BO, the moving statue, is a popular landmark on York's footstreets. Children squeal with delight when this seemingly immobile sculpture comes to life at the drop of a coin.

Unfortunately, not everyone is amused. Even though Bo is silent and mostly still he is considered a nuisance by some Stonegate traders. These killjoys have even called in the police, saying the crowds that gather around him constitute an unbearable obstruction.

We suspect the officers called upon have better things to do. And shopkeepers ought to realise that York's thriving street culture is one of its greatest attractions, and a key weapon in the city centre's battle against soulless out-of-town retail parks.