THE good citizens of West Devon can sleep safely in their beds — Napolean Bonaparte and his French cohorts have no plans to invade the area in the foreseeable future.

This vital piece of information was disclosed by West Devon Borough Council in response to a request, under the Freedom of Information Act, by a concerned resident who asked surprised borough officers 'what support the council would be offering to local troops if Napoleon "and his marauding hordes" should land in the district and stage another attempt at invading Britain?'

This bizarre request has topped the ­A list of the top ten unusual Freedom of Information (FoI) requests submitted to local authorities.?The list was compiled by the Local Government Association, which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales.

Across the county border Cornwall Council has had to respond to questlons such as 'how much money has been paid to exorcists over the past 12 months? . . . and . . . how many holes in privacy walls between toilet cubicles have been found in public lavatories and within council buildings?

Gems to other councils include: 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)

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)

What is the total number of cheques issued by the council in the past year, and how many did it receive? (Scarborough Borough Council).

Last year local authorities received more than 197,000 requests for information under the FoIA. The cost to local government of responding to them was an estimated £31.6-million.

Alison Stoneham, a spokesperson for West Devon Borough Council, said the council was happy to respond to each request, as was its duty, although the 'Napolean' one was by far the most 'unusual of the year'.

A council officer, she said, was happy to reply and wrote back: 'Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act.

'The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires a public authority to confirm or deny that it holds information that has been requested. Assuming that the "Napoleon" you have referred to is the late Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, the borough council holds no information of the kind that you have requested.

'Our best information is that Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5, 1821 and was safely entombed thereafter at Les Invalides in Paris. However, if contrary to that assurance he is in fact currently planning another attempt at invading Great Britain, having singularly failed in 1798, I should explain that responsibility for defence of the borough (and the nation) now lies with the Coalition Government and not the borough council.

'You would be better advised, therefore, to address your request to the Secretary of State for Defence via their website http://www.mod.uk">www.mod.uk — although I should advise you that under the Act there is an exemption for information concerning matters of national security.'

Mrs Stoneham added that West Devon was already high up nationally in the top 25% when it came to services offered to its customers and it brought a smile for the authority to be named top throughout the country when it came to bizarre questions under the FoIA.