DESPITE the scoreline, Paul Hurst believes there was enough cause for encouragement in Grimsby Town's 4-0 pre-season defeat to Doncaster Rovers last night.

The Mariners fell behind with less than 20 seconds on the clock through Nathan Tyson, before the impressive League One side ran in two more first-half goals through Kyle Bennett and Theo Robinson.

Hurst was pleased to see a distinct improvement from his side after the restart, but that was not enough to prevent their South Yorkshire visitors from grabbing a fourth through sub Alex Peterson.

Speaking to the Telegraph after the final whistle, Hurst was in philosophical mood, pointing to the fact that Town are unlikely to come up against teams of Rovers' quality week-in week-out.

"Obviously there were things to work on but, overall, particularly in the second half, I thought we did very well and on another night, we would have at least got on the scoresheet.

"A couple of their goals were very, very good but the third and the fourth, from our point of view, were avoidable and that was disappointing.

"The one thing I would say is that we're not going to be coming up against that quality of opposition in our league and therefore, scoreline aside, I have to say that I was quite pleased.

"I think anyone who was there last night will have been encouraged by some aspects of our play and, taking the result out of it, and looking at who we were playing, will agree that it wasn't too bad of a night for us."

He continued: "Quite a few of our lads got 90 minutes under their belts last night, and that, above anything else, is the most important thing at this stage.

"The subs who came on did well and you can argue that it was a little bit easier as they had the fresher legs, but at the same time, I was impressed with some of the individual performances out there.

"We're looking to get a team together for the first game of the league season – that's the most important thing."

"I SAID back in 2010, if elected, we were going to focus on regeneration, investment supporting business, and that is what we have done in the last four years."

Leader of North East Lincolnshire, Councillor Chris Shaw is clearly proud of how the authority has enabled this part of the country to maximise the geographical assets it is blessed with, as we have emerged from recession.

"Look at Grimsby Docks; the regeneration of the town centre; hotels underway at Meridian Point and Wellowgate. The renewable companies that have come here, Europarc – the fact Wykeland has the confidence to extend, the way we have run Regional Growth Fund Round Three. It all shows we are serious about what we do.

"This has come at a time when the local authority is facing a 38 per cent reduction in budget. Just think what we could have done if we had the budget of five or six years ago! You have to ask why it wasn't happening five or six years ago."

There is clear pride at the way an economic transformation has emerged, though just how much can be directly attributed to the local authority's role isn't an exact science. Six years ago offshore wind was in its absolute infancy, so the job creation, inward investment and confidence that now permeates towards existing small businesses was some way off the level we see today.

Certainly efforts from those on the council, and in the private sector partnership now under Cofely, have been lauded in business. RGF, while a Coalition Government tool, has been ran by NELC for the whole of the Humber, and Dong Energy's decision-making process was clearly aided by the ability to offer incentive and bring together key elements to make such an attractive proposition. There is no doubting that the Danish company is the big player in a sector that just keeps giving, as Monday's arrival of FTSE-250 listed James Fisher underlined. Estimates put eventual job creation at 300-direct, just for Dong, and many more in the supply chain, making the £1.1 million award business sense.

"We have gone wherever we have had to and done whatever we have needed to in order to benefit the rate-payers of North East Lincolnshire," said Mr Shaw.

Rob Walsh, chief executive, has just completed his first six months in the role. He sees the authority model gradually changing, becoming an enabler rather than controller of activity, with more reliance and responsibility – and with it opportunity – given to others.

He sees a confidence returning to an area he was worked in since joining one of NELC's predecessors, Cleethorpes Borough Council, as a trainee solicitor, nearly 24 years ago.

"We are getting better at raising the profile; getting out there and selling what great opportunities there are here, with the South Bank in particular," he said. "Business has been a big focus, but delivering on that agenda is not something the council can do alone. It is about having strong principles, good relationships and improving the region as a whole.

"It is about helping businesses coming in, growing and building, identifying appropriate skills, or skill gaps, and helping to access external funding. Because we have a reduced budget, it forced us to take a long hard look. We have become the strategic enabler for this place, and become more focused. A stronger economy brings a stronger community, so the focus has been new jobs, investment and skills.

"We have gone out hunting for businesses, sat down with them to understand what it is they need, and if possible, if we can, we have given it to them. We are not being maternalistic, we are not getting in the way. It is not unique to NELC, it is the new way in which we need to operate."

Offshore wind is the new industry, the high growth area, but food, chemicals, ports and logistics are as important as ever, as all recognise.

Even professional services are seeing the benefit, care and attention. The largest accountancy practice in the area, Forrester Boyd, has expanded its own footprint, while the leading law firm, Wilkin Chapman Grange, is to become a council tenant as Cartergate gets the regeneration that has been mooted since pre-recession days, with the firm having outgrown New Oxford House. Both are major employers in the town centre, where lunch-time trade is crucial, and they could be the lynch-pins of a long sought-after evening economy.

Mr Shaw said: "In the last 18 months we have seen more regeneration and development than in the last ten years. We have done such a lot of stuff in such a short time. We now have the Wilkin Chapman site at Cartergate coming forward. That's because they have confidence in what is happening in the town. They could have gone out to a bigger office on Europarc, moved out of town, and we would have lost the benefit that many people bring to the shops.

"Short-term pain has more than paid off in the past few months," he said, referring to the major works on the look of Grimsby town centre and Freeman Street, that has not been without controversy. "People have confidence to stay. You have to put up with a bit of disruption, but people have got to stop thinking short term and start thinking long term," he said.

There is an overwhelming desire to speak up the town and the borough. I sense we wouldn't dwell long on Channel Four's Skint or Hollywood's Grimsby.

"Deprivation is no badge of honour," said Mr Shaw. "I have heard people, councillors, flag it up, 'we have one of the worst wards in the country etc ...' I ask 'what have you done to improve it?'

"What we have got to do is work out how you break the cycle. Instead of benefits, get a wage packet. If you are in work, you live longer as your health is better, you have more disposable income ... it is a virtuous circle."

Mr Walsh added: "You don't attract people into the borough by focusing on what's not good about the place. We are not unique in having challenges."

So, three years on, is Mr Shaw happy with the micro-economy? "I think we are in the right position. We need to get to the stage where we have trained up local residents to take all these new jobs. We are still looking at that aspect. It is great bringing jobs in, and there will always be a need for specialists, but we need a long line of wind engineers to come from North East Lincolnshire, and to be trained in North East Lincolnshire.We want the kids today to think 'if we get the right grades we will get a job'."

The size of the local authority is changing dramatically. The payroll held at the Municipal Offices has dropped from 4,500 to 2,100 while Mr Shaw has been in office, and by 2016 the budget will be £115 million, compared to £169 million when Labour swept to power. For Mr Walsh, this makes business even more important.

"The future model of local government finance has an increasing predication on business rates, so it is absolutely right that business is front-of-mind because the primary source of funding is going to be business rates," he said.

Mr Shaw added: "I feel we are on the bottom few steps of a big flight of stairs. We are going the right way, we are getting the businesses to come here, now it is about ensuring we get these jobs for people living here. There is no point in getting all the jobs, then having to lobby Government to improve the motorway to get them all to work. The short term is all about people and education. We should be proud of our heritage, we now need to be optimistic, enthusiastic, and just as proud in our future."

MEDIUM #TrafficAlert A180 westbound btw Brocklesby Interchange / Barnetby Top broken down van half into lane one @HumberbeatRoads on scene

— Sgt 1393 James Main (@SgtJamesMain) July 23, 2014

BOSS Paul Hurst expected a thorough work-out against Doncaster Rovers – and that's exactly what Grimsby Town got last night.

While the new-look Mariners made a decent fist of it – particularly in the second half – their impressive League One visitors ran out comfortable 4-0 winners after Nathan Tyson had opened the scoring with only seconds gone.

Town's latest summer signing Nathan Arnold and trialist Jon-Paul Pittman both started alongside Craig Clay, as the young midfielder continues to try to earn himself a contract.

Back in front of their own crowd for the first time this pre-season, Hurst's side would have hoped to make a good early impression. But with less than 20 seconds on the clock – with some fans still taking their seats – they fell behind.

Straight from kick-off, after an exchange of one-touch passes in the middle of the park, a clever pass dissected Nsiala and Magnay, allowing Nathan Tyson to dink over the out-rushing McKeown.

A Town free-kick on 15 minutes briefly lifted the sparse home crowd, as Paddy McLaughlin curled a decent effort on target from 25 yards but, other than that, there was little for the home crowd to cheer as League One Rovers knocked the ball around with expected surety .

And less than five minutes later, the visitors from South Yorkshire doubled their advantage when Kyle Bennett coolly rounded McKeown and tapped home after being put through one-on-one.

Pittman showed a glimpse of what he could offer moments later when good hold-up play and vision saw him slide in Arnold as he burst through, but under the attentions of a defender, the forward's effort was deflected into the side-netting.

At the other end, Theo Robinson skewed a presentable opportunity badly wide, however, the Rovers frontman atoned for that miss on the turn of the half hour when he volleyed home the third after Bennett's fine pull-back from the right-hand side.

Less than a minute into the second half, Rovers went close to extending their advantage when Harry Forrester curled a sumptuous free-kick off the foot of McKeown's post, while at the other end, Shaun Pearson planted a header at Ben Williams from a corner.

Town made a clutch of changes on the hour mark, with Joe Ironside, Scott Brown, Scott Neilson and Ross Hannah all being introduced.

Rovers went close again shortly after as James Husbands carved a shot into McKeown's side-netting while, at the other end, Pearson couldn't make the most of Brown's superb cross from the left as he nodded a header over.

Arnold had a good chance to pull one back for Town when Liam Wakefield allowed a long diagonal ball to run into his path, but, one-on-one, Arnold could only lift over.

He followed that up seconds later with an altogether better effort that forced Williams into a sharp stop while, five minutes later, another fine chance perhaps fell to the wrong Town man when Aswad Thomas scooped over the bar from ten yards out.

Despite a much-improved second-half showing, Town conceded a fourth as the game entered the final ten minutes when an unmarked Alex Peterson volleyed home after some uncertain defending.

Town tried in vain to find a goal for their efforts as Neilson's cracker flew just wide of Williams' post before Ironside went even closer when his point-blank effort hit the Rovers stopper on the line.

Town: McKeown, Magnay (Bignot 67), Nsiala, Pearson, Thomas, Mackreth (Neilson 59), Clay, McLaughlin (Brown 59), Arnold, John-Lewis (Ironside 59), Pittman (Hannah 59).

Att: 1,168 (210 away)

RESIDENTS were full of positive energy as they looked over plans for a solar development on the former Macaulay Lane tip site.

A public consultation event was held at the Grimsby Auditorium on Tuesday to let residents have their say.

Representatives were also on hand to answer any questions from residents.

The owners of the former landfill site have plugged into the idea of making it a solar energy park with 20,000 solar panels and the power to supply nearly 1,500 homes a year.

The panels will be aligned on land which is currently having thousands of tonnes of soil laid on top to seal in the contaminants from the former tip.

Planning permission is already in place for 250 new homes on the western side of the site.

A large country park extending more than 17 acres is also earmarked for the former tip site.

Gary Brooks, a director at Millennium Park (Grimsby), was on hand to answer any queries.

Speaking to the Grimsby Telegraph, he said: "This is a good chance to welcome residents and all those who have come in so far have been very supportive of the plans.

"They recognise the good use this will be of the site.

"The planning application will definitely be made this year. It could be quite a quick process if there are no objections, but the council seems to be very supportive."

His fellow director Graham Corser added: "A good thing about the scheme is that it will be incredibly close to where the electricity will actually be used.

"It is a good use of the site but it is also very sustainable, which is key."

The remediation work to cap the tip with 300,000 tonnes of soil is due to be completed in October.

That is a year after the first of 30,000 lorry journeys rumbled through the West Marsh.

Now site owners Millennium Park (Grimsby), with support from property consultant Carter Jonas's energy and planning teams, hope to transform the site into a source of green energy.

Lister Street resident Roy Laughton was among those to look at the plans.

"I think the idea is brilliant", he said. "We come to support it whenever there are events like this put on.

"They're definitely doing the best thing for the area, and it's cost them a fortune!"

If planning consent is granted, the site has the potential to generate five megawatts of renewable energy a year – enough to power 1,426 homes.

A planning application for the solar farm is expected to be submitted later this summer, with a view to having the scheme developed and commissioned by spring next year.

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POLICE found cocaine with a possible street value of nearly £40,000 after stopping a drug courier's car on a motorway, a court heard.

Michael Lewis, 29, of Barton Lane, Barrow-upon-Humber, admitted possessing 249g of cocaine with intent to supply on June 6.

Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that police stopped a car being driven by Lewis on the eastbound M180 motorway.

They found a bag of cocaine with a purity of 79 per cent, compared with the usual street level of about 20 per cent. It would have made deals valued at £19,920.

If the cocaine had been mixed using other agents, it could have made a potential 900 street deals, worth about £39,840.

Lewis claimed he had been instructed to drive to Birmingham to pick up the haul and bring it to Grimsby.

Richard Lunn, mitigating, said Lewis had not named those higher up the chain because he claimed that, after a previous court appearance, there were people waiting outside the building to ensure he had "not been naming names".

Lewis had been naive and there was an element of his being exploited.

"He had very little knowledge of what was going to happen to the drug afterwards," claimed Mr Lunn.

Lewis was jailed for two years.

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A COMPANY which used to run the Smokers Arms pub in Grimsby has been made to pay £860 for not having a TV licence.

The Smokers Arms Ltd was fined £600 for the offence of using a TV without a licence on the business premises, and was also ordered to pay £200 costs and a £60 victims' surcharge.

The pub in Albion Street was visited by TV licensing officers in January and the case was heard at Grimsby Magistrates' Court this week.

The company, which no longer runs the pub, is registered to an address in Caspian Crescent, Scartho Top.

The Telegraph was unable to contact Smokers Arms Ltd for comment.

Current licensee Karen Drury, who took over on July 4, assured customers that the venue was now fully licensed to show television programmes.

Karen, who was previously licensee between September 2012 and July last year, added: "I used to pay for my licence every three months and I can assure my customers that we are fully licensed as we were previously."

Any business that shows television programmes as they're being shown on TV, whether for customers' use or in staff areas, must be covered by a valid TV Licence.

If there is living accommodation on the premises where a TV is also in use, this must be covered by a separate licence.

Those without a valid licence are breaking the law and run the risk of a court prosecution and fine of up to £1,000 per offence, plus costs. Businesses found guilty are also required to buy a TV Licence at £145.50, or they could face a potential second prosecution.

According to research, long-term business reputation is more important than any gains made by cutting corners, particularly when it comes to keeping on the right side of the law.

Matt Thompson, TV Licensing spokesperson for the North, said: "We appreciate these are tough times for businesses, but to be fair to the majority who do pay the licence fee, we have to take action against those who watch TV illegally.

"Those businesses who do try to get away with it might find the price of being caught to be higher than just a fine.

"We'd rather businesses think ahead and check if they need a licence than risk being prosecuted. A licence costs £145.50 and can be bought in minutes online at www.tvlicensing.co.uk/business"

TV Licensing is also reminding other businesses to make sure they are aware of their licensing requirements, to avoid the risk of prosecution and a large fine.

Last year, TV Licensing enquiry officers visited more than 33,000 businesses across the UK, ranging from takeaway restaurants and holiday parks to garages, hair salons and sports clubs, to confirm if they were correctly licensed.

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LOCALS and holidaymakers are being warned to stay away from jellyfish on Cleethorpes beach.

It comes after several reports of them on the beach at the weekend, and coincides with the release of a survey by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) which shows that 2013 proved to be a record year for jellyfish sightings.

And according to the report, a large number of sightings have already been reported this year as the temperatures continue to soar.

It might be a well-known fact among wildlife experts, but for innocent locals and holidaymakers, bumping into one of these stinging species on one of their many visits to Cleethorpes beach could prove quite a shock.

Rachel Shaw, spokeswoman for the Wildlife Trust, said: "Because the tentacles of jellyfish have stings, which they use to catch their prey, it is important not to touch them. In the case of a severe sting, medical attention should be sought.

"Their sting can vary depending on the species, but children, especially small ones, are going to be hurt if they get stung.

"We'd advise them to leave the jellyfish alone but there is a possibility that if they are washed up they could already be dead.

"We are aware of the survey and we would advise as many people as possible to take part in it."

Relatively little is known about jellyfish in UK waters, but a number of different species are found in the North Sea off the Lincolnshire coast, including moon, compass, blue and lion's mane jellyfish.

The most commonly encountered is the moon jellyfish, which is translucent with four horseshoe-shaped masses – also known as gonads – which are visible near the centre of the body, called the bell.

What part of the coast they come to changes seasonally with changing environmental factors, such as the temperature and levels of sunlight and the amount of food available.

In the spring and summer, food supply increases, as does the number of jellyfish, while in the winter there is less food available in coastal waters so jellyfish move out to deeper water or to the southern, warmer waters.

Depending on the species, stings from jellyfish in UK waters can vary from the severity of a nettle sting to a bee sting – but all have the potential to cause a severe reaction in some people.

When there are jellyfish in the water, North East Lincolnshire Council will put up posters warning visitors of their presence, but it still comes as a shock to visitors who spot them.

Council ecology officer Mike Sleight said there was nothing unusual about the numbers of jellyfish seen along the borough's coast at the weekend.

He added: "We've had a couple of reports of jellyfish sightings but nothing out of the ordinary.

"Where possible we record the numbers and different species spotted and supply information to the Marine Conservation Society and the Natural History Museum to assist with their research."

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PAUL Hurst will only pick players for Grimsby Town's curtain-raiser who are completely "up to speed" – including skipper Craig Disley.

The Mariners begin their Conference Premier campaign at Bristol Rovers on Saturday, August 9.

And the boss is desperate to have his captain back from a knee injury soon, to ensure he is firing on all cylinders for the opener.

He said: "Fingers-crossed, I'd like to have Craig back tomorrow against Mansfield because, after that, we're down to two games before the season starts – although there is a game at Brigg I could involve him in if I feel it's necessary.

"He's obviously done very well for the past seasons, but that said there's no guarantees with him.

"He is still my captain and the goals he got were crucial to us last season but I'll pick the team that I think is ready.

"Maybe last season there were a few going into the first game who didn't feel up to speed, but I felt I had to play them at that time.

"I'm not sure that will be the case this time around – albeit we've got a few out suspended for the early games.

"I'll be picking a team that's right for that first game which not be the team further down the line."

He added: "It is a squad game but this is about getting a team for the first game, which will be the first opportunity for people.

"Looking at the opposition and a game away from home, it might be a team picked for that – we'll see."