First Capital Connect is used to brickbats but the latest episode concerning St Albans City Station seems pointlessly trivial.

Their PA system has been annoying residents for some time and has recently been made even louder. I have now involved St Albans District Council, the Herts Advertiser and the BBC. Between us we are now at last hearing some concilatory noises from FCC. Today, certainly, the pointless stream of Sussex stations wasn’t there, nor the even more pointless warnings about smoking. And even the man on the tannoy was not shouting his head off.

We only wanted the volume turned down a bit. Now we have had to involve environmental health, two media outlets and the time and anxiety of the neighbours.

What is it about the word ‘customer’ that FCC don’t understand?