Rob Hailstone of the Bold Legal Group is a well-known industry figure and familiar to EYE readers as a regular contributor of comments on our news stories.

He is an ex-residential property conveyancer, with over 40 years’ experience, and formed the Bold Legal Group  in 2010.

He himself has now become the subject of the news and has been commended by police for helping them retrieve packages of suspected cannabis.

At the weekend he was intending to try out his new paddleboard off the coast of Torquay but unexpectedly found himself embroiled in a police operation.

Officers told  Rob that two bags, in which they had an interest, had been thrown over the sea wall, by suspects being pursued, and landed on a beach that was inaccessible because of the tide.

Hailstone swam the 200 meters to the beach, found the bags, and put them in an evidence bag, then delivered them back to the police.

Wayne Dougherty, 35, from Oakley Street, London has been charged with possession of a controlled drug.

Rob told EYE:

“Saturday lunchtime and the sun was shining on the English Riviera.

“Having moved to Torquay in November and having had one of the wettest winters I can recall, I thought, I know, I will take my new paddleboard out.

“I bought it just before lockdown and it was still in its box.

“As I approached the sea front, I noticed a lot of officers of the law running to and fro and going down to the beach.

“My first thought was, ‘this is a bit excessive if they think I am about to break the current stay at home guidelines’.

“A quick word in my shell-like and I would be on my way.

“One of the officers approached me and asked if I would paddle a few hundred yards to a nearby beach that was surrounded by the incoming tide, and recover some suspected drugs that someone they were chasing threw over the sea wall.

“I quickly explained that my paddle boarding skills meant the suspect would be long gone if I tried to paddleboard my way there, so I offered to swim.

“He duly accepted my offer and I descended down the steps into the sea.

“As I did so, one of the younger officers looked very relieved and began putting his clothes back on – much to the dismay of a few young ladies who were watching the proceedings unfold.

I was handed an evidence bag and asked to collect the two suspect parcels.

I did the best dive I could (we are not talking Tom Daley though), and without making the high-pitched shriek I usually do when entering the ice-cold water, did the best Mark Spitz impression I could.

“The water was a little choppier than I would have liked and the current was trying to push me in the wrong direction.

“Nevertheless, I made it and picked up two fist-sized plastic bags with some shrubbery in them and swam back.

The officers were very grateful and there was some cheery banter, mainly at my expense,  and we all went about our business.

In all honesty, inflating the paddleboard and carrying it to the beach was probably all the exercise I really needed that day!

Rob made the pages of the BBC News.