Royal flush in need of attention

Discontented plumbers are this week being lured by two extraordinary opportunities. The money's not great, but the bragging rights can't be beaten.

Buckingham Palace is advertising for "an experienced maintenance fitter", with a salary of £19,500 a year. And the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is looking for 15 plumbers for an 18-month contract to prevent pipes freezing on its bases and ships in the South Pole, where temperatures can reach -50ºC. Successful candidates will be paid up to £19,000 a year.

Thanks to the skills shortage, self-employed plumbers can reportedly earn between £50,000 and £80,000 a year. But both the Royal Household and BAS seem to think that the perks of their jobs will compensate for the pecuniary disadvantage.