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Ever-resourceful, the architects have managed to locate a table in the busy bar and lug it outside so we can enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.

Procuring enough chairs takes a bit more time, but with their persuasion and skills, they soon have us all perched around the table on the pavement, supping our drinks European-stylee.

After a short pause, Helen O bites the bullet and offers up her opinion. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a good idea,鈥� she says, avoiding curious gazes from her colleagues. 鈥淲e鈥檙e working on a school and the contractor has put cameras up on the building site 鈥� it鈥檚 a really good idea.鈥�

We鈥檙e talking about the latest phenomenon sweeping local councils 鈥� lampposts with CCTV cameras that shout at you if you drop litter on the street or do anything vaguely anti-social. They鈥檝e been trialled in Middlesbrough, hailed a raging success and may soon be coming to a town near you.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit like Disneyland, isn鈥檛 it?鈥� says Jonathan. 鈥淓verything is observed and slightly surreal.鈥�

Ben declares that, actually, the shouting lampposts could be rather fun. 鈥淵ou could play a game to see how angry you could make them 鈥� go around winding lamp posts up,鈥� he grins. 鈥淵鈥檏now, make 鈥榚m shout a bit.鈥�

Gavin suggests that there should be a microphone on the lamppost so you can yell back. Everyone thinks this is very funny.

But David is struggling with his conscience on this one. 鈥淥n one hand, it鈥檚 just a substitute for people on the streets, but does that mean we have to accept we have failed on that front and turned to machines? You could say camaras stop people dropping litter but is it right to resort to this? Where do you draw the line?鈥�

鈥淐CTV cameras on site?鈥�

Helen A pipes up, although she probably wishes she hadn鈥檛 as Ben and Gavin swoop in to disagree.

鈥淲e could use them to check on the builders,鈥� Gavin says with a glint in his eye. 鈥淲e could see if they were following our drawings or not.鈥�

鈥淥r slagging off the architect!鈥� Ben chips in. The Helens, David and Jonathan chuckle quietly to themselves.

At this point, Jonathan draws our attention to a lamppost across the road, leaning at a precarious angle towards the table. We all turn to peer.

鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 trying to listen to what we鈥檙e saying,鈥� Jonathan suggests. As he says this, the sun disappears behind a cloud and we all turn quietly back to our drinks.