dont want to rock the boat but ....
i think they are needle nose pliers !!!!
The revelation last Friday that West Bromwich was under threat of subjugation by a transdimensional DIY superpower prompted a few commentards to question our use of the word "pliers" to describe the threat: Giant pliers in the sky on Street View Indeed, some of our beloved readers suggested what we're dealing with here are …
I'd consider that the points would need to be at least about 10cm long, tapering to 2-3mm at the tip, to call them needle nose.
It's a bit difficult to judge the size of these, but from the relationship to the houses, these are long enough - at least 10m, but far too wide at the tip, over 2m. I think I'd have to call them humongous pliers.
They are definitely pliers, since the side of the tool has the profile of pliers, rather than side-cutters which are far more smooth-sided.
And of course who could possibly believe than an advanced civilisation could be built on side-cutters, which are entirely biased towards cutting - wheras the plier is a far more functional tool, that can tighten and un-tighten, cut and pinch.
So there you go - it's a pliers-based galatic civilisation we are dealing with here, now please excuse me I'm off to the bunkers.
ttfn
I followed the point at which the pliers "appear" on the camera to the point they seem to fall off as the google-mobile takes a turn. If you look at the frame just before the pliers show up, you can see a pair of youths standing on top of a green box of some kind and looking at the google-mobile. There's been some speculation that the drivers got out to tweak something and left the pliers, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the afore mentioned youths playing a prank that caused them to appear there.
It's obviously a ham sandwich.
Only instead of bread and ham they used pliers. This would be obvious to anyone as intelligent and learned as I, unfortunately no such person exists. (A fact that I am keen to make you all aware of)
Now if you'll excuse me, it's lunchtime and I'm going to eat Rubik's cubes and crap them out fully solved because even my bowels are smarter than you.
This shows some more details of the mysterious pliers-like object:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?layer=c&cbll=52.472714,-2.086625&cbp=12,106.02,,0,-46.04&ved=0CBUQ2wU&ei=w2GaS8j9Ode2sgbzop2-Aw&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cradley+Heath,+West+Midlands+B645BB,+United+Kingdom&t=h&panoid=hyEWyeTOWGhrtLF4NBQ6xQ&ll=52.47273,-2.086458&spn=0,359.985301&z=16
and if you follow to the end of the road the object is still following the poor targetted google-car!
They suddenly change direction:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?layer=c&cbll=52.472714,-2.086625&cbp=12,106.02,,0,-46.04&ved=0CBUQ2wU&ei=w2GaS8j9Ode2sgbzop2-Aw&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cradley+Heath,+West+Midlands+B645BB,+United+Kingdom&t=h&panoid=hyEWyeTOWGhrtLF4NBQ6xQ&ll=52.47273,-2.086458&spn=0,359.985301&z=16
and then are gone!
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?layer=c&cbll=52.472714,-2.086625&cbp=12,106.02,,0,-46.04&ved=0CBUQ2wU&ei=w2GaS8j9Ode2sgbzop2-Aw&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cradley+Heath,+West+Midlands+B645BB,+United+Kingdom&t=h&panoid=hyEWyeTOWGhrtLF4NBQ6xQ&ll=52.47273,-2.086458&spn=0,359.985301&z=16
I'm guessing the smudge in the sky is where the object was making it's hasty getaway after being spotted.
Fascinating stuff!
Definitely pliers though!
ttfn
If you continue to follow the U.F.T(ool) down Whitehall road you will clearly see that these are clearly linemans pliers, which suggest we're being invaded by a hyper intelligent race of electrician aliens.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?layer=c&cbll=52.472714,-2.086625&cbp=12,106.02,,0,-46.04&ved=0CBUQ2wU&ei=w2GaS8j9Ode2sgbzop2-Aw&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cradley+Heath,+West+Midlands+B645BB,+United+Kingdom&t=h&panoid=hyEWyeTOWGhrtLF4NBQ6xQ&ll=52.47273,-2.086458&spn=0,359.985301&z=16
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?layer=c&cbll=52.470818,-2.08665&cbp=13,177.82,,0,-22.5&ved=0CBUQ2wU&ei=w2GaS8j9Ode2sgbzop2-Aw&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cradley+Heath,+West+Midlands+B645BB,+United+Kingdom&t=h&panoid=0y2VSVcP3BWcWicQ-ITrPw&ll=52.470818,-2.08665&spn=0,359.999431&z=21
or
http://tinyurl.com/alienbase
Surely that'd actually be an Unidentified Plying Object?
Curiously, if you follow Street View through parts of Handsworth, bricks seem to be mysteriously following the car in places in gentle arcs... Might we unwittingly be the stage for an epic Space Battle featuring two long-forgotten races, the fearless Pliers race of Sparky'sbox IV and the lesser-spotted Bricks of Bryanthomes, third orbiting moon of Autoclavia XI?
Maybe they're just doing the initial groundwork for the interstellar space superhighway and nobody bothered to check the Alpha Centauri planning office...
Paris, because even she can tell pliers from side-cutters (she's dab handy with big tools)
Thank you for showing the sad state of el reg's tools. A good squirt of oil (3 in one etc), and a moment or two of fully opening and closing, followed by a wipe down with a rag or a paper wipe will stand them in good stead and keep them working for many more years.
A stitch in time and all that...
P.
http://maps.google.co.uk/m?layer=c&cbll=52.472714,-2.086625&cbp=12,106.02,,0,-46.04&ved=0CBUQ2wU&ei=w2GaS8j9Ode2sgbzop2-Aw&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cradley+Heath,+West+Midlands+B645BB,+United+Kingdom&t=h&panoid=hyEWyeTOWGhrtLF4NBQ6xQ&ll=52.47273,-2.086458&spn=0,359.985301&z=16&oi=nojs
look like needle nose to me
At least that's what we call 'em around these parts.
A set is part of the "emergency" tool kit in all the vehicles, there is a pair under all the tractor seats, in most of my "targeted for the job" tool boxes and tool belts (finish carpentry excluded, although come to think of it there is a pair in one of the drawers in the router table), there are pairs over most of the work benches in various outbuildings, etc. It's a go-to tool for a lot of "dumb, heavy work"[1] ... Handy to have around, regardless of the name you give 'em.
[1] Which may be heavy on occasion, but is seldom doable by brain dead office folks ...
Pliers usually have a bypass slot on each side that can be used as wire cutters (if you are feeing brave). The West Brom Borg does not. Ergo they are side cutters.
Incidentally, and we can start a new game here if you like, (or bragging rights if you wish), but I find that my house is in shot in no less than 26 camera locations on Street View. So stop watching me. Now!