On Thursday night a group of Edinburgh citizens once again blockaded a vehicle undermining the manual workers' work-to-rule.

Outside a well-known coffee shop near the Tron, a parked-up van (now white, in contrast to the distinctive maroon seen previously) found itself unable to move for 15 or 20 minutes.

One scab reacted with anger, with a brief threat of violence met good-humouredly by protesters. His wiser colleague took the opportunity for a coffee break.

The blockade broke up and moved off at a time of its choosing. No police were present. A blockader said, "The dispute continues. Mark Turley likes to bully people, we are here to show that we're not intimidated by his increasingly-tarnished 'man of steel' image. You beat bullies by standing up to them, we protect our services by standing together"

Underlining the Council's nervousness on a day it was forced into a humiliating climbdown over care services, the cash-strapped insitution was still able to spunk cash on a taxi for the 500 yards from Waverley Court.

With cost control and judgement like that, it's no wonder their stubborness is estimated to have cost taxpayers £3 million on scabs and their equipment.