MY wife has been pestering me to allow her to bake a cake celebrating the birthday of an old pal.

I refer, of course, to the wooden cable reel which pokes its upper flange suggestively from the waters of the River Skerne at the back of Wilkinson’s, near the central bypass, in Darlington.

It’s been there as a landmark (or should that be a watermark?) for many a year now and should, in fairness, appear in the tourist publicity for Darlington.

At the very least our civic leaders should stick a flag on it.

Chris Greenwell, Darlington.