the Premier's home. The Hon. Sir John Swan nearly drove over the nails in his eight-year-old Government car -- a gleaming blue BMW.

But he spotted them in the nick of time, and alerted the Police. "It's in their hands now,'' Sir John said last night. The incident at Sir John's Grape Bay home in Paget occurred on Tuesday morning.

Sir John estimated the nails were about three inches long. "My car is parked in many places, but nothing like this has happened before. It has never even been scratched.'' He added he believed a prankster was probably responsible.

Police are understood to be still investigating.