Picture: Adam Ward.

Adam Ward was on his way to work in Barlborough this morning when he saw the broken broom - its brush spiked into the grass like some kind of show of victory.

Sign up to our daily newsletter The i newsletter cut through the noise Sign up Thanks for signing up! Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting...

Adam, like many others, has been left wondering if the Eyam broom-snapper of summer 2015 is up to his/her dirty old tricks again.

The broom was invented by Massachusetts farmer Levi Dickenson in 1797 for his wife. She was delighted with the cleaning tool and talked about in the neighborhood.