A DEAD mouse was discovered by environmental health inspectors at a popular pizza takeaway. Square Pan Pizza in Spring Bank, Hull, was heavily criticised by inspectors for its food hygiene.

Mouse droppings were discovered in several areas, while raw meat was found stored next to salads, sauces and cooked food.

The owners also failed to store the food at a suitable temperature and there was even mould found growing on a tub of tomato sauce.

The takeaway was given a grade of zero – meaning urgent improvement is required – as part of the national rating scheme.

Environmental health chiefs have expressed concerns that takeaways in the city are still failing to meet safety standards.

Out of the 22 outlets in the city to receive a zero rating, about half are takeaways.

Paul Turner, principal environmental health officer for Hull City Council, said: "Takeaways remain a perennial problem. They are often in the smallest premises, with a low turnover.

"The recession has also had an effect. We have never had so many takeaways and they are competing for fewer customers.

"Many are housed in old buildings, which are more susceptible to mouse infestations."

Square Pan Pizza was visited in July and the takeaway closed for a couple of days to carry out improvements.

Mr Turner said: "The owners have responded very well and we visited again recently and there were big improvements."

Khan Wali, manager of Square Pan Pizza, insists lessons have been learnt.

He said: "Inspectors came about two weeks ago and everything was checked.

"Everything has improved and they told us it was very good.

"The main problem was that we had a burglary and the food hygiene diary was taken.

"We have now a new system in place and we have improved our training for staff.

"We quickly dealt with the mouse infestation and we have taken everything onboard."

Despite being on the wrong end of a zero rating, Mr Wali has backed the food hygiene scheme.

He said: "It is a good thing. It is very much in the public interest and it makes sure everyone is properly assessed.

"We had some problems and, with the council's help, we have dealt with them."

Retail outlet BK Kubus, in Spring Bank, has also been handed a zero rating following an inspection in July.

The outlet had food past its sell-by date and items were not stored at the right temperature.

There was also no hot water and parts of the building were in disrepair.

In total, there are 1,731 food outlets assessed under the scheme.

A total of 700 have received the top score of five (very good), 411 received a score of four (good), 347 were given a score of three (generally satisfactory), 119, received a two (improvement necessary), 132 were handed a one (major improvement necessary) and 22 received a zero.

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Hull Daily Mail columnist Ian Midgley says, like it or not, in the age of the internet, sexting and Miley Cyrus, kids are becoming more wordly wise earlier than ever before.

As Salt N Pepa once sang: Let's talk about sex. No, this isn't one of those columns that starts by shouting SEX! in a feeble, gaudy bid to grab your attention before proceeding to bore your pants off by talking about Serbian poetry or fresh techniques for grouting.

This column (ooh er, matron) really is about sex.

Maybe younger readers should avert their eyes now – or at least get ready to explain some of the more unusual terms you find below to your parents.

This week, the Coalition Government dropped plans by its predecessor to introduce compulsory personal, social, health and economic education lessons in the national curriculum.

These would have seen children as young as five given lessons in relationships and sex – albeit with content tailored to what is appropriate for each age group.

A "this is Mummy Bear and this is Daddy Bear" sort of thing, I presume.

"Daddy Bear used to have money and be happy before Mummy Bear moved in. Mummy Bear drinks too much and stares out of the window a lot."

A revived curriculum suggesting how teachers should deal with the delicate subject of S. E. X. (why do I feel like Les Dawson mouthing the letters over a garden fence when I do that?) was published last week.

It was instantly jumped on by various pressure group who damned the guidance as "13 years old and not fit for purpose".

To be fair, in this era of internet porn, social media sexting and Miley Cyrus, they're probably right.

Like it or not, kids are becoming more worldly wise earlier than ever before.

Any sex education advice not written about ten minutes ago is probably already out of date.

The worst thing is, us parents don't even know it.

In an awkward tribute to Donald Rumsfeld's incomprehensible "we have known unknowns speech", I'd humbly suggest that most of us over the age of 35 don't have a clue about the extent and breadth of sexual content and knowledge that today's kids have access to.

We don't even know that we don't know these things exist and should be worried. If that makes sense.

To be fair though, I don't think it's ever been any different.

As someone who attended an all-boys' school, my only knowledge of the opposite sex came from the stash of soggy magazines Fat Roger found dumped in the disused reservoir up by the bike track.They may not have had all the interactive point and click fascination of the internet, but they gave you a pretty good idea.

Our sex education lessons at school were delivered by an embarrassed, geeky-looking chemistry teacher with half-mast trousers and brown elbow patches.

I forget his name, but we called him Wiggy due to his massive, unsightly pudding basin haircut.

In between the sniggering and lewd barracking, I felt a bit sorry for him.

I'd even be prepared to wager a tenner that most of us in the class lost our virginities before he did.

Apart from Fat Roger, obviously. He's probably on a register somewhere.

At home, things were no better.

I was never taken aside to have the birds and bees explained to me. I don't know anybody who did.

It was all just assumed that you learnt about these things through a magic process of osmosis – by talking to your mates or by reading rude messages scrawled above public urinals. And we all turned out OK. Mostly.

Yes, those were probably more innocent days when I grew up. At least on the surface.

But to suggest when you and I were in short trousers we were all out playing Swallows and Amazons and drinking lashings of ginger bear all day is nonsense.

As the father of two young girls, I obviously worry they're growing up in a world festooned with more dangers than I had to contend with.

They're constantly bombarded with information and Rihanna videos and don't yet have the maturity to make any sensible judgement calls on their value.

The internet, in particular, is a minefield of potential hazards for the young and naïve.

But let's not start hyperventilating with panic just yet. Most kids aren't daft. And whether the Governments wants to lecture them on sex or not, most of them will grow up into well-rounded and sensible adults in due time.

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Hull City boss Steve Bruce looks set to keep faith with mis-firing striker Danny Graham, insisting he won't 'go hiding' despite his long-running goal drought. The focus has fallen on the on-loan Sunderland man as two gilt-edged chances passed him by in the 1-1 draw with Cardiff at the KC Stadium on Saturday.

Bruce will now weigh up the option of starting with Yannick Sagbo, who is back available from suspension, alongside Sone Aluko when the Tigers travel to Newcastle this weekend.

But insistent he remains confident in Graham's abilities, Bruce looks set to stick with the former Swansea man for at least another week as he heads back to his native north-east desperate to break his duck against his boyhood club.

"We have to stick with him and help him as much as we can because he's a good player," said Bruce, in light of Graham's errant performance in front of goal against the Bluebirds.

"He won't go hiding and it's important he doesn't.

"He just needs to stay strong mentally.

"On another day he could have been the matchwinner (against Cardiff).

"That chance late on, the header, if he could just have stuck it away and won us the match, all of a sudden you'd see a different Danny Graham."

CITY'S reserves are back in action this evening aiming to build on last week's handsome victory over Doncaster Rovers. Stephen Clemence's side host Rotherham United at North Ferriby (7pm).

TWO Church of England schools in Holderness could break away from the local authority to become academies.

The Diocese of York would be the academy sponsor for the primary schools at Patrington and Easington, which share the same executive headteacher, Sally Smith.

Patrington Church of England Primary has a target date of November for conversion to academy status.

Easington Church of England Primary is looking at the possibility of becoming an academy but is at a much earlier stage of the process, the Diocese of York has said.

A spokesman for the Diocese, said: "The schools are separate despite the fact Mrs Smith is head of both, so any decisions made by Patrington will not affect Easington."

Converting to an academy would ensure a sustainable future for Patrington, according to the diocese.

The spokesman said: "There will be a consultation later in the year to make sure we can take the views of parents and the community into account.

"Becoming an academy is an exciting prospect and will enable the school to go from strength to strength.

"It will mean that the diocese will be able to work even more closely with the school, ensuring a sustainable future."

Patrington CE Primary was given notice to improve by Ofsted last year and recently underwent a monitoring inspection.

Ofsted has reported that executive headteacher Ms Smith is continuing to build on the progress demonstrated at the recent inspection, which showed that Patrington CE Primary no longer required significant improvement.

Key stage two results for this year showed that attainment rose in reading, writing and maths.

Year 6 pupils also made better progress from their starting points at key stage one than last year.

Ofsted concluded senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement at Patrington CE Primary.

Mrs Smith said:"Everyone has worked very hard to get to this point and the hard work is continuing."

Ofsted noted that Patrington's governors were uncertain about the process and timescale of becoming an academy and the future role and responsibilities of the governing body.

The regulator said these questions should be clarified soon in discussion with the Diocese of York and the Department for Education.

A TOWN academy's ambitious project to build a fully-functional plane has got off the ground following the delivery of 10,000 parts.

Thousands of fuselage and tail parts, which will eventually make up a bi-plane, have been delivered to Goole High School.

The semi-acrobatic plane, which will take a year to build, will be used for flying lessons for students and others at the plane's eventual home at Breighton Airfield.

Every student who works on the Spirit of Goole project will get the chance of a 20-minute flight in the two-seater plane.

Year 11 students Katie Dennis and Billie Wilson, who are both members of Goole Air Cadets, are among the group of 60 students involved in the exciting project.

Katie, 15, said: "I want to go into the RAF as an engineer and the Build a Plane project will really help with my engineering skills.

"At the end of the project, we can also get a BTec in public services and aviation studies."

Billie, 15, said: "This project will teach us lots of skills, as well as the practical ones, including discipline, leadership and working as a team."

It will be only the fourth plane to be built in the country as part of the School Build a Plane projects.

The plane will be the first built in the region, as part of the Youth and Education Support strut of the Light Aircraft Association.

Work has got under way thanks to kick-start funding from numerous local and regional businesses, including BAE Systems and the Goole Lottery.

Fundraising is still ongoing to cover the full £50,000 cost, with anyone raising £50 or more given an advertising slot on the aircraft.

Students are being encouraged to join in the fundraising efforts, with the prize of a national private pilot's licence scholarship, worth several thousand pounds, being offered as the prize for the person who raises the most money.

Ex-RAF man Jack Milnes, who is the project manager, said the project will tie in with many areas of the curriculum, as well as offering extra skills to those students involved.

He said: "The scheme will involve geography, through the use of maps and charts and meteorology.

"Maths is involved for navigation and biology is involved through the atmospheric effect on both the pilot and the plane.

"In English, we have the creation of funding request letters and marketing resources and art is involved for the design of the plane's interior.

"However, above all, it's about having fun and enjoying the learning process."

Anyone who would like to make a donation to the project should email Mr Milnes at jack milnes@thespiritofgoole.co.uk or call Goole High School on 01405 768621, extension 345.

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HIS garden is the envy of his neighbours and he once used flower power to break through Royal stuffiness when he chatted with the Queen. Now, Dennis Shaw's love of gardening and brightening up his little patch of England is to be recognised with a civic award.

Tomorrow, the 79-year-old will visit the Guildhall to collect The Lord Mayor and Admiral of the Humber Award in recognition of his colourful displays of community spirit.

He said: "For me, the effort is all made worthwhile when someone stops and looks at my garden and says, 'Doesn't that look nice?'"

"You think to yourself, 'I've created that', and it's a really lovely feeling that."

Dennis, who lives with his wife of 55 years Beryl in Arthur Lucan Close, off Preston Road, east Hull, has amassed about 130 gardening awards over the years.

He first won a prize at Hull in Bloom, an annual competition run by the city council, in 1986. Since then, he has collected a prize every year.

But Dennis describes the latest award as "a very big one", which is up there, he says, with his Centenary Citizen Award, which was presented in 1997 for his outstanding contribution to the life of Hull.

He said: "I am honoured. I have been told it's as good as getting the freedom of the city."

Councillor Nadine Fudge, Hull's mayor, will collect Dennis and Beryl from their home and take them to the Guildhall, where the award will be presented.

Dennis puts his good health down to pottering around on his garden, which he hopes will erupt into vibrant colours in spring.

He said: "I have some good mates help me now and again as I am getting older, but I still enjoy it.

"Ever since I was a boy, I've loved gardening.

"As a child, I thought flowers were beautiful and I still think the same now I'm approaching 80 years of age."

He entered his first Hull in Bloom when he lived on Greatfield estate and continued impressing judges when he moved to his present home.

"I must have had thousands of people come to visit my garden over the years," he said. "Beryl is a great help too."

And Dennis has plenty of stories, including pleasant conversations with Geoff Hamilton, the late presenter of the BBC TV show Gardeners' World.

But his Royal tale is his favourite.

In 2002, Dennis was invited to lunch with the Queen at the Guildhall.

"I was told not to talk to the Queen," he said. "But after the meal, I saw her wiping her hands. No one was talking to her.

"Well, I'm a very down-to-earth man and I wouldn't have liked my mam to have been sitting on her own at lunch without anyone making the effort to talk to her.

"So I turned to her and said, 'Did you enjoy your meal, Ma'am?' She said she did.

"We chatted. I told her about Beryl. She gave me her remarks and I gave her mine. She really is a lovely lady.

"She said I must really love gardening to have won all these awards. I said I did."

Dennis then asked the Queen to name her favourite flower.

He said: "I still, to this day, remember her words. It was lovely.

"She smiled and said, 'Every flower is beautiful.'

"So from that day on, I say the same. From the buttercup to the chrysanthemum, every flower in my garden is beautiful."

Hull City Council leader Steve Brady says a decision on whether to appoint a new chief executive at the Guildhall will be made within the next two weeks.

The search for a permanent replacement for Nicola Yates drew a blank recently when a panel of councillors decided against appointing anyone for the advertised £160,000-a-year post after interviewing two shortlisted candidates.

Councillor Brady said: "I will be recalling the appointments panel in the next fortnight to look at all possible angles and options. We have to bear in mind that, with a shrinking workforce and £50m being taken out of our budget over the next two years, the whole feel of the council is going to be very different in the future.

"For example, the proposals we have recently put forward for sport and leisure are a part of that. So I just think we need to sit down and think everything through very carefully with all the political groups, not just the Labour group on its own.

"We need to look collectively at the best way forward for the council. That could mean not going back out to recruit someone new or it could mean looking at the talent we already have in the organisation.

"What is certain is that we need a head of paid service because that is a legal requirement. Whether that will be a new chief executive or someone else, we shall have to wait and see.

"In the meantime, we have an excellent interim chief executive in Darryl Stephenson and I am absolutely certain he will continue to offer his advice and support."

Cllr Brady said the idea of extending Mr Stephenson's contract had not been discussed. It is due to expire in November.

He said: "There are experienced people around who we may look for guidance from and Darryl is certainly one of them. I just think it's now the right time to look very carefully at all the options before us and not rush into anything."

Ms Yates abruptly left the council 14 months ago after being in charge for nearly three years.

No official explanation was given for her sudden departure.

However, Guildhall sources claimed her exit was triggered by a breakdown in working relations between her and the recently elected ruling Labour group.

The post of chief executive at the council was advertised in the local government media in July.

At the time, the advert for the job said: "We want a dynamic chief executive who shares our pride, will work with elected members to drive our transformation agenda and re-establish the city in its rightful place in the premier league."

The successful applicant was also expected to be a "an inspirational, motivational, enthusing leader and corporate player".

The advertised £160,000 salary matched Ms Yates's pay after she took a £40,000 pay cut on appointment in 2009.

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A DISUSED lighthouse at an East Yorkshire beauty spot is to be restored as part of a £470,000 project. The striking structure in Spurn will be completely renovated to enable members of the public to climb the stairs and enjoy the view from the top.

The grade two listed lighthouse will receive the makeover thanks to a £470,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Two nearby military buildings – a First World War gun store and a Second World War gun emplacement – will also be restored and converted.

The gun store will be turned into a toilet block, the second a viewing platform from where visitors can gain better views of the natural habitat and shipping movements between the sea and the estuary.

Fiona Spiers, head of HLF Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "The reuse of these structures, in addition to new activities, will foster greater interest and, especially, community involvement to introduce this wild and beautiful part of the country to a wider audience."

Community involvement is a key aspect of the project and a programme of activities will also be planned to encourage visitors, including families and school parties, to visit the area, which is one of the prime locations in the country to watch spring and autumn bird migration.

Local volunteers will be recruited to act as guides to the site and to help produce new information materials for visitors.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust chief executive Rob Stoneman said: "We will help more people, and a wider range of people, to participate in the conservation of Spurn's heritage, at the lighthouse and across the site.

"We will have themed events with the help of local groups, organisations and schools.

"Spurn's lighthouse will once again become a beacon of light, celebrating the areas heritage and community spirit."

The six-storey lighthouse was built between 1893 and 1895 and was in use until 1985.

The first lighthouse in Spurn is believed to date back to 1427.

The last maintenance work on the current lighthouse was in about 1982, when the black and white building was repainted.

The lighthouse is located on the point, which is also the base for the Humber RNLI.

It has never been open for regular public access.

Once restored, it will include information and occasional exhibitions.

All the buildings will have access for disabled people and a webcam at the top of the lighthouse will provide views for those unable to climb the stairs.

Now funding has been secured, building work could start early next year and be completed towards the end of the year.

The trust is also looking at bringing in an officer to oversee the work and then carry out public engagement work in Spurn.

HUMBERSIDE Police chief constable Justine Curran has launched a series of YouTube videos for staff. Ms Curran said she would be updating officers and staff on police force news through short films on the video-sharing website.

In the first video, she said she wants to increase the force's use of modern technology to communicate with staff and the public.

Sitting in her office at Priory Road police station in west Hull, Ms Curran says: "This is about us really trying to communicate as best we can with everybody inside and outside the organisation.

"We need to get more modern and more effective and this is our first attempt at doing so.

"While we know it won't be perfect and we may have some challenges as we go along, it is about trying to get information across effectively in short, sharp bursts that people will actually find useful."

The videos will replace email bulletins that were previously sent to staff and officers, which could not be seen by the public.

She says: "In our other lives, with our other hats on, we communicate in lots of different ways and we expect quick, short and sharp communication, so people want us to use modern methods."

The first three-minute film sees Ms Curran answering whether it is difficult to keep staff updated, if the idea has come from staff feedback and what the next steps for the organisation are.

She says: "I think the sky should be the limit for us.

"It's obviously challenging, indeed sometimes it makes me feel a little bit like an old lady, but the possibilities are endless.

"As a team, we need to be getting information out to you, so whether it is through video bulletins or through the web or question and answer sessions and using every available bit of modern technology, we want to get a lot more across to people quickly and accessibly and use as much modern technology as we can, whether it is scary or not."

More films can be viewed by visiting Humberside Police's YouTube channel, HPHumberbeat.

TRIBUTES have been paid to one of only two women who served on the ship used to transport elite troops to the Falklands. Jean Woodcock, 77, was a stewardess on the MV Norland ferry, which was used by the Merchant Navy and the men of 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (2 Para).

She died on September 8, after respiratory problems, say her friends.

Roy "Wendy" Gibson, also a steward on the ferry, said: "Jean was only very small but she had a lot of backbone. She wouldn't take rubbish off anyone.

"But she was lovely at the same time and always had a smile on her face."

In an interview with the Mail last year, Miss Woodcock said she did not think twice about volunteering for the dangerous voyage into the unknown.

She said: "They said to us, those who want to serve need to put their names down. My friends told me not to go but I told them, 'I go where my ship goes'.

"They thought I was silly, but my parents had passed away and I had no siblings.

"I loved the sea – so that was the end of it."

Miss Woodcock, who grew up in west Hull, worked with several other women when the MV Norland was a passenger ship.

But Mr Gibson says only Miss Woodcock and another woman were onboard on MV Norland when she was sent to the Falkland Islands in 1982.

He said: "Jean was very good at her job. She worked in the restaurants, feeding the troops onboard and preparing their cabins, just as I did."

Miss Woodcock, who was a resident of Lake View Manor nursing home in Pearson Park, west Hull, never married and did not have any children.

Speaking last year, Miss Woodcock described how the UK task force came under attack from Argentine forces.

She said: "On one occasion, the Argentine bombs hit ships either side of us. Maybe someone was watching over us."

Before her stint on the MV Norland, Miss Woodcock had worked on cruise ships and enjoyed spells in Australia and America.

The Falklands was not Miss Woodcock's only near-death experience, however.

As a child, she survived an horrific car crash in Bawtry near Doncaster, spending weeks in hospital with a fractured skull, broken jaw and badly injured legs.

Sisters Maureen Seager and Jean Lyons were close friends of Miss Woodcock's.

Mrs Lyons, of Mulgrave Street, east Hull, said: "I became friends with Jean through my sister.

"Jean was a lot of fun. She was always so bubbly – laughing and joking all the time.

"She was always so generous and a good friend."

Miss Woodcock's funeral was being held today at noon in the small chapel at Chanterlands Crematorium, west Hull.

A CRUMBLING former Victorian school could become a new base for Hull's Hindu community. The old Blundell Street Board School is currently on the city council's "at risk" register of listed buildings in Hull because of its deteriorating condition.

It has become a regular target for vandal attacks in recent years, including at least one serious fire.

A previously approved scheme to convert the derelict landmark in Brunswick Avenue into flats has yet to get off the ground.

Now the building's owner is in talks with the Hull and East Riding Hindu Cultural Association, with a view to using it as a community centre and banqueting hall.

Isle of Man-based developer Raj Kanadia travelled to Hull earlier this week to meet planning councillors and explain the current situation with the former school.

He said the apartment conversion scheme, which also included 56 new-build flats in the grounds, had stalled because banks stopped lending when the recession began to bite.

He said: "We couldn't do anything with the site without that finance, so we waited for times to change.

"No one realised than that seven or eight years later, the economic situation would still be the same."

Mr Kanadia said subsequent efforts to offer the building to the council or for use as a new independent free school also drew a blank.

He said he eventually ended up putting an advert in the Mail, which attracted the attention of the Hindu cultural association.

Now they are jointly working on a possible bid for Heritage Lottery funding to help breathe new life into the former school.

"It has caused a lot of stress to me over the years because I went into it not knowing the problems associated with the building," said Mr Kanadia.

"Having said that, somewhere in my heart tells me I have to continue with this.

"I want to take it forward and make a good job of it.

"I have not got any money back on this so far, but I am still here. Every year it is a cost to me, but I am determined to finish the job.

"In the current economic climate things are very bad and, as a listed building, it is very difficult, but I do not want to walk away from it.

"I do not want to play the part of the absent owner."

Dr Tapan Mahapatra, the chairman of the Hull and East Riding Hindu Cultural Association, said his organisation was excited at the opportunity of helping transform the derelict eyesore, as it was already outgrowing its current base in Park Street.

A consultant surgeon based at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, he said: "I can see there is great potential here.

"We are very keen to explore this idea and if and when it is restored, this building could become an icon if Hull becomes the City of Culture in 2017."

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ACTOR Tom Courtenay is backing Hull's proposal for City of Culture 2017 as the team add the finishing touches to the bid. Sir Tom, who is one of the world's most celebrated stars of screen and stage, came to Hull less than two weeks before the bid is to be submitted on Monday, September 30.

He was filming yesterday for the proposal at Corporation Pier near Hull Marina.

Sir Tom said: "The team asked me to film in Hull for the UK City of Culture 2017 bid.

"How could I not? I am delighted to support Hull's bid."

The actor came to prominence in the early 1960s and starred in films such as Doctor Zhivago, Billy Liar and The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner.

Isabelle Tracy, member of the bid team and chief executive of Volcom, was delighted to have the veteran actor on board and said the bid is almost complete.

She said: "There are a lot of technical documents as well as the exciting stuff about the city.

"They need tweaking and we need to join a few dots to make sure it is compelling, and then off it goes.

"There will come a time when we just have to say, 'it's done'.

"The public backing for the bid has been fantastic.

"We currently have more 'likes' on Facebook than any of the other three finalists, with 5,000 fans.

"The city built up a wonderful summer of festivals, once Humber Street Sesh was over we were straight into the Folk Festival and then Freedom.

"This weekend we have Hull Trinity Festival and people know these events haven't just been organised because of the bid.

"These are festivals that have been building up over the years."

The 1,000th person to have their photograph taken in the City of Culture frame also posed for a snap at Ferens Art Gallery.

Teacher Sara Langford brought her class from Ormiston South Parade Academy in Grimsby to visit the attraction.

She said: "I used to work in Hull and it's great to bring the children here to learn about art.

"I hope it does win City of Culture and it will bring a lot more people to Hull and help to create jobs."

Councillor Steven Bayes, portfolio holder for the City of Culture bid, said the amount of support people have shown the bid by getting in the frame has been "phenomenal."

He said: "Everywhere the frame has been, it has caught people's attention."

Ms Tracy said if the city won she would host a party and celebrate with champagne and locally brewed beer.

She said: "You don't get to this stage overnight and I'm pretty confident we will get it."

The winner of City of Culture will be announced in November.

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DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg believes "the chances are high" Siemens' planned investment in Hull will go ahead. Speaking to the Mail at the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow, he said that if the energy giant did "sign along the dotted line", it would have a "dramatic effect" on the Humber, transforming it into a "real hub" for offshore wind.

Mr Clegg's comments come after Hull High Steward Lord Mandelson said he was "80 per cent certain" the planned turbine factory at Green Port Hull would go ahead. Although a final announcement has yet to be made, senior Government and opposition politicians appear increasingly confident that years of intensive lobbying will soon pay off.

"We've worked flat out," said Mr Clegg. "Both the Prime Minister and I have spent a considerable amount of personal time on this, with Siemens themselves and stakeholders in the Hull area.

"It would have a transforming effect on the region, allowing Hull to act as I know it could, and should, do as a real hub for the green, offshore wind industry of the future."

The Liberal Democrat leader marked the end of his party's annual conference by announcing that every child in infant school will get a free school lunch as of next September.

The Coalition will fund English schools to provide every five, six and seven-year- old with "a hot, healthy meal at lunchtime", something it believes will save the average family £400 a year.

Mr Clegg said: "Millions of parents across the country are feeling the squeeze.

"I am determined to do all we can to help put money back in the pockets of these families.

"Universal free school meals will help give every child the chance in life that they deserve, building a stronger economy and fairer society."

The Deputy Prime Minister also praised the "very active local Liberal Democrats in Hull", more than a month after they won two council by-elections in Hessle.

He said: "It's been a tough time for us but I think we've shown extraordinary resilience locally given all the vituperative bile that's been thrown at the Liberal Democrats by the local Labour Party.

"But I think people are starting to see in Hull, as they are elsewhere in the country, that Labour has a great line in insults but they don't have a great line in policy and, at the end of the day, the things that will secure jobs in Hull are the kind of policies we're pursuing, not the kind of insults that Labour are throwing in our direction."

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HER petite frame was the envy of many girls. But Rebecca Rowley craved more than a slim waist – she wanted her body to achieve.

And in just three months, it has.

The 25-year-old, of Greenwood Avenue, north Hull, has been crowned Yorkshire Miss Toned, after entering her first bodybuilding competition.

"I was so shocked to have won," said Rebecca.

"I never thought I would do it, I just went in for the experience.

"I was so surprised, but really chuffed too."

Rebecca, a supervisor at St Stephen's Superdry store in Hull, was one of ten women in the county to enter the novice competition for first-time body-builders.

And her victory is testament to her intense training programme under the watchful eye of Dan Welburn, at Total Fitness gym, in Hull's Beverley Road.

Not only did she have to stick to a strict diet of chicken, fish and vegetables, she trained morning and night, every day.

Rebecca said: "I went to the gym and worked out but I wasn't getting anywhere.

"I always fancied competing. I liked the bodybuilding side of training so I got in touch with Dan and he helped me from there.

"I took on a full diet change, which was really strict, and trained two times a day, morning and night, with lots of cardio exercises. Whatever Dan told me to do, I stuck to it."

And while her dedication paid off, she says she barely noticed the dramatic change in her body.

It was only once she was lathered in fake tan and up on stage in a shiny green bikini that she and her family realised just how ultra-toned her body had become.

"Because I was always covered up and wearing baggy clothes, no one really noticed a difference until they saw me on stage," said Rebecca.

"My friends and family were all really shocked, but proud of me.

"Even I didn't see it, the only time I noticed was when I was on stage with the tan put on. I noticed small changes, but it wasn't until I was all done up that I saw the difference.

"It feels brilliant and it is nice to hear that all the hard work has paid off."

Rebecca is only 5ft 2in, but said she feels 10ft tall when she is on stage.

And she is already back in training preparing for her next competition in three weeks' time in Doncaster.

She said: "I love the feeling of achievement you get out of it and I love the way the girls look and how strict they have to be to get what they want out of it.

"I want to stay toned and do as many competitions as I can, just to see how far I get."

Personal trainer and bodybuilder Dan could not be prouder of Rebecca.

He said: "I expected her to win because I saw potential in her from the moment she came into the gym – not only because of her natural shape, but her work ethic, too.

"Bodybuilding is a full-time sport, it takes over your life. It is like a rollercoaster, once you get on, you don't want to get off.

"It isn't like football where you pop down the park for half-an-hour and play on a Saturday, it is 24/7.

"I felt so proud of her. All that hard work mounted up to ten minutes on stage, so it was great to see her win."

AN EAST Hull woman has been banned from begging anywhere in the city after causing a nuisance. Ann Marie Rigg, 43, of east Hull, has been given a two-year antisocial behaviour order (Asbo), which also prohibits her from entering parts of Holderness Road.

Shopkeepers complained she had refused to move on when asked, she had sworn at and harassed customers and she had been abusive to staff at shops around the Holderness Road area.

Councillor John Hewitt, Hull City Council's portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and communities, said: "We want Hull to be a safe and pleasant place for everyone, so it is always disappointing when a minority of people choose to act in a manner that is distressing to others."

Ms Rigg was issued the Asbo for persistently begging within the Holderness Road area by Hull Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, September 10.

During regular discussions with shop owners to improve the safety of the area, Hull City Council's neighbourhood team and the riverside neighbourhood policing team learned the full extent of her begging.

Ms Rigg was told by officers from both teams that formal action would be taken to prevent her from begging and causing a nuisance unless she stopped causing distress.

However, she ignored the warning, forcing the council and police to instigate legal proceedings against her.

The teams approached retailers, who gave evidence and statements confirming the extent of the nuisance Ms Rigg was causing.

This helped Hull City Council to successfully bring the matter before the court and the Asbo is now in place.

Justine Mortimer, neighbourhood nuisance team manager for the council, said: "This shows our commitment to deal with antisocial behaviour.

"We will not tolerate this type of behaviour and will take action to protect communities and the people within them."

Should Ms Rigg breach the order, she faces arrest and possible imprisonment.

Anyone witnessing a breach of the order should call Humberside Police on 101.

To report antisocial behaviour in your area, call the Neighbourhood Nuisance Team on 01482 300300.

You can also visit www.hullcc.gov.uk and report it via the community safety section of Hull City Council's website.