THE man who built modern Terry's of York is more than miffed about its demise.

City architect Tom Adams, whose creations are dotted around York, has designed all the new buildings at Terry's since 1969. These include offices and warehouses. He even worked on the famous clock tower.

"I must have done it so well because it's moving out," Tom said. "I don't like it. I don't like it at all."

He has worked on all three York sweet factories, and even designed the London flat of Ernest Kramer one-time managing director of Cravens. It was in Cadogan Square, "billionaires' row".

"He arrived in this country from Czechoslovakia as a refugee from Hitler," Tom recalled. "All he had was a rolled-up carpet."

While Mr Kramer came to York from the Eastern bloc to rescue a city sweet factory, a York sweet factory is now being transferred to the Eastern bloc.

"Taking Terry's of York away is terrible," Tom said. "Are we going to move York Minster to the Outer Hebrides?"

If our campaign to save the factory fails, Tom could see the main building housing a shopping centre, with the warehouses used separately.

At least it would look better than some out-of-town retail parks, he said.

"I don't like the awful outlet at Fulford. I only feel good when I am coming away from there."

GOOD to see the Guardian maintaining its reputation for accuracy. In a story about trams last Friday it quoted "Edward Leigh, the hairman of the public accounts committee in the Commons".

TALKING of MPs, here is Peter Hain, Leader of the House, on job losses in Norwich Union, York: "Evidence from the Call Centre Association suggests that companies that outsource part of their work create a big return for this country" (December 12, 2003).

And here's the same man on job losses at Terry's of York: "It is a very serious situation with the job losses - it is a body blow" (April 23, 2004).

So in summary: insurance outsourcing... good; chocolate outsourcing... bad.

Thanks for clearing that up, Peter.

SMOKERS beware! Nicotine is embarrassing and can get you into lots of bother. Take Evening Press assistant editor Bill Hearld. At the launch of Community Pride, the major new campaign to tidy up York, he decided to light up during a lull in the proceedings outside the historic Mansion House.

Gathered there for the ceremony was a sprinkling of top city councillors as well as the street cleansing team - the people who now have the power to hit you with an on-the-spot fine for littering the city's streets.

Council leader Steve Galloway, the proud architect of the clean-up campaign, was just feet away and an unwitting witness.

Now my esteemed colleague was well aware that cigarette butts are deemed as litter if discarded in the street, so he carefully dropped his down a nearby drain.

Seconds later he was taken to one side by a uniformed street enforcer and told he had just broken the law. If she had had her official paperwork with her she would have slapped him with a fine.

But the squad was waiting to have its photograph taken - by an Evening Press photographer.

"Butt, butt, butt," stammered Hearld, perplexed at the admonishment. He thought he was within the law popping the filter tip down the drain.

No, she explained, that cigarette end was going somewhere it was not supposed to and he should have stubbed it out and placed it in the nearby litter bin.

So be warned. Discard your fag ends in a litter bin, taking great care not to set the thing on fire - or you have probably committed arson.

Sometimes you just can't do right for doing wrong.

Write to: The Diary, Chris Titley, The Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York YO1 9YN

Email diary@ycp.co.uk

Telephone (01904) 653051 ext 337

Updated: 11:55 Monday, April 26, 2004