WHICH class contributes the worst yobs to society?

York councillor David Horton is in no doubt. It's the toffs. He says you only have to look at what happens at York Racecourse during a major race meeting.

"Most of the trouble comes from the Hooray Henrys in the champagne tent," he declares.

Which, taken to its logical conclusion, means that North Yorkshire Police ought to make sure they've got their riot shields and tear gas ready for June, when the city is set to see its biggest ever invasion of chinless wonders.

This challenging question about class and yobbery came to the fore during a City of York Council Planning Committee debate on a housing application.

The scheme for 60-odd homes on the site of the former Wilberforce Home in Tadcaster Road included plans for a 17-space communal car port.

The police architectural liaison officer was concerned that this could generate problems of antisocial behaviour.

"Communal car ports, in particular, should be avoided," he warned. The Diary had no idea until now that car ports could be such a menace to society.

But any such fears were brushed aside by the applicant in the case of the Tadcaster Road development, on the grounds that the proposal was for "upmarket property, and therefore the risks of antisocial behaviour arising should be much reduced". An argument which, as you might gather, didn't win Coun Horton over.

Meanwhile, Coun Ann Reid had concerns of a more aesthetic nature about car ports. "They're ...naff," she opined.

What do readers think? Do car ports represent a threat to society as we know it - or does the threat only exist in the outer reaches of our council estates? And are they naff, or nice?

FIRST she got up the nose of pop guru Simon Cowell, now it seems Sharon Osbourne has inadvertently upset York council chief Andrew Waller as well.

The Easter TV advert in which Ozzie's wife appears for Asda has caused the city's environment chief a lot of grief.

He wrote to the Advertising Standards Agency after claiming that the supermarket, in the advert, "encourages customers to bin the aluminium trays in which the prepared food comes".

This, of course, means they are not being recycled. And finding new ways to use old rubbish is an issue close to the Westfield councillor's heart. Unfortunately, the ASA have given his complaint short shrift. But Coun Waller is unperturbed.

He said: "Supermarkets have a responsibility to reduce the amount of waste that people throw away, yet in this advert they are encouraging people to bin items which could be usefully recycled.

"I am sorry that the Advertising Standards Agency does not feel that it can intervene in this case, and I shall be taking this further".

But the Diary has a warning for him - it might be dangerous to cross Sharon further. Remember how Ozzie used to deal with bats.

Updated: 08:35 Tuesday, March 29, 2005