Treasure hunting unlikely to solve country’s ills

OTHING is more likely to spawn a new generation of intrepid amateur treasure hunters than news of an Iron Age hoard of gold. The dramatic discovery of four golden neck ornaments, or torcs, by David Booth, chief ranger at the Blair Drummond Safari Park, has brought him £462,000 in reward money. He found the pieces of 2,000-year-old jewellery in a field near his home, using a £240 metal detector.

Stand by for a rush of purchases of such gadgetry. Millions of savers currently earning next to nothing on their savings accounts may find spending on a £240 metal detector the better prospect of getting a decent return on their money.

The long sweeping motion of the arms only adds to the health effect from painstaking walks through fields. Buckshot from an irate farmer would raise the pulse even further.

And others will feel inspired. Can it be that long before Scotland’s finance secretary, John Swinney, is out in the fields at dawn, desperately alert for that rapid clicking round which could denote a pile of rare gold jewellery? This could provide a much-needed solution to Scotland’s budget. In fact the entire Cabinet should now be out this weekend to find a stash big enough to lift the entire economy. Sadly, old cans of Irn-Bru don’t count.