My old head of department JH found the perfect parking spot right next to the harbour in the crowded seaside town. We considered ourselves very lucky – until a huge wave crashed over the harbour wall and left the car bobbing in the water.

We all raced back to the vehicle, desperate to prevent it drifting out to sea. TPR grabbed the wheel, then the rest of us jumped in. We managed to speed uphill to higher ground to find a safer place to park.

Here, however, we were too far away to walk back into the town. Senior Lecturer AT, who had never taken a driving lesson in his life, insisted that he drive the car back downhill and hunt for a more convenient spot. He managed the former, but in attempting the latter he bounced the car across a ditch, destroying its entire undercarriage. Now it made no difference where we parked the car. Nobody would ever be able to drive it again.