ON a fine day in summer a small group of us young boys from the Old Down Estate were watching two brothers from Nestor Close fishing from the second bridge and facing south.

The second bridge was so called because it was the second of a pair of river bridges from Old Down towards town and the nearest to what is now Cricklade College.

Suddenly a bite was felt and it was soon realised that a snake had been caught. This thing was hissing wildly and thrashing about like mad.

Panic was settling in nicely among us and none of the assembled party was willing to land the catch. By pure chance after what seemed like 30 seconds to 60 seconds later as if on cue the first person to walk along was the boys’ mother; on her way back from town, weighing up the situation quickly she managed cut the line and release the snake.

Facing north this time, a similar group had assembled one day on the same footbridge and among them were two Old Down Road brothers, one of them had the good sense to remove his shoes and socks, wade in the mud and bag himself one or two fine-sized trout as the river had completely dried up and left some fish stranded in mud.

Derek Weeks, Martin Way, Andover