One More Thing:Given the prices they charge, we suspect dry cleaners in Ireland have been raking it in over the past decade. It's mostly a cash business too, making it doubly attractive to business owners. Like other sectors of the economy however, they are now coming under the beady eye of Brussels.

Under the European Union's Organic Solvents Directive 2002, all dry cleaners in the State must be inspected by an approved body before the end of October or face being closed.

In future, dry cleaners will have to produce an annual report on their emissions as a condition of obtaining a licence to operate from a local authority.

The European Union is keen to counter the effects of "volatile organic compounds", whose emissions can be carcinogenic. It basically, wants to limit the use of potentially harmful chemicals.

It might also nail the perception that many dry cleaning businesses use nothing more than a room full of steam and an industrial iron before handing garments back to hapless customers.