East Devon Luncheon Club enjoys talk by former customs officer at Sidmouth's Victoria Hotel

East Devon Luncheon Club held its penultimate lunch of the season at the Victoria Hotel in Sidmouth recently, with guest speaker Malcolm Nelson returning after several years to entertain more than 60 attendees.

Mr Nelson, a retired senior customs and excise officer, spoke about the various excuses passengers used to give him for not declaring goods that were due to have duty paid during his 40-year career.

He said that although the main focus for customs officers today was on drugs, there were other things customs has to deal with.

He explained that while officers don't take much notice of the odd bottle of whisky brought in through the green 'Nothing to Declare' walkway, they did watch for people dodging regulations with high-value items - such as celebrities, famous actors and sportspeople.

One funny anecdote he told was of a child who accidentally went through the x-ray scanner and a lady who brought into the

country a fur coat made from Water Rat pelts, of which she was unaware. Chairman of East Devon Luncheon Club, Simon Card, said: "We were very pleased to welcome Malcolm back again, his talks are always fascinating and informative, we all had a splendid lunch, a consistently good meal at the Victoria and lots of interesting questions and there was a wonderful "buzz" throughout the luncheon." East Devon Luncheon Club will hold its annual general meeting at the Victoria Hotel on Tuesday 19 April at 12pm for 12.30pm. It is also looking for members to join its committee. ————— Got a Sidmouth story you want to share with us? Email [email protected] For daily updates on what's happening in Sidmouth, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also sign up to our free weekly newsletter featuring exclusive articles for subscribers - just type your email into the box below.