POPULAR North Yorkshire ice cream man Alf Douglass has been named the nation's favourite.

Mr Douglass, who has sold ice creams to children in the Acomb, Dringhouses and Chapelfields area of York for 43 years, won a competition to find the nation's best ice cream mobiler.

Judges told Mr Douglass, of Tadcaster, that his customers had written "beautiful" comments about him on their voting forms.

He drove his Winnie The Pooh ice cream van to Blackpool, so judges could see the van and test his health and safety knowledge. He also impressed judges and the other three finalists by making his famous Daffy Duck, Mickey Mouse and Nellie The Elephant ice cream faces - crafted from wafers, sweets, marshmallows, and of course, ice cream.

Mr Douglass said he was honoured his customers regarded him so highly.

"I was overwhelmed when they told me I'd won," he said. "My customers mean so much to me and I want to thank them all for the lovely things they wrote.

"I was so worried I'd have let them all down if I hadn't won, but I don't think my 11 grandchildren would have let me through the door if I hadn't."

All the voting forms will be entered into a draw by The Ice Cream Association, for the chance of winning a year's supply of ice cream.

Updated: 09:20 Saturday, November 08, 2003