It would stretch the truth, but perhaps not tear it to tatters, to say that World War II was fought over oil.

‘A dinge,’ he said. ‘I just thrown him out. You seen me throw him out?’

The trouble occurred on the 10.5 a.m. Paddington-Bristol trip, when gangers' tools left on the track near Swindon punctured one of the unit's fuel tanks and the passengers had to be detrained to wait for the down Merchant Venturer.

C-level executives