Nowadays we are bombarded by statistics, surveys and the 'research shows' syndrome, but as I believe President Lincoln remarked: "There are lies, damn' lies and then statistics".

Alistair Darling claims 'unemployment is at its lowest level ever'.
You achieve that by moving thousands on to other benefits such as incapacity benefit (2.4 million).

Humberside Police claim that (recorded) crime has gone down. True! Actual crime, however, measured by the citizen, has risen hence prisons bursting at the seams.

My two favourites at local level concern the county council.
A few years ago, Nafferton Parish Council conducted a survey of housing needs in the village which turned out just average.

The county council didn't like that, conducted its own survey with loaded questions and the result it wanted was achieved - now the village is becoming a small town.

Top of the pops, however, goes to the highways department, which rarely objects to any plan.

After St Francis School, Nafferton, applied to expand its student roll, highways conducted a survey outside the school as parking presented problems, no worry was the result. The month of survey? August.

Back to reality and the cattle market.

After mentioning the death of the teenage girl near the Spread Eagle, I was reminded later about the crash into Shaw's florist shop (now boarded up) in 1978 and the landlord of the pub complaining about lorries hitting his building.

The original cattle market to the rear of the former Stride's butcher's shop was approached thus: animals through the 'sheep run' between the beck and Stride's entrance (now boarded up) and people etc through the Falcon archway calling in at the Cattle Market Tavern. Then came the infernal, sorry, internal combustion engine.

Finally, a word about the Tesco site to jog a few memories.
It is exactly 30 years ago that Theakstons offered the whole of the future Frank Dee/Kwiksave car park area to the local authority (North Wolds) for a municipal car park - for a song.

They turned it down and now it is worth millions and owned by Tesco.
It would have rejuvenated South Driffield, the Thursday market retained on Cross Hill aided by the excellent Lidl car park.

C Horsman, of Coppergate, Nafferton.