Paul gives the staff helpful information

There had been nothing like it before, even in the memory of the oldest driver. It was as though the population had undergone a collective Jekyll to Hyde conversion. In multiple cities across the country riots were breaking out each evening and the number of cars that were being burned meant that the National Hire Service was on high alert for more work. The drivers looked aghast at the images nightly displayed on their TV screens and hoped that they would not be caught up in the mayhem.

Having said this, the city where Paul's branch sat had remained trouble free. One upturned wheeliebin at the corner of the road - the sole product of one disenchanted youth's brief protest - had been the only casualty. Everyone wanted that to be the only act of vandalism in their city.

And thus it was that the drivers were not a little alarmed one afternoon as Paul ventured forth out of his office visiting all the work areas accompanied by his Main Administrative Task Reorganising Operational Notetaker - a squat, Batrachian woman of about fifty named Gwenda Water-Baths, whose understanding of the drivers' work was less even than Paul's.

"There are rumours of civil disobedience in the city this afternoon," was the word they spread. "We're here to exhort you to be cautious on your way home."

"What do you mean 'cautious'?" asked one driver. "Don't walk into a riot? Give us some credit."

Paul and Gwenda ignored this and continued: "You need to plan how to get in tomorrow in light of these disturbances."

"Eh? How? Are you going to lay on armoured buses or something? Either we can come in or we can't. There's not much we can do about it if the whole place is ablaze and full of rioters."

Paul and Gwenda were silent.

"Where did you hear this information anyway?" asked one driver, who had hitherto not spoken.

"Er, we heard a rumour," they said lamely.

"I only ask because there's a well respected local journalist on the Daily Record who has posted a message on Twitter to the effect that he has just driven around the whole city and has not seen anything in the way of riots anywhere. I would have thought that you would have checked your facts before going round being alarmist, especially when you have no useful advice to offer with it anyway."

Paul and Gwenda remained silent. They hadn't thought of checking their facts.

They started slinking away.

"Hey, Paul!" shouted another as the deflated pair reached the door. "Did you see the article showing that this branch of the National Hire Centre is the most expensive to park at in the whole country? Oh no, you wouldn't have given that you're not aware of the local press."

Paul and Gwenda turned the corner and disappeared from view.