Ref. 26699-02BAFFLED police have uncovered another dodgy racquet.

Officers stumbled on the 4ft racquet while patrolling Wootton Bassett's High Street on Tuesday night.

PC Steve Moule said the officers had found it lying on the street and say they have no idea who it belongs to.

"It may well have been carried down the street by someone coming back from the pub although we haven't picked anything up on CCTV," he said.

Now police have served a four-week notice on the owner, who has a month to claim it before it is thrown away.

According to some helpful calculations from Julie Jones, development officer for Wiltshire Lawn Tennis Association, based at Delta Tennis Centre, the owner must stand at more than 12 ft.

"A normal tennis racquet is about 2ft-long so this player is going to be big," she said.

"He certainly won't be lobbed easily and he would have a pretty powerful serve."

Ms Jones said the associa-tion has a similar-sized racquet that was used in a promotion in March 1997.

She said: "Four of the county's top players, including Anna Hawkins, were photo-graphed with a giant racquet. The owner should come down and we'll arrange a giant match."

The discovery of the racquet coincided with a visit from tennis commentator and former Wimbledon star Mark Cox, who was at the centre checking out some of Wilt-shire's best young talent.

Ms Jones said: "Perhaps the owner thought he would come along and get an edge over the others with a giant racquet."

Meanwhile, Mathew Glaze of the Wimbledon Tennis Museum has put his money on the item being a shop-window showpiece.

He said: "It probably dates to the 1970s or 1980s I haven't seen any modern ones around.

"I would guess that it's promotional, he said.

"We have two of them on display here at the museum.

"They were used to advertise sports products either that or it belongs to a giant," Mr Glaze added.