A word in your shell, please madam

Customs officers at Heathrow airport have reportedly discovered an amazing haul of snails – 224 pounds of snails – in a woman’s luggage. According to The Guardian, the female traveller was arrested after going through the “something to declare” channel at Heathrow; her luggage was described as “bulging” with thousands of the gastropods. A Customs and Excise spokesman is quoted as saying: “It was the largest ever seizure of snails at the airport. The woman arrived on a flight from Lagos. An officer became suspicious and opened one of her many bags.” He added: “It is hard to say where the snails were headed but in many places they are a delicacy and can fetch quite a lot of money. A specialist team based at Heathrow has taken them away to see if they can identify them.” Surat Anibab, 42, was reportedly bailed to appear at Uxbridge magistrates’ court, charged with importing prohibited foodstuffs. The fate of the snails is less clear. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd