NORTH Ferriby host Leamington Spa tomorrow knowing victory will take them top of Conference North after holding current leaders Solihull Moors to a 1-1 draw.

The Villagers probably did enough to win Saturday's game at the Eon Visual Media Stadium, but with most of the top sides losing, this was a good point for Ferriby.

Ferriby manager Billy Heath said: "The first half was pretty even but we turned the game round in the second half and put them under pressure after we equalised.

"However, I'm pleased with the point, but I thought we did enough to win."

Solihull boss Marcus Bignot was equally happy with a share of the spoils:

He said: "Ferriby is a hard place to go to and to have got four points from them this season is really pleasing.

"It was hard game with a draw probably a fair result."

The first half was a scrappy and frenetic affair with few chances at either end.

It was a physical game with no quarter given by either side.

Neither team was given time to settle on the ball in a an end-to-end match.

Solihull had the better of the opening 10 minutes with home keeper Adam Nicklin saving from Omar Bogle.

Nicklin then dealt well with two dangerous crosses.

Ferriby gradually got themselves into the game and it needed a last-ditch tackle from Rob Elvins to deny Anthony Wilson a chance to score.

Danny Hone then headed Jamie Yates' corner to Moors' keeper Jas Singh.

Moors' attacks were largely built on long balls to Bogle and Gary Birch.

Solihull's main threats came from Dominic Langdon's long throws which were defended well by Ferriby.

Ferriby tried to play the ball around and build their attacks, but constant pressure from Moors' midfield meant that space and time were limited.

Much of Ferriby's threat came from Yates on the left.

Nicklin saved well from Matt Birley's 25-yard drive, but this was the only serious shot that Nicklin had to save throughout the game.

With half-time approaching, Hone and Anthony Wilson went close for Ferriby, but it was Solihull who took the lead as the game entered time added on.

Bogle latched on to a clearance and held off Hone before sliding the ball past Nicklin.

Nicklin's early clearance from Bogle as the striker charged through was the closest Solihull came to a goal in the second half.

Once again, Solihull's main threat came from the set- pieces of Langdon and Beswick, but Ferriby's defence remained in control.

Ferriby had much the better of the second half.

Singh did well in the opening minute to take a Yates cross under pressure from Nathan Jarman.

The equaliser came after 62 minutes when Anthony Wilson rose at the near post to head home a Yates corner.

From this point, Solihull rarely threatened. Singh did well to save at Matt Wilson's feet and then the keeper turned Anthony Wilson's shot round for a corner.

Matt Wilson was unlucky to see his looping header from Paul Robson's free-kick go behind off the top of the bar.

Ferriby had a good chance to win the game in the final minute. Jarman fired over after Anthony Wilson's run and pass gave him a good scoring opportunity.

Ferriby: Adam Nicklin, Paul Robson, Matt Wilson, Danny Hone , Nathan Peat, Danny Clarke, Liam King Russell Fry, Jamie Yates, Nathan Jarman, Anthony Wilson; Subs not used: Jon D'Laryea, Antoni Pecora, Ben Hunter, Gregg Anderson, Ryan Kendall.

SUPER-strength alcohol could be taken off the shelves in crime hotspots in Hull.

Shop owners will be asked to stop selling lagers, beers and cider with an alcohol volume of more than 6.5 per cent in an attempt to cut street crime in the city. If they agree, it will be a condition of their licence not to sell the alcohol.

Superintendent Mark Johansson, head of operations in Hull, said: "Super-strength alcohol is often favoured by those most vulnerable in our community.

"By providing them with these products it serves only to increase their vulnerability to becoming victims of crime, being involved in criminal and antisocial activity themselves, as well as having a negative impact on their health when regularly consumed.

"Such behaviour can also blight the lives of residents, retailers and the general public going about their daily business."

The Reducing The Strength scheme has already been piloted in Ipswich, where it is said to have reduced street crime by 50 per cent.

Officials hope cutting access to the super-strength alcohol will help street drinkers, who are often homeless, to tackle their problems and improve their health.

Supt Johansson said: "This initiative aims to break the cycle of behaviour by tacking the root cause of the problem, with partners from the police, local authority, health, service providers and retailers working together to tackle the problem.

"The partnership approach will help to improve the lives of those affected by this kind of substance misuse by providing supportive interventions and help, which they often struggle to access due to their circumstances.

"This will also have a positive effect on the city as it will see a reduction in the alcohol-related issues that are often reported to the police and other partners as a result of street drinking."

Premium beers and ciders will not be included in the exclusion.

Humberside police and crime commissioner Matthew Grove has pledged his support for the project.

He said: "We are very, very keen to see this in Hull, which is where it is needed.

"We have significant issues with homeless shelters in Hull with people drinking around them, begging and generally misbehaving, which drives our respectable residents away.

"During the summer, we saw that around the Scale Lane footbridge.

"I believe this is something we need, especially as Hull moves towards being the City of Culture.

"We don't want behaviour like this to damage our reputation."

Mr Grove has met with the MP for Ipswich to discuss what impact the scheme has had on the city.

"In Ipswich, they had around 90 problem drinkers when the scheme started, which has fallen to about a dozen," he said.

"It has to be a genuine collaboration between the police, shops, drug and alcohol intervention programmes and the Department of Work and Pensions because we want to get these people into work.

"Fundamentally, people drinking strong cider in the street at 10am aren't paying for it themselves – we are as taxpayers."

The scheme is likely to begin in spring next year, when problems related to street drinking traditionally increase.

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COACH Sylvain Cloutier saluted his battle-weary Hull Stingrays players after they clinched three points out of four to end a nightmare week on a high.

Stingrays followed up Saturday's 4-3 loss on penalty shots in Fife by winning 5-4 in Edinburgh, despite having three players taken to hospital on Saturday night.

Sam Towner and Tom Squires suffered facial injuries after being hit by pucks in Fife, while a third, Matty Davies, also attended as a precaution.

The injuries topped off a week that saw Matt Suderman fly back to Canada, their Hull Arena home flooded and water damage to one, possibly two, of their four vehicles in the car park.

Cloutier paid tribute to his battling and bruised players.

He said: "To get three points this weekend was incredible.

"In the circumstances it is even more rewarding as to pull something like that off does not happen too often. The guys deserve all the credit.

"Fife is a tough building to play in so to get a point, the boys did great. Edinburgh are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, so to hold on to win by a goal was fantastic."

On Saturday, Stingrays fell behind to a Jordan Fulton goal at 2.22.

They levelled through Guillaume Doucet at 11.21 before Jason Silverthorn put them ahead with 55 seconds of the first period remaining.

Two goals from Justin DaCosta (21.58 powerplay) and Kyle Haines (27.26) saw Flyers lead once more before Squires was taken to hospital after a puck hit him in the face while sitting on the team bench.

Towner's night was also brought to a premature end when he too took a puck in the face during a challenge with Fife's Matt Nickerson.

Jereme Tendler made it a 3-3 game at 34.04 and after overtime failed to find a winner, the match went to penalty shots.

Tim Hartung and Doucet scored in the first round and in sudden death Carl Lauzon and Hartung converted before the latter ensured the extra point for the hosts with his third successful shot.

Last night, despite being down to two lines of players, Stingrays led 2-1 at the first break with goals from Silverthorn and Tendler, to one from Martin Cingel.

Kyle Mariani and Silverthorn netted for 4-1.

Capitals pulled back to 4-3 through Tomas Horna and Curtis Leinweber before Lauzon restored the two-goal cushion. Stingrays held on despite Horna's second strike six minutes from time.

One big plus point was Ukrainian defenceman Pavel Gomenyuk, who proved an unexpected success.

He retired in the summer, but was drafted in to replace Suderman.

Cloutier said: "Gomy did a great job. He is in good shape, he played a regular shift, he moved the puck well, he played on the powerplay and penalty killing and he made some nice hits – he did not look out of place."

A BRANSHOLME couple are furious after their teenage daughter had her £300 mobile phone confiscated at school. Darren and Torun Scarah, of Barmouth Close, say they will formally complain to the Department for Education unless daughter Megan's handset is returned.

However, the school has refused to back down, insisting the rules about mobile phones are clear for all pupils.

Megan, 13, was told to hand over her Samsung Galaxy smartphone after she was caught using it during a maths lesson at Kingswood Academy on Friday, November 29.

After Megan argued she had been using the handset to merely check the time she claims no more was said to her.

She attended the Wawne Road academy as normal the following Monday and was off school on Tuesday because of a teacher training day.

But when she returned for studies on Wednesday, the school demanded she handed over her phone.

Megan says she did not have her phone on her that day and was sent home.

That afternoon, Mrs Scarah, 33, was contacted by the school and told if Megan did not return to school with the phone they could face being fined.

According to Mr Scarah, his wife rushed home in a panic to take Megan back to school with her handset.

Under school rules, introduced in April, the academy now plans to keep the phone until this Wednesday.

Mr Scarah, 42, said: "In this day and age this kind of behaviour by a school is unacceptable.

"Megan has been really upset by the whole thing – even crying on some nights.

"At first she thought she had lost her phone so understandably she spent a couple of minutes looking for it. Once she found it in her blazer, she quickly checked it for the time.

"That is when everything kicked off. I admit Megan has a bit of an attitude, like any teenager, and she refused to hand the phone over.

"The school has history of doing this and it is completely out of order."

The Mail reported in July how some parents were angered by the school's new get-tough policy.

Until recently, teachers at Kingswood confiscated phones being used by students in class until the end of the school day.

But that was extended to a five-day confiscation in April, including overnight and at weekends.

Mr Scarah added: "We are really angry with the whole situation."

Mike Barnett, spokesman for Kingswood Academy, said: "The rules are perfectly clear.

"Mobile phones cannot be used in lessons – this was introduced back in April.

"There are posters throughout Kingswood Academy showing pupils these rules.

"It is essential rules are strictly followed by everyone in the school.

"In this particular case the phone has been confiscated and this person's phone has been confiscated before this incident, too.

"Our plea to every parent of children who attend the school is to obey by the rules.

"Children must focus purely on the lessons they are in and the work they should be doing.

"Of course, mobile phones have many values but in lessons the use of them is forbidden."

Mr Barnett confirmed Megan's mobile phone will be returned on Wednesday.

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STEVE Bruce is urging his Hull City to shake off their "horrible habit" of producing slow starts as they aim to halt a losing streak on their travels at Swansea City tonight.

The Tigers make the long journey to South Wales having lost their last four away games in the Premier League and six of seven this season.

Although all those fixtures have been against sides currently residing in the top eight in the table during an unforgiving sequence, the Tigers' have not helped their cause by consistently conceding early.

Last week's 2-0 loss at Arsenal was the fifth time in the seven away games where City have leaked a goal inside the opening 15 minutes, a trend that Bruce is desperate to see bucked at the Liberty Stadium this evening.

"It's becoming a horrible habit for us away from home and it's costing us," Bruce told the Mail.

"If you concede early away from home in this league it's an awfully long way back.

"We've got to stop those early goals to give ourselves a chance. Our concentration has to be better from the word go.

"There's only once we've been able to overcome it this season, up at Newcastle, but statistics tell you that whoever scores the first goal you'll win 80 per cent of your games.

"We did that very well last year and have done it at home this season, but we need to make sure we're switched on to Swansea's threat from the first whistle."

An inactive weekend saw City fall one place to 13th in the Premier League and pulled back to within four points of the relegation zone once more.

Wins for Stoke, who City welcome to the KC this weekend, Norwich, Fulham and Crystal Palace have bunched up the bottom half of the table, but a first away win since September could bring a leap to 10th.

Although a win would also take the Tigers above Swansea, who currently stand a point better off, Bruce is wary of the threat posed by Michael Laudrup's attractive side.

"We'll have to be patient down there because they take the ball and are comfortable holding on to it," said Bruce, having seen Swansea beat in-form Newcastle 3-0 last time out.

"The vast majority of teams that go there do so knowing they'll have to be organised and patient.

"Whoever they play against they have the lion's share of the ball. They're happy to pass the ball around and bring mistakes out of you. We know we'll have to be on our guard against that. Hopefully we can also get through the first 15 minutes without conceding a goal too."

AN appeal for calm has been issued after the leader of Hull Mosque and Islamic Centre was left seriously injured in an unprovoked attack last Saturday evening. Imam Hafiz Salik, 60, was driving home from his daughter's house last weekend when two men and a woman attempted to stop his car.

His son, Ateeq Salik, explained how two men and a woman ran into the middle of the road on Spring Bank West, forcing his father to stop the car.

Ateek said: "One of the men lay down in the road right in front of the car.

"My father was confused and thought he was injured.

"Then the man slowly got up and went to the car and opened the door.

"My mum was sitting in the front and my youngest sister was in the back.

"He looked at all of them and he punched my father very hard in the face.

"It was a very forceful punch and my father's face was covered in blood. Then the man walked away."

Imam Salik suffered a serious eye injury and may never regain the sight in his injured eye.

Humberside Police officers attended the mosque for Friday prayers to reassure the congregation that the attack was very rare.

Imam Salik is a well-known figure in the city and sits on city council and police boards.

He also works with other faiths to promote understanding.

Ateek led prayers at the mosque on Friday and passed a message of peace and unity to the congregation from his father, stating that they should not take the law into their own hands.

Humberside Police have issued an appeal for information about the attack and want to speak to any witnesses.

A statement said: "Police are appealing for information in connection with an incident on Spring Bank West, Hull.

"Around 10.30pm on Saturday, November 30, a family were driving along Spring Bank West in the direction of Chanterlands Avenue, Hull.

"Close to the junction with Hymers Avenue two men and a woman caused the vehicle to stop.

"One of the men then assaulted the driver of the vehicle, causing a serious injury to his eye."

The offender is described as being a white man, 5ft 6in tall, well-built and aged 25-30.

The man had short brown hair and was wearing a dark stone-coloured jacket, shirt and trousers.

Police would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the attack or who may be able to help identify the people involved in the incident.

Anyone who can help should call 101.

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MATT Suderman insists receiving an opportunity "too good to turn down" from Brampton Beast was not a factor in leaving Hull Stingrays.

The 30-year-old defenceman played his final game for Stingrays last Sunday and flew to Toronto.

Only 48 hours later he was unveiled by the Central Hockey League side as their new signing, to the surprise of Stingrays' management.

Now, in a statement issued to the Mail, Suderman said: "After landing in Canada I met with a good friend and former team-mate, who presented an opportunity to play for Brampton Beast of the CHL, a league in which I'm very comfortable and enjoy playing in. The lure of playing in my home country, something I haven't had the chance to do in nearly 12 years, was too much for me to turn down, but was never a factor in my decision to leave the EIHL. I was simply unhappy in the situation I was in and had to move on before it got worse.

"My acceptance of the opportunity has led to negative remarks and criticism from Stingrays' management, which I find very disappointing, and I'm hoping in the near future resolutions to the issues left between the two sides can be found in a professional manner. I'd like to thank the Stingrays organisation, and specifically coach Sylvain Cloutier, for the opportunity to return to Great Britain.

"It regrettably did not work out, and as I stated, I'm hoping the issues between me and management can be worked out so we can all move forward with as few negative feelings and memories as possible."

Stingrays initially announced last Sunday their captain was leaving the club for "personal reasons".

Suderman told the Mail "things didn't work out" and he "wasn't having fun", taking a side-swipe at some Stingrays fans and the standard of officiating.

Cloutier then commented to Radio Humberside "the keyboard warriors have got to him and he's decided to go home" and "the kind of abuse he took was totally unfair."

Suderman had looked very unhappy following a post-match meeting with team owner Bobby McEwan and Cloutier after being ejected on a "travesty of the game penalty" against Cardiff on November 23.

However, in his new statement he added: "My departure may have come as a surprise to many, but it was something I'd been contemplating for quite some time and was a very difficult decision.

"Just prior to my departure I made some comments regarding a small group of fans that has turned into the reason I left, which was not the case.

"As a professional I understand criticism comes with the job and I've since received overwhelming support from across the country. The majority of the fans in the UK, including those in Hull, are as passionate and loyal as any country I've played in."

Read the contents of Suderman's statement, McEwan said: "As far as we are concerned, Matt has moved on and so have we and we've finished publicly discussing the situation."

HOW to stop Luis Suarez is the riddle that will run through Roy Hodgson's mind for the next six months and more.

Thrown into Group D alongside Uruguay for next summer's World Cup finals in Brazil, the England boss must plot how to subdue Liverpool's prolific centre-forward when they meet in Sao Paolo on June 19.

Plenty have tried and failed of late. A 14th goal of the season came in Saturday's 4-1 win over West Ham United and from 10 Premier League starts Suarez has now scored in seven.

Shackling the firebrand centre- forward is fast becoming a lost art, yet Hodgson and his employers at the Football Association were given a timely reminder of one man with the answers soon after Friday's draw.

Curtis Davies, the dominant central defender for Hull City, is one of the few opponents to enjoy success against Suarez this season, nullifying his threat in the Tigers' 3-1 victory over Liverpool last weekend. And City's followers were quick to state the case on Davies' behalf.

"It was funny. I got a load of tweets through from Hull fans including @FA saying that Roy Hodgson should pick me because I was the only one who had stopped Suarez this season," said Davies, who will return to the City defence at Swansea tonight following a one-match ban.

"It makes me laugh, it was good banter, and nice to know the fans are backing me.

"But, in all seriousness, whoever I'd play against I'd back myself to do well.

"I'd love to go to Brazil but having never played for England up to now, it's very hard for the manager to make a judgment. Other players have played for him and there's a natural trust and belief in them.

"At the moment he doesn't know he could rely on me because I've never worked with him and may never work with him. Obviously I've just got to try and overcome that and do my best to force my way into his head."

Davies laughs at the prospect of meeting Suarez again in Brazil next summer but do not mistake it for a premature surrender of his international ambitions.

Although at 28 he is still awaiting his first England cap, two call-ups came during the reign of Fabio Capello at a time he was starring for Aston Villa. Another is hardly a pipe-dream given his excellent performances in black and amber.

Asked how he rated his chances of gatecrashing the England party, Davies said: "Pretty slim. At the moment it would probably take all of them to get injured and a few reserve ones too.

"People like Michael Dawson and Steven Caulker who have been capped by this manager. John Terry, who's declared he would like to play and is in good form.

"There's probably more options ahead of me or alongside me that the manager could take. Until I'm given a carrot or a little bit of hope then I'm never going to believe it's going to happen."

There is a certain disappointment to be found in Davies' tone.

He added: "No disrespect to the players there now but it's not the era of old with Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry at their peak.

"There's players there who are doing well for big clubs but I don't feel as though there's anyone who's head and shoulders above me at the minute. There might be better players than me but none where you'd say they were a different class."

Davies' report card has almost been unblemished since arriving from Birmingham City for £2.25m this summer.

Holding together the Tigers' defence with an expert eye and calming presence, only once has the Londoner allowed his high standards to slip. Unfortunately for Davies, the 4-1 loss at Southampton last month was the one Tigers game ever attended by Hodgson.

"This is my best ever form I'd say," said Davies, whose ever present record was only scuppered by a fifth yellow card ruling him out of the 2-0 loss at Arsenal.

"Basing it over the 13 games so far, there's only been one game where I've been disappointed (at Southampton) and I'm my own worst critic.

"That might count against me to but it's easy to have the excuse of saying 'I watched him at Southampton' because there's a dozen other games I've played in and played well.

"I don't think the manager (Hodgson) would ever think like that but at the same time he's got an idea of who he wants set in stone. It's more up to me to do something spectacular to catch his eye.

"Being back in the Premier League and come up against the in-form strikers that I have, I've managed to nullify their threat as much as I can. I feel confident going into every game now."

A televised fixture at Swansea tonight can see Davies' strengthen his claims for an England place when returning to Steve Bruce's defence.

Securing precious points in City's survival bid is the more immediate concern, however, following a weekend that saw Stoke, Norwich, Crystal Palace and Fulham all secure wins. The Tigers' advantage off the bottom three has been cut to just four points.

City are unlikely to find life easy at the Liberty Stadium against Swansea, Capital One Cup holders and Europa League representatives, but having previously travelled to seven of the Premier League's top eight, tonight's clash perhaps offers their best chance yet of points on the road.

Davies added: "You'll not find many teams within our mini-league who are getting points from places like Everton, Tottenham, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea.

"We've shown what we're capable of at Newcastle. That was a special win to come back twice and win the game.

"A point away from home is always a good point in the Premier League."

STEVE Bruce believes Swansea City's success story of the last decade should be held up as the perfect blueprint for Hull City to replicate in the years to come.

Just 10 years after meeting in the fourth tier of English football, the two clubs meet for the first time in the Premier League at the Liberty Stadium tonight.

While it was the Tigers who won the race to reach the top flight first in 2008, it has been Swansea who have since overtaken tonight's visitors.

After their own promotion to the Premier League in 2011, continued growth brought a top-10 finish and glory in the Capital One Cup under Michael Laudrup last season.

A place in the Europa League has been Swansea's reward this season and though that juggling act has contributed towards inconsistencies in their domestic season, Bruce is a fully-fledged admirer of a club that fought relegation to the Conference as recently as 2003.

"They've done it their way and Swansea are an unbelievable success story," said Bruce.

"It's a group of supporters and their chairman who have had a great vision. You have to compliment them for the way they've done it and the way they play.

"It'll be a really difficult game as they've come on leaps and bounds over the last few years. If we could copy them over the next few it would be fantastic."

Swansea's rise up the divisions was set in motion by Roberto Martinez, built upon by Brendan Rodgers and is now being taken to another level under Laudrup. With a supporters' trust also owning 20 per cent of the club, the success enjoyed at the Liberty Stadium is made all the more unique.

"They've been a leading club if you like, similar in stature to ourselves and in the way they've done it over the years," added Bruce.

"I saw a documentary on them a couple of weeks ago and where they were 10 years ago it's quite remarkable what they've achieved.

"A big pat on the back needs to go to all of them who had the vision and the foresight to see it through.

"The way they play hasn't changed over the last five or six years. They're all comfortable on the ball, good in possession and they have some very good players. That's got to be the way forward for us. Teams like Wigan, who were up here for eight years before they slipped out, West Brom, Swansea, Southampton, they're all clubs you can look at.

"It's a difficult league but these clubs are the ones we'd love to follow if we possibly can."

City are certainly showing the first signs of emulating those who have become part of the Establishment.

Seventeen points from the first 14 games has kept heads well above the water line, but Bruce is keen to see a dependency on home form continue.

Only three points, collected in a 3-2 win over Newcastle in September, have been mustered away from the KC Stadium this season. However, Swansea are the first side not in the top eight that City will have travelled to this evening.

He added: "We knew it was going to be difficult when the fixture list came out. Chelsea first up, then Manchester City. We thought 'can this be any more difficult?' The pleasing thing is that in all of those games we've shown we can compete at this level.

"We've not had the results we would like but we've competed. That's our aim. It's always difficult, no matter who you are, to go away in the Premier League and win a game. Certainly when you look at the teams we've played it's been even harder."

LEE Radford has described Hull FC's pre-season schedule as ideal after the club today announced four friendly fixtures for 2014. The Black and Whites will play just once at the KC Stadium, against derby rivals Hull KR, with three trial games on the road, including Richard Whiting's testimonial match at Featherstone.

Radford's first game in charge will be against his former East Hull coaching partner Paul Cooke, as Hull head to dual-registration partners Doncaster on January 12, with his first test against Super League opposition a week later against his former side, Bradford Bulls.

After the derby at the KC on January 26, Hull will end their Super League preparations with a trip to Featherstone on February 2, with a two-week break before they open their league campaign against Catalan.

"Playing four games in pre-season is ideal for me and it's just the right number," Radford told the Mail.

"It's a longer pre-season because of the World Cup and you don't want to be not ready by only playing a couple of games, so four was perfect.

"What's great is all four will be competitive teams. The derby is always competitive, Bradford will provide a strong test and in Featherstone and Doncaster we've got two Championship teams that are very strong.

"What playing four games does is allow me to use my full squad throughout the friendlies and we can give everyone a chance to impress.

"The boys are already looking forward to playing some games and it's a long wait for them.

"We'll start playing some opposed games and utilise the size of the squad and the under-19s lads to play some competitive games between ourselves at training so we can put into practice what we've been working on ahead of the trial matches."

A DRUG dealer who was found with enough heroin to make 276 street deals has been jailed for almost six years. Ian Broadhead, 33, was stopped by police and found to have three rocks of heroin weighing 55.3g.

If it had been sold on the streets, he would have made £2,765.

Broadhead, who has previously been jailed twice for dealing heroin, told police he was holding the drugs because someone had asked him to. He later claimed he was selling the drugs to raise money to pay off dealers he owed.

Prosecutor Jharna Jobes told Hull Crown Court: "He was stopped by police on the street and had with him three rocks, which were wrapped in plastic. He also had a mobile phone and £85 in cash. Messages were recovered on the phone, which indicated the defendant was in fact dealing drugs."

Broadhead, of Ivy Villas, east Hull, admitted possessing heroin with intent to supply on September 15.

He was jailed in 2005 for the same offence and in 2007 for supplying heroin.

His barrister Richard Thompson said: "He moved away from the area as a result of his conviction in 2007. For a number of years, he was working, initially as a carpet fitter.

"He later returned to Hull and his old problems returned to haunt him.

"He accepts he was using drugs himself and was involved in the supply of drugs."

The law states offenders convicted of drug-dealing for the third time must be jailed for at least seven years, which is reduced to five years and eight months if they plead guilty.

Broadhead's girlfriend submitted a letter to the court saying he had been forced into dealing to pay off debts to other drug dealers.

However, Mr Thompson said: "It has been ruled dealing to pay off previous debts is not exceptional circumstances.

"He appreciates he can do nothing about the consequences of the minimum term of imprisonment."

Broadhead appeared at Hull Crown Court via a video link to Hull Prison, where he has been remanded in custody since his arrest.

Recorder Gurdial Singh said: "You were stopped in the street on an unrelated matter and there was a struggle. One can see why you wanted to get away from the police.

"When you were arrested, they found three rocks, a mobile phone and £85 in cash. You said a lad had asked you to hold it for him.

"This is indicative of low-level street dealing, but your position is aggravated by your previous sentences.

"Because this is your third conviction, I am obliged to sentence you to at least seven years, which is reduced because of your plea of guilty."

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Hull FC owner Adam Pearson believes the club's fans have backed his changes at the club as season pass sales look to improve for next season.

Hull have confirmed they've sold 7,000 passes for the 2014 campaign and are expecting that figure to increase by another 1,000 before Christmas.

With many new supporters signing up, Pearson has paid tribute to the club's fans and says they share his belief that a bright future lies ahead for the Black and Whites following an overhaul at the club, including the appointment of coach Lee Radford.

"The fans are magnificent. Their faith in the team and passion for the club is unparalleled," said Pearson.

"We had a good year last season as we continued to lay the foundations for a successful future, but we didn't quite attain the levels we expect.

"Under a new coach, and a squad that is looking very strong as we head towards 2014, I think the supporters can see we're making significant progress and looking forward to what we can achieve over the coming year.

"I must thank all those supporters that have renewed, as well as those who have bought for the first time, as our figures are showing we have a number of new pass holders for 2014.

"This time of the year, we also usually get a rush on junior passes too in the build up to Christmas, so we may even better last year's numbers.

"That level of support provides the sustainable backbone of the club on which we can grow, and ensure we have a great atmosphere."

Season passes are on sale from the Hull FC retail stores and online at www.hullfcshop.com.

FOREIGN drivers caught speeding on the region's roads are having fines written off because they cannot be traced. Safer Roads Humber, which operates a network of speed cameras across East Yorkshire, insists it treats all motorists the same, regardless of their nationality. However, Britain has opted out of an EU data-sharing agreement, resulting in some drivers slipping through the net.

Ruth Gore, the organisation's marketing officer, admits her colleagues are unable to locate, on average, 180 foreign drivers a year. But she pointed out this amounts to between 0.5 and one per cent of the total number of speeding offences in the region.

Miss Gore said: "In the majority of cases, where no further action has been taken, it is because our enquiry team has been unable to trace the person to a permanent address. Some of these drivers will be British.

"If a driver is from an EU country, but a resident in this country, they are treated in exactly the same way as a UK licence holder. But in order to serve a notice, we need to be able to contact a person at a fixed address and that's sometimes where the difficulty lies if the driver is a visitor or is moving around.

"We do our best to make sure that we do not, in effect, have to cancel tickets, and we try to ensure everyone is treated equally and fairly."

In the past two years, no further action has been taken against 2,577 drivers, including all nationalities, caught speeding.

Miss Gore said this figure includes a broad spectrum of scenarios.

"We will only send a ticket if we are certain everything is correct," she said.

"The 'no further action' figure, for example, will include emergency vehicles, which have set off safety cameras.

"It will also include mistakes that have been made."

If a car is caught on camera speeding, Safer Roads Humber will seek information from the DVLA, which holds the details of vehicles registered in England, Wales and Scotland.

Non-UK residents caught on camera speeding in a hire car will find cash is deducted from their credit card.

However, it is often more difficult for Safer Roads Humber, a partnership that includes Humberside Police, Hull City Council and East Riding Council, to locate drivers if they are driving a foreign-registered vehicle.

Miss Gore said: "It's a loophole, but there is not much more we can do locally. This is a national issue."

Last month, Britain, Ireland and Norway opted out of a new EU directive, designed to make sharing information across Europe much easier.

British tourists caught speeding on the continent are more likely to be punished because police across the EU prefer on-the-spot fines to cameras.

A total of 37,680 drivers were caught speeding in the region last year, a slight increase on the previous year.

Of those, 11,798 received fixed- penalty notices. A further 21,635 attended a speed awareness course, which they had to pay for themselves, while 2,651 cases went to court.

According to the report, the number of people killed or seriously injured on the region's roads dropped from 40 in 2011 to 33 last year.

Miss Gore said: "We work hard to reduce and maintain the casualty reduction across the region to help save lives."

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CONTROVERSIAL Yorkshire MEP Godfrey Bloom is poking festive fun at his critics with his homemade Christmas cards. Mr Bloom left Ukip in the autumn after describing a group of female activists as "sluts" at the party's annual conference.

He also got into trouble for saying Britain should not send aid to "bongo bongo land".

But in his Christmas cards, which he will send out to about 400 people, his wife, Katie, is dressed as a "slut" while he holds a set of bongo drums.

He said: "We always send Christmas cards depicting something that has happened that year, such as a wedding. It has been an eventful year for me and my wife suggested doing this to put two fingers up to our critics. It is a self-deprecating gesture."

The politician made the remarks at a Women In Politics talk after a reference to a comment made years earlier about women not cleaning behind the fridge.

Mr Bloom's comments were met with laughter from the crowd and he later said he was using the word as originally intended – to mean dirty or slovenly.

He was also filmed hitting Channel 4 News reporter Michael Crick over the head with a Ukip leaflet and calling him a "racist" when the journalist asked why there were only white faces on a party flier.

He said: "Despite annoying the Westminster bubble, I have had 10,000 messages of support.

"People thank me in the street for saying what they are too frightened to say themselves.

"The whole 'slutgate' was painfully obviously a joke and everyone laughed at the time."

Ukip leader Nigel Farage said Mr Bloom's behaviour had "gone beyond the pale" and overshadowed his keynote speech. Mr Bloom's whip was withdrawn and Mr Farage accused him of "destroying" the conference.

But Mr Bloom, who lives in Wressle, near Howden, will continue his political career into next year.

He said: "I am doing more radio and television and more of my speeches at Strasbourg are being viewed than any other MEP's. I shall remain independent and I'm enjoying it."

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The Fruit Market masterplan will be on display for the rest of the week at Kingston Art Gallery in Humber Street. As well as viewing indicative development proposals for the area, people will also be able to submit their views and comments on feedback forms at the venue.

The exhibition is open from 11am to 4pm up to and including Sunday. Once a lead development partner is officially appointed by the city council, a more detailed masterplan is expected to be drawn up followed by the submission of a formal planning application.

If successful in bidding for lead partner status, the joint venture company set up by Wykeland and Beal Homes would be expected to bring forward investment in new residential and commercial projects as well as refurbishment work to existing properties.

That investment would be added to funding from the city council and the Homes and Communities Agency.

Earlier this year Wykeland secured planning permission for a £15m digital innovation centre on a site next to Humber Street.

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ZOE Mitchell fired in a hat-trick to keep Hull Tigers Ladies right in the promotion mix after twice coming from behind to inflict a 4-3 defeat on title rivals Castleford. Cas, the only team so far this season to beat the Tigers in the league back on the opening day in August, were leading 3-2 at the half-time break, but a second-half strike from Mitchell and a Rebecca Beech penalty helped to gain revenge.

Mitchell had put the Tigers 2-1 ahead with two neatly-taken goals, but Cas refused to lie down and Tigers manager Rachel Gay was delighted by her side's response.

She told the Mail: "It was nice to get a bit of revenge because we have been hurting from that first defeat of the season at their place, so it was nice to take the three points.

"Both teams played some excellent football, and it was a very physical game.

"Zoe Mitchell showed great speed and composure for her hat-trick, but Molly Storey was also a right handful on the right wing and certainly played her part with three assists."

Now sitting second in the North East division, five points behind leaders Norton and Stockton Ancients, who have played two games more, the Tigers are well placed at the halfway stage in their league season.

And whilst Mitchell may have taken the limelight with her hat-trick, Gay believes it was the experience of Rachel Cooke which was a deciding factor in the gutsy victory.

She added: "Sophie Etherington came on and changed the game for us, but it was Rachel who caught my eye in defence because her tackles were well timed and her positional play was outstanding.

"What was also pleasing was her willingness to overlap and get forward. When your right-back is getting into the box with only five minutes to go, you have to credit her work rate.

"But as a team we worked very hard for that win and we deserved the three points after showing great character and desire to come back after going behind twice."

The Tigers will be back in action with a derby clash at Scunthorpe next Sunday.

A DISTINCTIVE bike used to promote a well-established Hull market has been stolen – despite having no chain or brakes. The lilac bike can be seen dotted around the city whenever Made And Sold In Hull holds one of its popular markets.

The bike was stolen over the weekend down Newland Avenue, which has saddened Lucy Lines and Leni Brattan, the owners of Made And Sold In Hull.

Ms Lines said: "We have two bikes that we use as a way of promoting our markets.

"We put these bikes in the vicinity of the market to advertise the event and let people know when and where it is.

"The one that was stolen is the better-looking one. It is a very pretty girly-looking bike, which appeals to our customers.

"It doesn't even work as a bike as there is no chain or any brakes."

Ms Lines does not believe the bike has been taken due to drunken antics or by an opportunistic thief.

She said: "There were two bike locks on it, which they would have had to cut through, so I can't think someone who was drunk could have managed it.

"We know plenty of drunk people have sat on the bike and had photos taken, but we don't mind that.

"We also don't think it couldn't have been taken on a whim.

"Someone stole it out of badness. It is useless as a bike."

Made And Sold In Hull has been going for about two years and the bikes have been used to promote the markets for the past year.

Ms Lines said: "The bike is used in the week leading up to our markets that promote small businesses from Hull and give them an opportunity to sell face to face to the public.

"The market has been going for 18 months now and has much support from the local community, as well as people travelling in from Withernsea to shop.

"It a sad day for Made And Sold after such a successful market on Saturday, which was also Small Business Saturday UK.

"It is such a shame and we are really sad about it. We are gutted to be honest."

But Ms Lines still harbours hope she will get the bike back.

She said: "The police have been informed and they are looking through the CCTV footage in the area at that time.

"We have also had lots of people sharing our appeal on Facebook and Twitter, so, hopefully, something will come of all that.

Anyone who has information should email madeandsoldinhull@gmail.com and call Humberside Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.