May 16, 2001 14:46: Police could only stand and watch as the infamous Staines Massive and their 'Gangsta' hero Ali G took over the streets in a dramatic car chase this week.

The off-duty officers were on hand outside the old Town Hall to make sure Ali, played by Sacha Baron-Cohen, and his crew were left alone by admiring onlookers and to ensure public safety as they filmed scenes around the area for the forthcoming Staines epic, currently titled Chequered Past.

The film promises to impress the sights of Staines on the character's cult following and its producers, Working Title Films, backers of British hits Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Billy Elliot, intend to put the town firmly on the international agenda.

The crew spent the day recording scenes in Clarence Street and Thames Street while their entourage of trucks and buses occupied Church Street and the Riverside car park.

In an aptly-timed revelation, the film is rumoured to revolve around Ali G's local by-election victory when he becomes Staines' new MP and later befriends and becomes a close adviser and confidant of the Prime Minister.