THE Conservatives have re-taken control of Richmondshire District Council, with some surprising casualties among the Independents, not least the likes of Peter Wood in Colburn, who is a good man and will be a big loss.

On a positive note, the cam belt went on the car the other day and so the lower council tax bills we can all now expect will be most, er, timing belt-ly.

What's that you say? The signs pointing out that Tory-run Hambleton's council tax was half that of neighbouring Richmondshire were just a cheap election stunt. Well that just boils my bodily waste fluids. If my tax bill isn't as low as someone living in a comparable house in Hambleton by the end of the week, questions will be asked, the first being has anyone got a spare engine for a Renault Scenic?

Shortly before the cam belt catastrophe, we were driving up the A1 when a deer ran out into the road, narrowly missing the car. After swerving past our bumper, the animal jumped over the central reservation, just escaped a Suzuki Swift before being wiped out by a Ford Transit. It was a horrible scene on what had started off as a joy-filled family day out, although thankfully the only casualty – other than the children's sweet dreams that night – was the deer.

According to the boy learning to drive, if you brake hard for a squirrel running across the road and the car behind hits you, you can be prosecuted. It's the same for a rabbit and a pheasant. But what about a deer? He didn't know, so I have endeavoured to find out.

Apparently it does depend on the size of the animal. A court will be more inclined to agree that emergency braking was necessary if you were trying to avoid an elk, a cow or indeed a deer, although if it's a small muntjac it may depend on how the judge is feeling that day.

If it's a dog, it could come down to how big the breed is. Brake as hard as you like for a Great Dane but think twice before taking evasive action for a Labrador. If it's a whippet, you are allowed to speed up and reverse to finish the job if necessary – just joking, whippet-loving parents.