James Atherton (27) was in a car near The Jailhouse in Goole on May 23 when police stopped it, a court heard on Monday.

He was seen trying to hide something in a footwell as police became suspicious of a cannabis smell from the Peugeot.

Mr Atherton was asked to step out as a police officer searched and found two small amounts of cannabis bush inside an envelope.

Mr Atherton (pictured, right), formerly of Percy Street, Old Goole, still had the words "You could be jailed" ringing in his ears. Four days earlier Judge David Bradshaw had given him a nine-month suspended prison sentence at Hull Crown Court.

Then he had been caught at 5am cycling around a housing estate with ten plastic bags of drugs and £365 in cash.

He admitted drugs possession with intent to supply. His house was searched and police found more money and cannabis.

Mr Atherton admitted he had a £10 to £20 a week habit. He had been told the police were looking to make an asset-recovery operation in an effort to claw back £11,000 going back six years - unless he could prove it was from honest employment.

Crown barrister Mark Kendall told Hull Crown Court on Monday that Mr Atherton was caught with the cannabis just four days after his court appearance.

Mr Atherton, who now gives his address as Perth Street West, Hull, pleaded guilty to a single charge of possession of a class C drug. At his appearance in May the court heard Mr Atherton had strong views about the legalising of cannabis.

Defending, Charlotte Baines said Mr Atherton realised what he had done was foolish. She said he had admitted "acting like an idiot". She said he recognised he had a problem with cannabis, but he could not quit overnight.

Judge David Bradshaw ordered Mr Atherton to stand, saying he had to accept he had been told he was doing well on his unpaid work in the community order.

Recorder Bradshaw warned Mr Atherton that if he committed further offences or did not keep up his effort to complete 80 hours of unpaid work he would be going to prison.

He deferred sentence until January 14, 2009 at Hull Crown Court to see whether Mr Atherton could stay out of trouble. (17-07-43 SU)

Goole Rockfest will be happening on August 16, and you'd better be ready!

Promising to be a fun and lively day out for all the family, Goole Rockfest brings you the atmosphere of being at a festival without the huge expense and hassle of having to put up a tent!

"The festivals are a fantastic way for families and friends to enjoy themselves doing something a bit different, but at least doing something together," explains organiser Jez Lee.

"The idea is to bring the venue to the people and put on an event that will appeal to all ages.

"We have three amazing tribute bands along with some fantastic local bands. The tribute bands cover many years in the music industry, so there's something for everyone."

Festival goers will be privileged to see Green Day, U2 and the Foo Fighters. OK, not the real ones, but as close as you can get without having to visit a huge arena.Basket Case is the Green Day tribute band, and they have an unbelievable amount of energy. They look like the American rockers, and put on an incredible performance with their excellent guitar riffs and intensely honed sound.

"Expect to see the full Green Day show," enthuses Kris Edwards, lead singer of Basket Case, "we don't hold back, and there will be stage presence to the max, plus the Green Day trademark clothes and make up. We have a few tricks up our sleeve."

New 2 are the exciting tribute to the legendary U2. Lead singer Frank Farkes not only sounds like Bono, but also looks like him, too. New 2 have performed at various festivals and well-known venues over the years, and give a truly unmissable performance.

With Foo Fighters having played Wembley this year at sell-out shows, Four Fighters will be creating the Foo Fighters gig atmosphere. The tribute band will be belting out the incredible rock songs Foo Fighters have written, getting people up onto their feet and experience their festival style.

The unsigned acts making an appearance at the festival include Strangers, an original band from East Yorkshire. Formerly known as the Polystyrene Planes, Strangers will be showcasing their original material.

The Ram Raid are a three-piece band who will be entertaining the crowd with their mix of cover and original tunes, along with Velvet Star, another local band.

Not only will festival goers experience some amazing music, they will also have the fortune of mingling with a few stars as well such as Pete Doherty, Del Boy and David Brent! Yes, there will be famous look-alikes, many of whom have appeared on television.

Tim Oliver who is the David Brent look-alike explains: "I have done quite a few Fake Festivals now and they're always great fun. I'm looking forwards to meeting the locals and sharing a few drinks with them, and of course doing my famous dance with whoever wants to join in!"

With the festival all being held in a marquee, there is no worry about having the mud pools of Glastonbury, and it's all fenced off, so is safe for families, with drinks and food stands there all day, plus a fully licensed bar.

The fun starts at 1pm at West Park, so be sure to have your ticket, as it promises to be a popular day! Tickets cost £15 for an adult (16+ years), and £12 for a child (7 - 15 years). Children aged up to six are free when accompanied by an adult.

Tickets are available from local newsagents, or contact Fake Festivals at www.fakefestivals.co.uk, where you can buy online. All festival-goers also have the opportunity to win a Squier Affinity Stratocaster guitar, with a Fender Frontman Amp that has been donated by Electro Music in Doncaster.

Win tickets for Goole Rockfest

For your chance to win a pair of tickets for the festival, answer the following question:

Who is the lead singer of Green Day? Is it a) Bobby Joe Armstrong b) Billy Joe Armstrong c) Barry Joe Armstrong.

Send your answers along with your name, address and daytime telephone number to Goole Rockfest competition, Emma Franklin, Goole Times, 102 Boothferry Road, Goole, DN14 6AE or email emma.franklin@gooletimes.co.uk by next Wednesday lunch time, July 23.   

I must admit that, as a resident of a village just outside Goole, I have not really been paying close attention to the debate over the regeneration of this area of the town [Richard Cooper and Phoenix Streets]. Like many of your readers, I have perhaps been content to believe the scaremongering of what appeared to be some sort of residents' action group and have, as a consequence, seen ERYC as the 'bad guy', forcing people out of their homes and needlessly planning to demolish what are perfectly good houses.

However, I was surprised to learn that there are no longer any owner-occupiers living in Richard Cooper Street and Phoenix Street - nor, indeed, have there been for some time - and that all the brouhaha is actually being created by a small group of private landlords who obviously have a commercial interest in preserving the properties, regardless of whether or not their concerns over other aspects of the redevelopment are genuine.

I also understand that all of the people who owned their own homes on the streets in question have already accepted the council's offer and moved on, with none of them, as far as I am aware, having ever voiced any discontent with the situation in your newspaper.

It is not for me to say whether or not regeneration is the solution, but the fact that the residents appear to have seized the opportunity to get out and are long gone perhaps answers that question.

It is time for the action group to be transparent in their motives. Let's not forget that these people don't live on the streets themselves and their interest in what happens to the area is mainly a commercial one.

It really does beg the question whether this is a case of a small group of people holding back progress for their own gain, rather than thinking about the needs of the wider community.

SARA BACKHOUSE

Airmyn

York RI 124

One of the better days of the summer, and Goole's York Vale side continue to shine as they maintained their unbeaten record in Division Five with a comfortable 38-run win over York RI at Westfield on Sunday.

They head the division in their first season, and although the quality of the cricket left a lot to be desired at times, at least these young lads are getting the benefit of regular 40-over cricket at a competitive level, helped by the older hands of captain Chris Sugden, Mark Hinchcliffe and Scott Biggs, who stood in as wicket keeper in the absence of Jack Drakeley.

With a double-header weekend of league and cup cricket coming up, they will have a much better idea on their chances of winning two trophies at their first attempt by Sunday evening.

Batting first on a ground that had dried considerably in 36 hours, the lowly York side looked to be staring down the barrel of a score in excess of 200 as captain Chris Sugden and Danny Cooper made 89 for the opening partnership in 21 overs.

However, once they had gone the innings lost impetus and only Aidan Coulbeck with 16 not out and the younger Sugden, Louie with 15 saw them to 162-8 at the end of their 40 overs.

Willis with 4-60 was the chief wicket-taker for the visitors who, despite restricting Goole to that total, could hardly feel confident having reportedly failed to reach 100 in any game so far.

Therefore eyebrows were raised somewhat as they coasted to 46-0 in the 11th over with Mark Hinchclffe and Will O'Donnell struggling with line and length initially and picked off constantly by Sellers and Charno.

Three quick wickets for 15, two for Hinchcliffe who eventually settled and one for O'Donnell put Goole back in the driving seat although a fourth wicket partnership of 40 between Willis and Corr with extras helping, still had them in with a semblance of a chance.

However enter the younger West, and with no Mark on view this weekend due to the weather on Saturday, it was left to David to rip through the middle and lower order finishing with 5-32 and Hinchcliffe 4-41 as the innings subsided to 124 all out in front of a healthy crowd swelled by the Hockey club's fund raising barbecue, and the fact that the sun does actually shine in Goole

The operation took place as part of Goole Local Action Week (June 30 to July 6), which aimed to tackle anti-social behaviour, crime and other issues to improve the quality of life of people living in the town, as well as creating a sense of pride in the local community and respect for people and property. 

The local action week was organised by East Riding of Yorkshire Council's safe communities team, along with partnership agencies and groups including Humberside Police. 

Officers from East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Vehicle and Operators Service Agency (VOSA) HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Humberside Police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) joined forces to stop around 50 private and commercial vehicles to make a variety of checks. 

Officers from Humberside Police checked vehicles for a wide range of offences including vehicle defects and drivers without insurance or a driving licence.

As a result 15 fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were issued to drivers using mobile phones or not wearing seat belts whilst driving.

Six vehicle-defect-rectification forms were issued, one process summons file was submitted and one vehicle was seized and sent for scrap as the driver had neither insurance nor driving licence. 

Officers from the council and the DVLA worked together to target untaxed vehicles.

The DVLA supplied an automatic number plate recognition unit for the day and a total of 4,657 vehicle registration plates were read. Thirty-eight vehicles showed no tax or were declared as off the road. 

This resulted in a total of seven vehicles being seized by council officers for being driven without road tax.

In order to reclaim their vehicles, their drivers will have to pay an £80 release fee and produce a valid tax disc or pay a £120 surety fee upon collection.  

The VOSA and HMRC carried out inspections of private and commercial vehicles to ensure they were roadworthy and complied with legal standards.

Seven immediate and two delayed prohibition notices were issued to drivers by VOSA for a variety of vehicle defects requiring the owner or operator to carry out essential maintenance works. 

One vehicle was found to be in such a poor condition that it was removed by a recovery vehicle. HMRC found one vehicle running on 'red' diesel, which was impounded for further investigation by HMRC. 

East Riding of Yorkshire Council inspected vehicles used to transport waste to ensure the driver or operator had the correct authorisation to carry waste.

The aim of this exercise was to prevent fly-tipping across the East Riding. 

Nine drivers were spoken to in an advisory capacity and may be pursued further for the correct documentation to carry waste or could be investigated for waste regulation offences.

Richard Stork, from the East Riding Council and Clive Allison from VOSA both confirmed that they planned to hold further multi-agency operations throughout the East Riding working closely with Humberside Police. 

Benjamin Brinded (23), of Alexandra Street, pleaded guilty to a string of charges when he made a first appearance at Hull Crown Court on Monday.

Mr Brinded admitted possessing a bladed article on July 3 on Boothferry Road in Goole. He also pleaded guilty to a charge of possession with intent to supply temazepam the following day and the attempted robbery of Martin Dean on July 5.

Crown barrister Jharna Jobes did not open details of the offences. Mr Brinded was represented in court by barrister Mark Bury.

Mr Bury said Mr Brinded needed the benefit of a Humberside Probation Service report on his background before he could be sentenced.

Judge Roger Thorn, QC, ordered Mr Brinded to stand as he told him his could not be sentenced at this stage. He was remanded in custody for a date to be fixed for sentence at Hull Crown Court in around four weeks' time.

Zola Brunyee and her partner Aaron Lumley had previously called East Riding of Yorkshire Council inspectors to their property on Seavy Road in Goole after finding cracks in the ceiling.

Zola (21) said: "We had a leak in the roof which dampened all the wallpaper. When we removed it we saw cracks, so we called a council inspector."

The couple were advised by the inspector to fill in the cracks as, he said, it was not worth the council repairing them.

Last Thursday afternoon whilst Zola, who is eight months pregnant, was with her daughter in her bedroom, part of the ceiling collapsed at the point where it was cracked.

"We contacted the council at 5.30pm to report what had happened and they sent out an emergency repair man at 7.30pm whilst I was at hospital," said Zola.

"When I spoke to him afterwards he told me he did not know what the council wanted him to do as he would not have been able to replace the ceiling."

The couple and their daughter felt they were unable to stay in the house that night as dust and fibreglass insulation had spread through their home. They were not offered anywhere to stay by the council until 9pm, after they had made several phone calls to East Riding.

"The next day it took them until 9.45am to get in contact with me, when they open at 9am. They told me they would get someone out to assess the ceiling at 2pm, which I said was not good enough as I didn't have anywhere to go for the day. They eventually agreed to send someone at 11am," said Zola.

When the inspector arrived Zola said he did not touch anything and told her to clean up the mess before the council could sort out the damage.

The couple have since been told that although the council repaired the damage it is accepting no liability for what happened: "We are very pleased with the repair job they have done but they are taking no liability for anything else, like the carpet which I have scrubbed but is still not clean. Also, all the clothes which I had bought for the new baby had to be taken to the laundrette and washed as they were covered in dust. This is a lot to do when you're heavily pregnant," said Zola.

They were also told by a member of staff at the council that it would be safe for 22-month-old Ella to sleep in her bedroom with the hole in the ceiling and before other parts of the ceiling had been checked as there was no alternative accommodation available.

The council have also said they believed the reason the ceiling came through was due to things in the loft and said that the tenancy agreement stated that tenants were prohibited access to the loft.

Zola said: "We have read the agreement and we can't find where it says that. When we moved in there were already heavy boxes in the loft.

"The council's policy and procedures mean that they should remove all the previous tenant's belongings, which they can't have done."

Although the ceiling has now been repaired the family is not happy with the treatment they received from the Council and have made a formal complaint. They have also contacted Goole MP Ian Cawsey to help them get answers.

* A spokesperson for East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: "The ceiling has not 'fallen down'. A small part of it, approximately half a square metre near the loft hatch, has fallen down. The male occupant of the house confirmed he had been in the loft on the morning of the incident.

"Previously, when a pipe leak was reported in February, the council had advised the occupiers not to store certain items in the loft.

"The council is arranging for the ceiling to be checked but has not been able to gain access to the property so far today. The council routinely checks loft spaces when properties are void prior to re-let. In this instance we will agree to revisit the property. To assist the tenants any items in the loft that do not belong to them will be removed.

"The ceiling was previously inspected in May. There were some minor cracks, normal in a house of this age, which were bonded and sealed.

"One of the occupiers of 12 Seavy Road has now made a formal complaint which will be investigated in accordance with the council's normal procedures."

The couple state that they did not agree that Mr Lumley had entered the loft. He had simply opened the hatch and looked in. He had informed the Council that the house would be unoccupied on the days inspectors visited the property, as Miss Brunyee was at hospital.

Richard James Garner (30), of Morley Street in Old Goole, stood alone in the high security dock of Court One at Hull Crown Court in a 15-minute appearance last Thursday.

Watched by police officers in the public gallery who are investigating the case, he wore a yellow T-shirt and jeans and spoke only to confirm his name. He left the court talking to his barrister, Anil Murray.

He stands accused of murdering his father Frank Garner (62), of Old Goole, whose body was discovered last month in a field about a mile south of East Cowick.

Mr Garner is charged with his murder on or around July 28, 2005. Crown barrister Simon Waley set out the detailed legal timetable for the exchange of evidence. The charge was not put to Richard Garner - which is normal at this stage. He sat impassively behind a glass screen.

Judge Michael Mettyear ordered Mr Garner, who stared silently forward throughout the hearing, to stand as he was told his case could not be proceeded with yet. He was remanded in custody and taken back to cells below court and a waiting prison van. There was no application for bail.

He is due to appear again at Hull Crown Court on September 1 for a plea hearing.

Vermuyden School, Howden School & Technology College, Marshlands Primary, Kingsway Primary and Snaith School were closed yesterday and today as teaching assistants, lunchtime supervisors and caretakers staged a walk-out as part of a national strike by local-government workers over pay.

The action was backed by both the UNISON and TGWU-Unite unions, whose members are unhappy about what they claim is a derisory 2.45 per cent, below-inflation pay rise for its members.

A spokesman for the East Riding Council said this week: "The council will, as far as is reasonably practical, seek to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum and services for vulnerable children and adults will be maintained.

"The council will seek to keep residents updated through the local press and council website.

"Information on service impact and closures, including schools, is being updated via the council website on a regular basis as circumstances change."

Dave Prentis, general secretary of UNISON - the UK's biggest public-sector union - said: "The pounds in local-government workers' pockets are turning to pennies. The cost of everyday essentials like milk, bread, petrol, gas and electricity are going through the roof - our members cannot afford to take another cut in their pay."

A total of 600,000 local-government workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are thought to have taken part in strike action.

A total of 2,911 pupils in the Goole area will be off school over the two days of the strike action.

It is thought the main reason behind the school closures was the fact that there would be no lunchtime supervisors to watch over the children at break times.

Rubbish collections in the area are not affected by the strike

The plant will take in £1.1 million tonnes of UK-grown wheat with the aim of producing ethanol by summer, 2010.

The regulatory approval and funding is now in place and the groundwork preparations on the 25-acre brownfield site are almost complete.

Grain will be taken from more than 1,000 growers and talks are in place to develop growing regimes to ensure that wheat supplying the plant will be grown in a sustainable manner.

The oldest public building in the town has recently been bought by the Julie Howard Partnership and saved from rack and ruin.

The new owners, who specialise in converting old premises, now want local people's help to restore the Aire Street building to its former glory.

Developer Howard Duckworth said: "We are looking for photos of the hotel and its features going as far back as we can. Also any stories people can tell us about the building, this will help us restore the Lowther Hotel back to its former glory."

The former public house, which has stood empty for somey years, has come under attack from vandals who have graffitied the listed building, broken windows and ripped out a lot of its original features including fireplaces, lead from the roof and copper piping.

A squatters' den was also discovered on the top floor of the hotel, with sleeping bags and out-of-date food left behind.

Because the Lowther is a grade two listed building the Howard Duckworth Partnership is liaising with English Heritage on the restoration project.

"We aim to restore some sort of order and elegance to the building," he said.

"Over the years it has been used and abused as a nightclub and a pub and the beautiful murals have being spoilt with artex but all it needs is some tlc," said Julie Duckworth.

The new owners have yet to decide what to do with the hotel once they have restored it but have ruled out using it for residential purposes. "At the moment we just want to clean it up, see what we have got and get the structure sorted before we decide what to do with it," they said.

"We will give the building its self respect back," said Howard.

A website for the hotel, www.lowtherhotel.com, is also being set up where people can log on and follow the work in progress on the building.

Although the couple, who have worked on listed buildings before and won awards for their work in Goole, admit the restoration is a massive project, they believe the Lowther Hotel is an important part of Goole's heritage. "We can't see a beautiful and elegant piece of Goole's history just fall down," said Julie.

If you have any photos or stories about The Lowther Hotel that you would like to share, please send them to the Goole Times offices.

Goole Town Councillor Jean Kitchen said: "It is a big relief that the Julie Howard Partnership have taken this project on board. Looking at other buildings they have restored in Goole I am confident they can restore it to how it should be."

The oldest public building in the town has recently been bought by the Julie Howard Partnership and saved from rack and ruin.

The new owners, who specialise in converting old premises, now want local people's help to restore the Aire Street building to its former glory.

Developer Howard Duckworth said: "We are looking for photos of the hotel and its features going as far back as we can. Also any stories people can tell us about the building, this will help us restore the Lowther Hotel back to its former glory."

The former public house, which has stood empty for somey years, has come under attack from vandals who have graffitied the listed building, broken windows and ripped out a lot of its original features including fireplaces, lead from the roof and copper piping.

A squatters' den was also discovered on the top floor of the hotel, with sleeping bags and out-of-date food left behind.

Because the Lowther is a grade two listed building the Howard Duckworth Partnership is liaising with English Heritage on the restoration project.

"We aim to restore some sort of order and elegance to the building," he said.

"Over the years it has been used and abused as a nightclub and a pub and the beautiful murals have being spoilt with artex but all it needs is some tlc," said Julie Duckworth.

The new owners have yet to decide what to do with the hotel once they have restored it but have ruled out using it for residential purposes. "At the moment we just want to clean it up, see what we have got and get the structure sorted before we decide what to do with it," they said.

"We will give the building its self respect back," said Howard.

A website for the hotel, www.lowtherhotel.com, is also being set up where people can log on and follow the work in progress on the building.

Although the couple, who have worked on listed buildings before and won awards for their work in Goole, admit the restoration is a massive project, they believe the Lowther Hotel is an important part of Goole's heritage. "We can't see a beautiful and elegant piece of Goole's history just fall down," said Julie.

If you have any photos or stories about The Lowther Hotel that you would like to share, please send them to the Goole Times offices.

Goole Town Councillor Jean Kitchen said: "It is a big relief that the Julie Howard Partnership have taken this project on board. Looking at other buildings they have restored in Goole I am confident they can restore it to how it should be."

He collected 17,113 votes on Thursday after resigning over the Government's plan to detain terror suspects for 42 days. The by-election is believed to have cost in the region of £200,000.

A higher than expected 34.5 per cent of people turned out to vote, compared to 70.1 per cent for the 2005 General Election, when Mr Davis won with a majority of 5,116. Green Party candidate Shan Oakes came second with 1,758 votes and in third place was English Democrat candidate Joanne Robinson with 1,714 votes.

In total 26 candidates contested the by-election, the other 25 included Miss Great Britain, Mad Cow-Girl from the Monster Raving Loonies and Elvis from the Church of Militant Elvis Party.

Along with his his fight to defend civil liberties, Mr Davis also used the by-election to draw attention to the proliferation of CCTV cameras, plans for a national identity card scheme and a DNA database.

Mr Davis was welcomed back to the House of Commons personally by Conservative leader David Cameron and Tory MPs cheered loudly as he returned this week. Mr Davis has stated that he neither expects nor wants an early return to the front bench.

He said: "I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to vote in the by-election last Thursday. The turnout was much higher than expected which shows just how strongly people feel about the growing power of the Government over individual citizens.

"It is a privilege to be able to continue to represent the people of Howden and Haltemprice and I am deeply honoured that so many of them gave me their backing last Thursday. To be elected with over 70 per cent of the vote will enable me to return to Westminster with a message from the people to Gordon Brown that we have had enough of his Government's constant meddling in the minute details of daily life.

"It is time for the Government to give ordinary, law-abiding citizens a break and for them instead to start focussing on tackling rising crime and disorder in Britain."

If the council's cabinet gives approval at its meeting next week, households could start receiving their bins from October - with 20,000 bins in the first delivery.

It is expected that by the end of 2009 all households in East Riding will have brown bins for grass cuttings, hedge and shrub trimmings, plants and flowers. The collected waste will be composted.

This follows the council's 20,000 brown-bin trial in March in the Driffield and Haltemprice areas.

Cllr Stephen Parnaby, leader of the council, said: "The new garden waste service is proving so popular with residents that we have decided to move quickly to start introducing it across the East Riding.

"Initial indications are that the trial is a resounding success, with 1,800 tonnes of garden waste collected in the two areas in the first three months. In June, this resulted in 31 per cent of the waste collected from the green bins being diverted from landfill."

Feedback from the trial also suggests that the roll-out of the brown bins across the East Riding will significantly contribute to achieving Target 45+ by 2010.

To cover the costs of the roll-out, the council approved funding in the revenue budget 2008/09, subject to a successful evaluation of the trial. An additional £1.4 million was included in the approved budget for 2008/09 and a further £1.8 million for 2009/10.

The brown bins form part of the council's future kerbside collection planning, which is currently the subject of consultation with residents.

In June's issue of East Riding News, the council put forward four options and invited residents to indicate which one they preferred. The consultation ends on July 31 with the announcement of the results in October's East Riding News.

Some 6,700 residents have now registered their views with an overwhelming 67 per cent plumping for the recommended option three, five per cent for option one; 13 per cent for option two and 15 per cent for option four.

This means that 95 per cent of respondents, those voting for options two, three and four, indicated their support for the roll-out of brown bins in delivering the improved collection service the council is aiming for.

James Michael Bradshaw launched the volley of abuse as he passed police officers on Pasture Road.

Mr Bradshaw shouted "f***ing pigs" at the officers, then, as he walked further along the street, offered: "You are all w**kers and f***ing piggy bastards."

Mr Bradshaw, of Oxford Road in Goole, appeared at the town's magistrates' court this week where he pleaded guilty to a Section 5 public-order offence in the early hours of June 20 this year.

Julie Laverack-Glanville, prosecuting, said that, during Mr Bradshaw's drunken tirade, passers-by were well within earshot and were "clearly alarmed by this extraordinary behaviour".

She said that when Mr Bradshaw was approached by a police constable he began to struggle and tried to run off.

But the constable managed to restrain him and returned him to the scene, where Mr Bradshaw was put inside a police vehicle and given a fixed penalty notice for public disorder.

But Mr Bradshaw wasn't finished yet - he disputed the ticket and became abusive, said Ms Laverack-Glanville.

She added that, when asked to get out of the police vehicle, Mr Bradshaw refused, so officers had to forcibly remove him.

Mr Bradshaw then "squared up" to one officer with his arms "slightly raised" and his fists clenched.

Mr Bradshaw told officers "I'm not doing anything; I've done f*** all." He then stood up to one officer and "assumed an aggressive stance right up to his face".

This compelled the officer to push Mr Bradshaw away, whereupon the officer warned him he was going to be arrested for public disorder.

Mr Bradshaw said to the officer: "Go on, arrest me then," and carried on shouting obscenities in full view of passers-by.

At this point he was given a final warning by one of the officers and shouted: "You can't f***ing rag me about; I'm not going anywhere. F*** him."

Mr Bradshaw was arrested and charged with a public-order offence.

Ms Laverack-Glanville said that the arresting officer was "quite a sturdy" man and it must have taken "the courage of alcohol" for the slightly-built Mr Bradshaw to square up to him.

Mr Bradshaw, who was representing himself in court, told magistrates he had been out on a workmate's birthday and had drunk so much "I didn't know what I was doing.".

"I'm ashamed of myself," he added.

Magistrates fined Mr Bradshaw £100 and ordered him to pay £55 prosecution costs. He was also made to pay a £15 victim surcharge.