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A DRIVER dubbed "The Wilmington One" has been allowed to return to his job at a waste recycling site after being barred from his workplace.

Trade union shop steward Russell Bowering has worked at the same facility in east Hull for 31 years.

But he was suspended in July after a loading bay wall collapsed at the site in Wilmington.

Despite being subsequently exonerated of any responsibility for the incident, site owners FCC Environment then refused to allow Mr Bowering back onto any of its sites.

The firm said it acted because Mr Bowering had failed to follow agreed accident reporting procedures.

His trade union Unison claimed the company deliberately targeted Mr Bowering because of his role as a shop steward.

That claim has always been denied by FCC.

Now, he has been allowed to resume his job after FCC said it had received "reassurances" from his employer and subcontractor Hargreaves Logistics.

Mr Bowering, who lives in east Hull, was dubbed 'The Wilmington One' by his supporters.

He said: "This campaign has had support from hundreds of trade unionists, members, politicians and members of the public and I would like to thank them all, including the three MPs for Hull and Councillor Phil Webster, who have really helped me.

"I could not have seen this through without the support from Unison and all the other trade unionists who have contacted me and given me their support."

In a statement, FCC Environment said: "The decision follows strict conditions and guarantees from Hargreaves about Mr Bowering's compliance with our health and safety procedures.

"We cannot stress enough how important the health and safety of visitors and personnel at our sites is to all of our operations.

"We require all staff and subcontractors to follow these procedures and invest a considerable amount of time communicating what those procedures are.

"The original ban on Mr Hargreaves working at Wilmington was implemented following serious concerns that our health and safety procedures had not been properly followed.

"Contrary to claims made by Mr Bowering and his trade union Unison, the decision was made purely on health and safety grounds.

"We refute in the strongest possible terms the allegation that we target or blacklist staff for being members of trade unions and have positive and constructive relationships with the unions around the country.

"In fact, our health and safety representative, an FCC Environment employee, at the Wilmington site is the Unison representative."

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A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy left permanently blind in one eye after a branch hit him in the face is determined it won't hold him back. The third and final operation to save the sight in James Matchett's right eye has failed because his retina was too badly damaged.

His mother Kerry, who lives off Hull's Willerby Road, said: "The last operation didn't work, so there is no chance of him getting the sight back in that eye.

"Now it is a waiting game as to whether the eye survives or shrinks and needs to be taken out and replaced with a glass eye."

James stepped on the branch in August as he walked home from playing out with friends and it flew up into his face, hitting him in the eye.

It happened just days before he was due to go and watch his idols Hull FC in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley.

Since then, James has undergone operations at Hull Royal Infirmary to rebuild and repair his eye. It is the operation to repair his eye that keeps failing.

Kerry said: "His eye is looking good compared with what it did look like. It is slightly off to a side and looks like a squint."

Despite the setback, Kerry is proud with how James is coping.

"He's back rugby training and has been football training," she said.

"The Hull All Blacks rugby coach has been fantastic. He got the team to shut one of their eyes so they would know what it is like for James.

"I think I'm more worried than he is, but he can't really do any more damage to it.

"He's bumped into a few doors as he gets used to things.

"It is going to be a long road ahead."

Kerry first found out what had happened when James called her to say he had fallen over and his head was bleeding.

The Ainthorpe Primary School pupil was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary and spent an hour and 45 minutes in surgery.

She said: "It is affecting me more now than it did. Now it has settled down, I am thinking about it more.

"I am so glad James is feeling better. He is doing brilliantly."

Recently, James met former Wigan and Leeds rugby player Barrie McDermott, who lost the sight in one eye after an accident with an air rifle when he was 15.

Kerry said: "I got in touch with Barrie on Twitter and he met up with James when he was in Beverley.

"He sat and spoke to him face to face about his life and about the problems with the false eye.

"He was really nice and gave me his mobile number and said to give him a call if James had any problems.

"It was the first time I had seen James smile properly for ages.

"I am proud with how James is coping.

"He has even joked about it, saying when he was watching something he shouldn't have, that he was covering one eye."

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NOT since Dean Windass thumped that volley into the back of the net at Wembley has there been such an eruption of pure joy in Hull.

Minister Maria Miller's rapid-fire announcement early on Wednesday morning that Hull would be the UK City of Culture 2017 was one of those moments destined to linger in the memory.

I witnessed Deano's goal in the Silver Cod pub in Anlaby Road where pints aplenty were spilled in celebration.

This week, I was stuck in a spectacular traffic jam near the Calvert Lane/Spring Bank West roundabout, listening to the city's arty types whopping it up at Hull Truck.

I eventually discovered the reason for the jam was the failure of temporary traffic lights at the ongoing railway bridge replacement works further along Spring Bank West.

The current bridge was originally meant to be replaced with a new one at the end of August.

But a series of delays, including problems encountered in moving an existing water main, has meant construction work continues to drag on, causing heavy congestion during most of the day.

The road will close completely to traffic from December 17 to January 1, before the scheme is finally completed in the new year.

I mention all this because one of the major challenges lying ahead for the City of Culture is the looming upgrade of Castle Street in the city centre.

When Hull welcomes the world in 2017, work will have started in earnest on the long-awaited £160m improvement scheme on the city's busiest road, which carries 54,000 vehicles a day.

With the city's waterfront likely to host a number of large-scale events during the year, sorting out access to them is going to be a priority for those entrusted with managing the whole extravaganza.

Government funding for Castle Street is committed, but not yet signed off.

I am told the final go-ahead rests on the outcome of current talks over how a proposed iconic footbridge, linking the marina to the city centre, will be funded, as it currently sits outside the earmarked budget for the Castle Street scheme.

I am also told the design of the bridge is "95 per cent there".

The current situation in Spring Bank West must not be repeated in Castle Street for the sake of Hull and its ambitions for 2017.

A SHOPAHOLIC wife accused of plotting to kill her husband in order to claim his £750,000 life insurance has been found not guilty. Lisa Fairpo, 36, gasped with relief and burst into tears when the jury of 12 read out the unanimous verdict after just 45 minutes' deliberation at Hull Crown Court.

The mother-of-three and foster carer of St George's Street, west Hull, was accused of being part of a conspiracy with notorious Hull criminal Darren Wilson, 45, to murder her husband, Andrew Burr, 37.

Wilson was found guilty in September and will be sentenced next week but a previous jury failed to reach a verdict on Ms Fairpo, so a retrial was held this week.

Defending, Judith Seaborne, said the Crown's suggestion Ms Fairpo was the "driving force" behind Mr Burr applying for the maximum life insurance was based on "sweeping generalisations" and theories with no solid evidence.

Miss Seaborne said: "Lisa Fairpo is a doting mum and a very good foster mum but she is dreadful with money and the first to admit that.

"There is simply no evidence that she was in on this plot.

"There are no reported conversations between Mr Wilson and Ms Fairpo, there are no phone calls or text messages.

"There is nothing the crown can rely on to show they were in on it together."

The prosecution said the plot to kill Mr Burr was motivated by Ms Fairpo's £24,000 debt and revenge after Mr Burr poked her in the eye during a heated argument, which left her blind.

Wilson had arranged to pay debt-ridden former soldier Mikhail Ward, £10,000 to lure Mr Burr, a painter and decorator, into an empty home under the pretence of business and stab him.

But Ward had a change of heart and confessed to the police over the phone while escaping Hull for London.

The day after Ward confessed, Mr Burr called Smart Insurance to take out the maximum amount paid for by Ms Fairpo, which the prosecution said was too much of a coincidence.

But Miss Seaborne said: "Ms Fairpo suffered the serious misfortunes of knowing Mr Wilson and trying – and failing – with her husband to organise wills and life insurance for their family.

"If the plot was to kill her husband, why didn't she just fill in the forms on the computer and get her husband to sign them? The reality is, as Ms Fairpo and her husband have told us themselves, they genuinely wanted life cover."

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A TWITTER row has broken out after a Hull City councillor tweeted he would "punch a Lib Dem in the face" if he reached 500 followers. Labour councillor Chris Sumpton claims the tweet was only meant as a joke but his Liberal Democrat colleagues are furious and are considering taking the matter further.

The issue was raised at yesterday's full council meeting when an angry Councillor Eliza Mann asked council leader Stephen Brady to condemn the tweet.

But the leader said he couldn't comment because he wasn't in possession of the full facts and wasn't familiar with the social networking site.

Afterwards, Cllr Mann said: "It was a really nasty thing to find.

"We don't believe he was really going to punch any of us but it's the implication.

"I think the tweet was beyond naivety. "It's bad enough he tweeted it but he did it in a public setting as a councillor.

"It's 2013 and everyone should know how to use social media and be aware of its pitfalls."

Cllr Mann is seeking advice on whether to take the matter further on behalf of the Lib Dem group.

She said: "We are deciding what to do next.

"I have been waiting to see what the Labour group does but there is every chance we will take this further.

"It is insulting to every Lib Dem member in the city."

Cllr Sumpton, who recently fought in a charity boxing match at the KC Stadium to raise funds for children's charities, maintains the tweet was meant in jest.

He said: "This was clearly a joke and was never intended to cause any offence.

"I am now at 500 followers and no Lib Dem has been punched nor will they be. There was never any intention to do so. The thought that anybody could take this seriously shocks me."

He also criticised the Lib Dems for making so much of the tweet.

He said: "I am surprised at how much energy the Liberal Democrats have put into this matter.

"I would much prefer their energies go into stopping their party imposing savage cuts of £48m on the people of Hull.

"I will take care with all future social media postings, particularly those that may contain humour."

During the meeting at the council, Cllr Brady said: "I do not know anything about this form of communication but putting instant thought up is bad practice in my opinion."

Following Cllr Sumpton's explanation, deputy council leader Daren Hale insists the matter is now closed as far as the Labour group is concerned.

He said: "It was a light-hearted comment that has been taken out of context but he accepts he needs to be more careful in the future. We have looked into the matter and we think the action taken is satisfactory."

The row comes after former Lib Dem city councillor Andrew Sloan was fined £500 after pleading guilty to punching a police officer in the face.

Andrew Sloan was the portfolio holder for economic regeneration in the Liberal Democrat administration that took control of the council from Labour in 2006.

Currently Guernsey's chief economist, he was arrested last week after assaulting the police officer at the British-Irish Council summit in Jersey.

As well as being fined, Sloan, 44, was also sentenced to 70 hours of community service by Jersey Magistrates' Court.

Cllr Hale said: "We find it quite ironic that the Lib Dem members are so upset when one of its former members actually did punch someone, and a police officer no less."

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A HULL doctor and former chairman of the city's top health board is being investigated by the General Medical Council. Dr Anupam Banerjee, who is best known as east Hull GP Tony Banerjee, has been suspended from the medical register and may not practise as a doctor in the UK.

The suspension came into effect on November 5 and will continue until the investigation is finished.

The General Medical Council (GMC) will then decide if the investigation warrants a "fitness to practise" hearing.

A spokesman for the GMC said: "We can confirm that Dr Banerjee is under investigation at this time.

"However, we cannot give details of the nature of the investigation.

"This case has been referred to the interim orders panel."

The interim orders panel forms part of the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service.

Cases are referred to the panel to look at whether a doctor's registration should be restricted while allegations about their conduct are resolved.

The GMC refers cases to the panel when doctors are facing allegations where it may be necessary for the protection of members of the public, or it may be in the public interest or in the interests of the doctor for their registration to be restricted.

In August, Dr Banerjee, 33, told the Mail he was leaving his role as chairman of NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

He said it was with a "heavy heart" that he was leaving the board – a group of local doctors and medical professionals who decide how money is spent on healthcare in Hull.

Speaking to the Mail at the time, he said: "It is with a really heavy heart I'm having to do it. But it has been so hard juggling my two roles as GP and as CCG chairman.

"There has been increasing pressures on both roles and I feel as though I've been pulled in two different directions.

"But I've really enjoyed my time as chairman.

"I'm disappointed I'm leaving."

However, a source in the healthcare profession said he left because his colleagues had a lack of confidence in his abilities.

The source said: "He left at a time when the GMC stuff was bubbling in the background.

"They didn't have confidence in him and it was becoming controversial [to have him in the role]."

Earlier this year Dr Banerjee raised more than £10,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham.

The former University of Leicester student ran seven 10ks in seven days, ending with a fundraising event on the last evening.

He is also well known to patients in east Hull and is one of the partners at Marfleet Group Practice in Preston Road.

His name is still listed on the plaque outside the practice's base.

The Mail made several attempts to contact Dr Banerjee before going to press, but was unable to speak to him.

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HUMBERSIDE'S Police and Crime Commissioner has been caught speeding. Matthew Grove was recorded driving at 36mph on the Peaks Parkway in Grimsby, while driving back from a Question Time event. He will now attend a speed awareness course.

Mr Grove, who admitted he was the driver caught speeding last month, has accepted the conditional offer of the speed awareness course with a fee of £95.

He said: "I have driven over 20,000 miles this year and have a clean driving licence. I am therefore disappointed my driving was not to the required standard on this occasion. I will continue to drive myself to meetings and welcome this opportunity to use the course to reflect on my standard of driving."

Mr Grove was caught at a controversial spot in which the cameras were switched on at the start of October. The speeding comes just a month after his deputy Paul Robinson pledged to drive more carefully after being caught breaking traffic laws for a second time.

Mr Robinson was fined £100 after being caught driving at 90mph on a motorway– 20mph over the speed limit. Last year Mr Robinson was seen using his mobile phone as he drove across the Humber Bridge.

BARELY a day goes by when Dawn Timmings does not see a motorist using a mobile phone while driving.

It might only be a quick text message, or a catch-up call with family or friends, but Dawn knows better than most the consequences can be disastrous.

Only weeks after learning her mother Mary Rutherford's cancer had gone into remission after a five-year battle, her mother had been killed by a driver texting at the wheel.

"My whole world crumbled when mum was killed," said Dawn, 45.

"I'm lost without her. She was an incredible woman.

"She'd fought cancer so hard for so long but then, in the blink of an eye, her life was taken for the sake of a text message.

"I see people driving on their phones every day and I only travel about a mile-and-a-half to work. It does irritate me. I want to tell them what happened to my mum when someone was texting while driving.

"What could be so important to risk not just their own lives but someone else's life?"

Nikita Ainley was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in a young offenders' institute in December last year.

Ainley was using her BlackBerry when she smashed head-on into the Renault Clio carrying Mary on Monday, May 30, 2011.

Mary, 68, who had been shopping at Asda in Bilton and was on her way back home to Withernsea, died at the scene in Newfield Lane, Lelley. She was a passenger in the car.

Dawn, who says she has now only really started to grieve having had to wait for the court case to be finished, said: "I was dragged through hell and I am in counselling now, trying to get myself back together.

"My mum's death has left a huge gap in my life. My weekends would be spent with my mum and, after she was killed, my relationship broke down and I moved house.

"It has had an impact on every area of my life.

"The timing was so cruel. My mum was in remission after fighting against cancer for five years. We were making plans for the future and she was starting to feel like a woman again. It should have been a time of joy and being able to do girly things together."

Dawn, of west Hull, is backing a campaign launched this week by the charity Brake as part of Road Safety Week, which is calling on drivers to tune in to road safety to prevent crashes caused by multi- tasking at the wheel.

The campaign appeals to drivers to turn off their phones or put them in the boot and urges everyone to refuse to speak on the phone to someone who is driving.

It is being launched almost a decade after handheld mobiles at the wheel were banned.

According to the figures released by the charity, 5,400 drivers from East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have points on their licence for using their mobile phone at the wheel or being otherwise distracted.

Six in ten schoolchildren from the regions report being driven by a driver talking on a phone and three in four have spotted drivers on mobiles outside their school or home.

"These are just the figures of people being caught," said Dawn, who believes the actual number of people doing it is a lot higher.

"Drivers have a huge responsibility to themselves and others and it's so important they understand that.

"Using a phone or any other technology when you're driving is madness. It's incredibly dangerous and selfish and it could cost you or somebody else dearly.

"Please commit to keeping your full attention on the road whenever you drive, and never use a phone at the wheel to text, call or anything else. Put it on silent and out of sight and reach, ideally in the boot. Don't let my mum's death be in vain."

Anyone caught using a hand- held phone while driving or riding could get an automatic fixed penalty notice, three penalty points on their licence and a fine of £60. The case could also go to court and you could be disqualified from driving or riding and get a maximum fine of £1,000.

In the worst case scenario, if you are to blame for an accident in which someone dies and you were using a mobile phone at the time, you could be facing up to 14 years in prison if convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

Inspector Mark Hughes, of Humberside Police's roads policing team, said: "It has been illegal to use a handheld mobile phone while driving since December 2003, yet some people are still choosing to break the law and put themselves and other motorists at significant risk.

"There is worldwide evidence that using any sort of phone while driving increases the risk of an accident. Reaction times for drivers using a phone are about 50 per cent slower than other drivers. Even careful drivers can be distracted by a call or text – and a split-second lapse in concentration could result in a crash.

"You might be driving to work, to visit a friend or relative, or for any other reason, when a distraction or an error of judgment caused by using your mobile phone may result in the serious injury or death to yourself or another party.

"The consequences could be catastrophic for any number of people."