THE mystery prankster who is giving old folk in his village a new lease of life has struck again.

Last year he doctored the traditional sign warning drivers about old folk out walking to show an old man riding a unicycle and juggling his zimmer frame.

This year's April Fool's joke on the roadside at Bampton showed an old woman performing wheelies on her skateboard with her walking stick trailing behind.

Pensioner Bill Govier, 65, of Manor View, rushed out of his house at 6.15am last Wednesday after hearing laughter but the joker had already disappeared.

His identity is still a mystery.

Mr Govier said: "I wasn't going to sit there all night but I didn't hear anything and it's not far away.

"I saw people go by and laughing at it. "I'm a pensioner myself and knocking on a bit.

"That's more like I feel than the usual one hobbling about on walking sticks.

"We don't like to be depicted like that."

The joke sign disappeared again at the end of the day just like the one last year, but Mr Govier sent in a photograph to the Oxford Mail for everyone to see.

Jonathan Phillips, a west Oxfordshire district councillor for Bampton, said: "I have my suspicions but I'm not going to say.

"He might get into trouble. The highway people have not got a great sense of humour and weren't terribly amused last time.

"Bampton is always full of this sort of thing.

"There's a blackboard outside the Jubilee pub which usually has some apt remark about something that has gone on in the village in the last few weeks."

Previous news story

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.