In a surprise raid late last night, officers from the Met's Controlled Instrument Unit impounded our exclusive video of troubled troubadour Victoria Vox (23). In the shock footage, the ukelele-strumming stunner can clearly be seen flouting the Highway Code by fingering a complex augmented-ninth chord while driving in a zone with a strictly enforced G-C-D7 limit.

"We will be studying the video before deciding exactly what action to take," a police spokesman said.

Vicko herself was reported to be fuming with the Wunnerful WORD for publishing the disturbing evidence of just how serious her widely reported instrument issues really are -- a decision we took for the sole purpose of helping her.

"It's just like so embarrassing," she told friends. "I sounded rubbish because I was so nervous. I'd only taken eight Valium."

Maybe now the velvet-voiced Vicko will seek the help she so desperately needs.

But whatever choices she makes, there's one thing the WORD knows for sure -- she can lean on our lamppost any time she likes!

*dabs on Blue Stratos*

Yeah, we've known Victoria for a couple of years now. She's based in Baltimore, originally from Wisconsin and gigs all over the States with occasional visits to the UK.

She writes some great songs, strums a mean guitar and uke and does a cool mouth trumpet (hmmm... now that I've typed that it sounds really rather rude!). You can get her ukulele album "Victoria Vox and her Jumping Flea" from iTunes or CDBaby http://cdbaby.com/cd/victoriavox3 (if you don't know CDBaby you should - best place for independent artists' CDs on the web and run by great people too. Plus with the dollar/pound rate as it is, one of the cheapest ways to get great music). "Jumping Flea" has some cool songs including covers of Psycho Killer for uke, cello and vox - mad but brilliant - and Noir Desir's "Le vent nous portera".

She's got a new album out in the late spring - "Chameleon" which is a mix of uke and guitar songs.

Just to whet your appetite for more Vic Vox, here's a vid of her doing an impromptu tune in our living room when she was over in the UK last year.

Check out her tunes, you won't be disappointed. On her MySpace page you can see her "Ukin' at the wheel" AND EVEN "Ukin' on a plane"!! http://www.myspace.com/victoriavox

... just a teeny-weeny bit dangerous?

if she hit a ten ton truck coming the other way. All very well on the wide open roads of the US, but bet she couldn't do that from Putney to Clapham in the rush hour.