Blaketon rallies the villagers in a protest against the new Ashfordly sergeant, former York officer George Miller, when he decides to close the police house in Aidensfield and introduces a state-of-the-art Ford Zephyr police car that fails to catch the culprits to a series of wage snatches, which leaves Rob in serious danger when he is left to apprehend them without backup. Meanwhile, David's heart of gold gets him into trouble when he promises to throw a birthday party for a lonely old lady who becomes depressed when her 100th birthday goes un-marked, whilst a nurse takes a shine to Rob after he is hospitalised.

Bellamy tries to impress Miller by going it alone to investigate a marketeer suspected of using sheep to conceal his true criminal activities. Meanwhile, the arrival of a tax inspector throws the residents into a panic. Vernon bears the brunt of the taxman's wrath when countless dodgy deals come back to haunt him. When Bernie finally tires of his ways, the entrepreneur resorts to drastic measures to deal with his debts, with heartbreaking consequences. Elsewhere, Gina loses patience with Blaketon when he interferes in yet another one of her romances.