ALEX Rodman hopes the confidence boost he gained from scoring in the win at Hyde will help him to pin down a regular spot in the Grimsby Town side.

So far, the former Aldershot man has been mainly been restricted to substitute appearances, with his only start this season coming in the defeat to Welling United earlier this month.

But within minutes of coming off the bench on Bank Holiday Monday against Hyde, Rodman scored what proved to be the winner, and strengthened his bid to win a regular slot in the process.

"Obviously I want to be playing week-in, week-out and the goal against Hyde will certainly do me no harm," he told the Telegraph.

"It felt great to finally get off the mark and it was made all the better for knowing that it helped to get us the three points."

"Whenever I go on to the pitch, I want to do all I can to stake my claim and grabbing the winner is always going to be a massive confidence boost towards doing that.

"We'll have to see how it goes. It's a long season and when the team are performing and getting results it's always going to be hard to get in if you're out of the team.

"I'll just keep working hard and my time will come. A goal does wonders when you're a forward player, and hopefully that will kick me on and begin to show in my performances from now on."

With the win over Hyde, Town moved to within a point of the Conference's early pace-setters and, although Rodman is not getting carried away, he admits that it is good to be mixing it at the top already.

He continued: "It is early but even when you're only a couple of games into the season, you want to be up there because otherwise, teams can start to run away with it a little bit.

"People are now going to be looking at us now and thinking 'crikey, Grimsby are going well'.

"I don't think we've quite hit fifth gear yet, but we'll keep working hard and hopefully it will be other teams chasing us at the top soon."

A GRIMSBY hotel could soon have a large extension which aims to create 20 new jobs.

The owners of The Humber Royal, in Littlecoates Road, have applied for a 40-bedroom extension to meet a growing demand for hotel accommodation.

The prospect of a boom in offshore wind turbine energy, operated from Grimsby Docks, has fuelled demand from contractors.

The hotel has also enjoyed hosting an increased number of wedding celebrations, with three over the bank holiday weekend alone.

Icon Hotels is seeking planning permission from North East Lincolnshire Council planners.

The extension would be made up of five floors; the first, second, third and fourth containing ten bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom.

The ground floor would host a new restaurant with seating for about 60 guests, and it would have an external terrace. There will also be a new bar area, with two meeting rooms.

The owners said the hotel, which was built in the 1960s, will be made fit for the 21st century and create a better impression for visitors to Grimsby.

The Humber Royal gained four-star accreditation last year and has enjoyed high occupancy levels, as reported.

General manager Anne Bennett said the extension would boost occupancy every day of the week.

She said: "Grimsby has been crying out for extra hotel accommodation.

"There is a shortage in the area.

"It is important to keep expanding otherwise visitors will look out-of-town, to the Louth and Scunthorpe areas.

"We would not be considering expanding unless we knew the demand was there.

"The prospect of a growing wind energy sector is a big contributing factor in our planning for the future.

"The extension will help with the impression people have of the hotel which visually, from the outside, is not pretty.

"This will help with the view of the hotel."

She added the new restaurant and bar will be open to non-residents and members of the public could be invited to suggest ideas for a theme for the venues.

If planning approval is granted later this year the hotel extension could be completed within 18 months.

The extension at the front of the hotel would result in the loss of four parking spaces.

Last year, a planning inspector turned down an appeal from the firm following an application to North East Lincolnshire Council planners for a five-storey block with 18 apartments.

Residents were concerned about the visual impact on their properties and warned of the increase in parking in the streets around the hotel.

There are currently 111 parking spaces, including disabled parking at the front of the hotel for guests and visitors.

But Littlecoates Road resident Len Holman, 80, who spearheaded the opposition to the five-storey apartment block, claimed the parking figures submitted by the owners did not add up.

He welcomed the extension and said it will be a big improvement for the area and for business.

Mr Holman said: "It is a big improvement on the visual aspect, which is good.

"I am more than happy with it and would like to see the hotel do well.

"But what bothers me is the parking.

"They say there will be ample parking.

"But when you look at the design it looks like they are losing about 30 spaces.

"Reading the Grimsby Telegraph, we are number six on the list of speeding hotspots in the borough.

"This will make matters worse and risk accidents because there will be more people going in and out of the hotel car park looking for places to park."

He recommended the firm reinstate the car park at the rear of residents' properties in Littlecoates Road.

"It was used previously as an overspill car park.

Mr Holman said: "It would create as many parking spaces as they have at the front of the hotel and solve their problems. I don't understand why they don't open it up again."

A 20-year-old man from the Walsall area was arrested nearby on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and remains in police custody at Skegness.

The investigating officer Detective Constable Emily Wooll-Rivers of Skegness CID said, "This was a nasty incident, a man has lost part of his ear and is scarred for life. We have a suspect in custody but I would like to hear from anyone who witnessed what happened. The area was quite busy at the time and it is likely that someone saw something that my assist the investigation."

Officers can be reached on the non-emergency 101 number quoting incident number 23 of August 27. Alternatively witnesses can contact her anonymously on Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

A COUPLE are celebrating 60 years of happy marriage after falling in love at first sight.

Ron and Chris Cooper, of Grimsby, met at a Christmas party in 1948, an event which left Chris knowing she would marry Ron.

Chris said: "Ron walked me home afterwards.

"The next night we went out and my friend walked me home. I turned to her and said I am going to marry him, and she told me not to be daft.

"Now here we are – celebrating our 60th year together.

"Ron was always late. Every date we went on he would be late for it, yet he was always on time for his football!

"We courted for about six years before we married at the Holy Trinity Church, in Loughborough.

"We spent our honeymoon in Scarborough and just like our wedding day, it was boiling hot.

"I don't really enjoy the beach but we both liked looking around and taking in the beautiful surroundings.

"We also enjoy browsing antique shops, which is why there are so many bits in the house.

"Every time someone comes round and shows an interest in something, I tell them to take it away."

Ron said: "I really like sports, especially when it's on the telly.

"I used to run a lot. I ran the London Marathon in 1986 and I still hold a faster time than my grandson.

"Now we are very happy to relax and spend time in the garden."

Chris added: "He spends a lot of his time in the allotment and I am happy to relax here.

"I think that is what is key to a long, happy marriage. Being able to get on and not arguing.

"The most important thing, however, is making sure the last thing you say to each other every night is I love you.

"Even if you are apart always call and say it.

"We think it is quite an achievement to reach 60 years and according to the card, so does the Queen."

Ron added: "It was nice to get the card, but I don't know how she knew about our anniversary – she didn't even put any money in it!"

EVER since drilling companies suggested that trillions of cubic feet of shale gas might be recoverable from underneath parts of northern England, the word "fracking" has become a fixture of the political lexicon.

And it is a controversial one. For many, particularly in the Conservative Party, fracking – the process of injecting high-pressure water, sand and chemicals into shale rock in order to release gases – offers a cheap, domestic solution to the UK's future energy needs.

But to opponents, the technique has cons as well as pros.

Environmental campaigners point to the United States, where fracking has revolutionised the energy industry but also given rise to concerns about contamination of water supplies and even minor tremors.

That may sound far fetched but in 2011, Blackpool experienced two small earthquakes measuring 1.5 and 2.2 on the Richter Scale following local fracking.

Drillers claim this is due to bad practice rather than the process itself.

Nevertheless, fracking is firmly on the UK political agenda.

Earlier this month the Prime Minister said the process could result in cheaper energy bills, thousands of jobs and windfalls for communities affected.

He also pledged that fracking would not damage the British countryside and would only result in a "very minor change to the landscape".

Cleethorpes MP Martin Vickers is one of those "generally" in favour of exploring the potential of fracking.

"Clearly tests have got to be made and I'm mindful of potential hazards," he said, "but I have seen no evidence it's excessively dangerous.

"Because of our energy needs it's something any sensible government should explore."

Although much speculation has focused on sites in the north of England – described as "desolate" by the Tory peer Lord Howell – none of the geological surveys have indicated that North East Lincolnshire would be directly affected by fracking activity.

"I have seen maps which shows it extending into Lincolnshire, but not necessarily into my constituency," Mr Vickers continued.

"Obviously the energy companies are focusing on large reserves, and that's not this area."

But Dr Vicky Dunn, co-ordinator of the Green Party in North East Lincolnshire and a candidate in next year's European Parliament elections, believes fracking is distracting energy firms and the Governments from investing in renewable sources of energy.

"We don't want to drain any public support from renewables," she said, "while there are a lot of worries about it and we don't want to be chasing off in wrong direction; renewables are a lot more certain.

"Now it may be at some point fracking can deliver something, but we're worried about water contamination and safety – it seems like a pretty dodgy avenue to go down when we have other options."

Dr Dunn also rejects the US analogy used by many supportive MPs.

"It simply is not going to be like it is in America, where they've got big open spaces; it's more difficult here," she said.

It might also lead to US-style anti-fracking protests.

For the last few weeks the West Sussex village of Balcombe has found itself at the centre of noisy demonstrations near a test-drilling site.

Policing it is costing millions, while the Green Party MP Caroline Lucas was even arrested.

This week, meanwhile, George Hollingbery, a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Home Secretary Theresa May became the first Conservative MP to break ranks, warning that fracking could be "disastrous" in the part of Hampshire he represents.

There are also concerns about the extent to which local authorities will benefit from fracking deals. Lancaster and Wyre MP Ben Wallace believes the one per cent of revenues agreed between the industry and Government is "risible", particularly as only a third of that figure will actually end up in council coffers.

Mr Vickers accepts there are details that need to be ironed out, but he still thinks fracking "is a must".

"We have energy cost problems," he said.

"And we've got to consider every option as we can't end up being reliant on gas reserves under Russian control.

"Fracking is essentially an opportunity to – in effect – replace North Sea gas, and so we've just got to bite the bullet."

In fact, the bullet was bitten some time ago.

Over the past few decades more than 2,000 onshore wells have been drilled in the UK, approximately 200 of which have used techniques similar to fracking. But what is new is the political controversy surrounding the technique.

In that sense, although Government ministers may have thrown their weight behind fracking, the hard part is just about to begin.

A SENIOR member of Humberside Police staff has been arrested on suspicion of assault and stalking.

Retired Chief Superintendent Colin Andrews, pictured, who now works as business manager for the force's criminal justice unit, was held after a woman and man were allegedly assaulted.

The experienced detective has been released on bail and suspended from his job while officers investigate.

It is believed Mr Andrews, 57, spent a night in the cells at a police station in Hull after the arrest on Tuesday.

During his career as a police officer, which began in 1975, he was involved in cases on the south bank, including the investigation into the death of skydiver Stephen Hilder, at Hibaldstow airfield, in July, 2003.

He headed up the force's operations branch and oversaw the investigation into the murder of nine-year-old Aaron Smith, who died in a fire started by his stepfather, David Burtonshaw, in 2005.

He was also responsible for reopening the investigation into the murder of Hessle driving instructor Keith Slater, who was stabbed on his doorstep in 1988. It led to the conviction of Martin Brown for his murder in 2007.

Mr Andrews retired as a police officer last year, but took on a civilian role within the criminal justice unit.

He continues to work as a senior investigating officer and has recently concluded a two-and-a-half year investigation into historic sexual abuse at the St William's children's home, in Market Weighton.

A spokesman for the force said: "Police were called at 7.09pm on Tuesday reporting an alleged assault of a 38-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman outside an address in Park Grove, Hull.

"Police resources were deployed and a 57-year-old Hull man was arrested at 7.50pm on the same evening in west Hull.

"The 57-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of two counts of assault by beating and one of stalking. He has been subsequently released on police bail pending further inquiries.

"He is a police member of staff and has been suspended, pending further investigation."

Both assault by beating and stalking carry maximum prison sentences of six months and can only be tried by magistrates.

CONTROVERSIAL plans to open a funeral home next to a housing complex for elderly people have been given the go-ahead.

Sentiments Funeral Home Ltd was yesterday granted planning permission to convert a disused doctors surgery in Aspen Court, Cleethorpes, into a funeral directors.

The application provoked a furious response from residents, who say the choice of location is "extremely insensitive".

However, Sentiments insist the building will be used as a satellite office for its accounts department, and that all funerals will continue to leave from its main premises in Chantry Lane, Grimsby.

Speaking at yesterday's Planning Committee meeting, Sentiments director Gary Walters attempted to reassure residents over its planned use of the building.

"We would like to apologise to any of the residents if we have caused them distress," he said.

"The last thing we would want is to cause upset to anyone. We have also been very considerate to our neighbours in Chantry Lane."

Mr Walters told the committee that although viewings could be arranged at its new Cleethorpes branch if necessary, these would be avoided "wherever possible".

He added: "There will be no hearses or florists going in every day. All the funerals will leave from Chantry Lane as they do now. No preparation work will be carried out at the premises."

Ward councillor Margaret Cracknell (Con, Haverstoe), speaking on behalf of residents, expressed concerns about the inclusion of a chapel of rest and preparation room in the plans.

She said: "Just about every dwelling surrounding the site is occupied by an elderly person and the proximity of the nearest dwelling is very close. For such a distance this use is beyond belief."

Councillor Cracknell also expressed concern about the proximity of the building to the Annie Chapple Centre, which hosts events for young and old alike.

"Residents who use the centre are upset with this proposal. Residents feel very strongly that walking past the application site they could be confronted by the to-ing and fro-ing of a coffin."

The application was approved by six votes to five.

Speaking after the decision, Clifford Denison, 80, who lives above the proposed funeral home, said: "It's disgusting. It should never have been put in.

"This is upsetting people on the estate – most of them are over 50."

Another Aspen Court resident Mary Ward, 74, said: "We don't want it. We are all elderly and we don't want reminding of what's going to be. The Annie Chapple holds parties for children and it will not be very nice for them."

Bob Ayling, 79, chairman of the Belvoir Park Residents' Association, said: "I'm against it. To me it is not exactly the place to have a funeral directors."

A LARGE black snake which popped up out of a drain in a back garden in Cleethorpes – in front of a shocked Cleethorpes family – may not be the only one!

The Peck family were shocked to see the Mexican King Snake slither out of the grate covering a drain at their home in Mill Place.

Reptile experts say the constrictor snake – which can grow up to 4ft long – may have hatched from a nest of eggs, which could have been laid in the sewers of Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

Petrified Linda Peck said: "My husband Geoff and I walked past our back door, which is made of glass, and saw what looked like a very large slug on the drain.

"My husband went outside to have a better look but it had gone back down.

"About ten minutes later, we looked again and saw the head of the snake poking out.

"It began to come out of the drain and towards the house. I was terrified – there was a big black snake coming out of a drain towards us!

"We shut the door and called my son, Simon, who is a firefighter and is afraid of nothing.

"Simon tried to pick it up but it snapped at him so he put a recycling box on top of it.

"He then remembered seeing a reptile shop nearby that was opening the next day, so he ran to the shop hoping to find somebody.

"Fortunately there were people inside and they came straight out to help. They identified the snake and told us it was not venomous, which was a relief.

"I spoke to some of the neighbours afterwards and they said they had seen the snake in the street about three weeks ago.

"I never want to see it again in my life."

Simon said: "When mum called me, she was crying down the phone. I thought somebody had died until she finally explained it.

"I was expecting to find a grass snake or something small. It was a lot a bigger than that when I arrived.

"It was a deep black colour and I thought it might be venomous.

"I have seen a lot of shows on the TV about snakes and I tried to grab its tail but it tried to twist round so I let it go. I got a shovel to cover its face and covered it with a recycling box. "We were very lucky there was somebody at the reptile shop to help."

Charlotte Marshall, the owner of Medusa's Reptiles, in Dolphin Square, Cleethorpes, came to the family's aid. She said: "This guy came running in saying there was a big snake in the garden and could we help. As he described it, we knew straight away it was a Mexican King Snake. We picked up a plastic container and a stick and went to the house. The snake looked quite skinny, like it hadn't eaten in a while.

"They are quite common as pets because they are easy to look after. It was very young, so either someone has bought it recently or a female snake has escaped a few months ago and has laid eggs.

"He could be one of the hatchlings living in the drains.

"My advice when dealing with any snake you find is not to go near them. Call a specialist and stay well away from the snake."

SCARTHO'S Great British Bake Off star has spoken of the pressure appearing on the top show after being voted off – but she's not crying over spilt milk!

Lucy Bellamy sadly failed to impress judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood with her simple tomato bread, made from produce out of her garden.

The 38-year-old also came last in the muffin challenge, which she admits she has never made before.

Lucy said: "I was really looking forward to bread week because I love making it – but Mary and Paul didn't love my bakes.

"I went for bread with flavour and I think they were looking for more of a show-stopper.

"For my tomato bread, I used basil, tomatoes and garlic from my garden.

"I had a long chat with Mary about gardening and produce. She said because she lives in the South, she can grow different things."

Lucy got into baking by growing her own fruit and veg. She learned to bake from her paternal grandmother and one of her biggest passions is bread.

Judge Paul described her bread as "just a cob loaf with tomatoes on it".

However, Mary said: "It's exactly what you say it is; a tomato bread.

"It has a really good flavour to it."

Lucy said the most challenging part of the programme was the pressure.

"You make different decisions while being filmed," she explained.

"The pressure is quite a factor and makes you do different things than you would normally do at home."

Lucy also struggled with creating muffins.

She said: "I have never made them before and you can't practise making them before the show.

"It was difficult because I have never cooked bread on the hob before.

"It was the most challenging part."

Paul described her muffins as too small and doughy as they were raw inside.

Lucy added: "When I came last in the muffin round, I was pretty sure it was myself going because I had a good idea how everyone else was doing.

"I'm not upset I'm out of the programme, I went in it for fun.

"It was a real privilege to cook for Paul and Mary because they give you so much feedback – more than you see on screen.

"Paul is fantastic, he's such an expert on bread. He can tell you by just looking at it what you have used and how much longer it needed in the oven."

Lucy still keeps in touch with the Bake Off team.

"I particularly keep in touch with Francis and Howard, but all of us meet up for dinner and talk about baking," she said.

"We all got together last week and had a great time."