GOVERNMENT support for incinerating rubbish draws a fiery response from one opposition politician.

"This is a huge backwards step. In environmental terms, incineration of waste is not much better than dumping it into landfill sites," the leading Parliamentarian thundered.

"If these reports are true then they show all too clearly how the Government has failed to tackle waste minimisation, to encourage re-use of materials and to promote recycling."

Who said this? A big green hello to Norman Baker MP, Liberal Democrat environment spokesman.

Quite how his condemnation squares with the desire of York Lib Dems to shovel loads of our rubbish in a new incinerator isn't yet clear.

Surely there couldn't be conflict within this most well-adjusted of political parties? But you know what they say. There's no smoke without incineration...

YOU might expect that those in charge of York's traffic would at least know what the big roads are called. A quick trip along George Hudson Street revealed a big yellow diversion sign informing motorists of the way to "Micklegate Road". Maybe someone should gently inform the highway authorities that "gate" means "road". That might prevent future confusion.

DAME Judi is on the shortlist for an Oscar, we note. Let's hope the Academy has learnt from the Golden Globes debacle, and Britain's most trustworthy woman is assured of victory.

WE hear that other dame and master of the gab Berwick Kaler had a little spot of trouble when one of our reporter's names cropped up in the list of best wishes he read out after a recent panto performance.

He even wondered if "Megi Rychlikova" was a genuine name. Our colleague insists it is real, it's phonetically spelt, worth 116 at Scrabble and quite easy to pronounce.

So, Berwick, that's Mrs Ryhliii... Mrs Richlik... Er, just call her Megi, Berwick. We do.

YORK Light Opera Company may be the only amateur company for miles around to be presenting the devilish musical The Witches Of Eastwick, but several callers to the York Theatre Royal box office are taking the local premiere rather too literally.

They have asked for tickets for The Witches Of Earswick.

The show, set in Rhode Island, not on Strensall Road, will run from February 10 to 18.

ONE for folk with long memories. Dennis Young, of Clifton, York, sent us a story from a national newspaper inspired by the recent River Thames exploits of a bottlenose whale. It recalled how the body of a blue whale, on the back of a lorry, was brought to Barnsley several decades ago.

"I feel sure we walked through that whale on view in Exhibition Square 40 years ago... for a shilling fee," writes Mr Young.

He is right: Jonah, as the dead creature was inevitably named, did come to York.

He made a two-day visit to the City of York Ideal Homes Exhibition, which was being held at St George's Field.

The 69-ton sea monster had been touring the continent on the world's largest motor trailer, reported the Evening Press in June 1954. It was captured off the Norwegian coast and instead of being cut up, 2,200 gallons of formalin preservative was pumped into him to harden the flesh and prevent decomposition. The liver was found to weigh seven tons, his tongue turned the scale at 2,575lb, but his brain weighed only 15lb.

If anyone has memories of seeing the whale, we'd love to hear them.

Updated: 09:43 Wednesday, February 01, 2006