“We’re prisoners in our own homes”, the angry person says to the local news journalist.

Then they’re photographed outside their homes, proving beyond doubt that they are not actually prisoners in their own homes.

Come with us, dear reader, for a brief journey through this phenomenon.

Sheffield Star: “Bus stop has left me a prisoner in my own home”

No, No it hasn’t.

Derby Telegraph: Bees left us prisoners in our own home for two years

Notable for this line:

“My Mum is allergic to bees so she hasn’t been able to come round, she lost her husband last year, so had to spend Christmas alone.”

If only there was somewhere else to go for Christmas…

The Bolton News: Potholes have left us trapped in our own homes

Yet, there you are. Outside.

Plymouth Herald: Floods have left us trapped in our own home

Yet there you are, outside.

Lincolnshire Live: Large tree has left us prisoners in our own home

Yet there you are, outside.

Colchester Gazette: People parking entirely legally in the street have left mums prisoners in their own homes

Yet, there you are, outside.

South London News Shopper: Family trapped in their own home due to mound of soil

Yet, there they are, outside and next to a very small mound of soil.

Suffolk Free Press: Seeds falling from trees leave couple shut indoors like animals

Yet there they are, outside.

Swindon Advertiser: Dumped mattress has left me trapped in my own home for days

Yet there you are… oh wait. Mobility scooter involved, fair enough then.