Yet more Nanny State nonsense. It's now illegal to sell a new bicycle in the UK without a bell.

"If passed on to the consumer, the total cost, including fitment, is expected to be £2.7m - £9.6m," said the Department for Transport, optimistically.

Now I can see the pssible benefits of a bike bell, a delicate tinkling being somewhat more polite than yelling "get out of the fucking way!", but is it any more efficient or effective? I doubt it.

Given that very few serious cylists will retain these bells, preferring the tried and tested shouting approach, this is surely just another example of New Labour's ever increasing wall of red tape and taxes.