I'VE been itching to write about this next issue for days, given that there was no Evening News on Bank Holiday Monday.

Cast your mind back. The front page of our Thursday, April 12, edition reported that a cow's carcase had fallen off a lorry, sparking police and MAFF activity amid everything else they were doing to tackle the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

On Page 4 of the same edition, we looked in detail at how the Worcestershire countryside was struggling with the crisis.

The phones at Berrow's House were jumping off their hooks by mid-afternoon as readers called in.

To pledge help for the beleaguered farming community? To ask what else they could do?

No. The callers were complaining about our spelling of the word carcase" in a headline one woman even hurled abuse at our newsdesk, after alleging it was all part of an Evening News plan to mock rural dwellers!

Nothing of the sort. It was simply our stylebook at work.

In fact, the Evening News has opted for the spelling for several decades. Any reputable dictionary would confirm that "carcase" is valid.

But is there any point in trying to explain such things to people whose ignorance is only matched by their insensitivity?