SIR – In John Phillpott’s column last Saturday he said of his fear of the bogeyman when he was young.

When our son Andrew was small the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was released.In this film there was a fellow called the child catcher who seemed to live in a type of garden shed. He was petrified of him and every time we were travelling in the car, especially along a motorway if he was playing up, there was always a shed in sight and we only had to mention ‘child catcher’, he would then see a shed and soon be good.

He is 46 years old now and still remembers the way we frightened him into behaving himself.

HAZEL REED

Worcester