The McBoat

Just when you thought Manchester's waterways couldn't get any more interesting, what with the odd shopping trolley and that one traffic cone that's been there since 1998, along comes a sight to truly behold: a floating McDonald's.

No, you haven't had one too many pints in the Northern Quarter. A narrowboat, painted in that unmistakable ketchup-red and mustard-yellow, has been spotted chugging along the city's canals, bringing the promise of McNuggets to the masses, one lock at a time. Forget the drive-thru, Manchester has just become home to the UK's first 'Sail-Thru'.

"I was walking the dog and had to do a double-take," said one local, staring in disbelief. "You've got to hand it to them. If they can deliver a McFlurry that hasn't melted by the time they reach the next bridge, they'll have cracked it. The queues at the locks might be a bit of a nightmare, mind." The mind truly boggles at the logistics. Do you shout your order from the towpath? Is there a risk of a flock of particularly ambitious seagulls making off with your entire burger? And the eternal question remains: will the ice cream machine still be broken, even when it's on a boat?

Whether this McBarge is a clever marketing stunt or the glorious future of fast food, we don't know. But one thing's for certain: it's given Manchester's ducks something new to hope for when a chip goes overboard.