirely new range of problems.

On two mornings last week I discovered that a hard frost had sealed the lid of my grey wheelie-bin very effectively indeed.

Maybe I could have found an instant solution — splashing it with hot water, hitting it with a hammer, spraying it with the stuff used on frozen car windscreens or carrying it inside and parking it near a radiator – but I decided instead to do absolutely nothing at all.

Sure enough, it had thawed out sufficiently by early afternoon to allow access once more.

This is a little-known consequence of the wheelie-bin revolution and I include it here to help future sociologists with their studies.