The Local Government Association has been tracking down strange FoI requests made to councils over the past year.

More than 197,000 requests for information were made to councils in England and Wales this year. The local authorities spent £31.6 million responding.

 The top 10 unusual FoIs received by councils in the past year are:

• How does the council plan to help the brave soldiers of our infantry if and when Napoleon and his marauding hordes invade the district?

(West Devon District Council)

• What preparations has the council made for an emergency landing of Santa’s sleigh this Christmas? Who would be responsible for rescuing Santa? Who would be responsible for rounding up the reindeer, and who would have to tidy the crash site?

(Cheltenham Borough Council)

• How many drawing pins are in the building and what percentage are currently stuck in a pin board?

(Hampshire County Council)

• What preparations has the council made for a zombie attack?

(Bristol City Council and Leicester City Council)

• What plans are in place to deal with an alien invasion?

(Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service)

• How many holes in privacy walls between toilet cubicles have been found in public lavatories and within council buildings?

(Cornwall Council)

• How does the council manage to cope with the vagaries of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle? How does it function given the inherent unpredictability?

(Wealden District Council)

• How much money has been paid to exorcists over the past 12 months?

(Cornwall Council)

• Provide details of uniforms worn by Civil Enforcement Officers including descriptions of embroidered logos and markings, as well as any difference between summer/winter wear.

(Allerdale District Council)

• What is the total number of cheques issued by the council in the past year, and how many did it receive?

(Scarborough Borough Council)