THE former colonel of a North Yorkshire regiment has a new role.

Lt Gen Sir Richard Dannatt has been appointed Commander-in-Chief land command from next March and is to be promoted to the rank of General.

The former Colonel of the Green Howards will succeed Gen Sir Timothy Granville-Chapman.

Gen Sir Richard, who was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath in the Queen's birthday honours list in June, is currently serving in Germany as commander of the allied rapid reaction corps. He was colonel of the Green Howards from 1994 to 2003.

Richard Dannatt was commissioned into the regiment from 1971. He served with the regiment's 1st battalion in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Germany and was the battalion's CO from 1989 to 1991.

He has also served as a company instructor at Sandhurst and as chief of staff of the former staff college at Camberley.

From 1994 to 1996 he commanded 4th Armoured Brigade, serving in Bosnia and in 1999 he took command of 3rd (UK) division, commanding British forces in Kosovo and in 2000 became deputy commander of the stabilisation force in Bosnia.

Insect horror on the 14.21

A SWARM of crickets forced a train to stop at Derby en route from Newcastle to Cardiff.

The crickets, used as exotic pet food, caused chaos as passengers screamed and staff tried to recapture the insects after they escaped from a carrier bag between Darlington and Newcastle.

It is thought a passenger on last Friday's 14.21 service accidentally left them behind and later the insects escaped.

The crew eventually gave up trying to recapture them and the service stopped at Derby so the train could be fumigated.

New flights

A BUDGET airline has plans to turn Leeds-Bradford Airport into a base and introduce seven new services. Flybe currently operates flights to Belfast and will next year also offer services to Exeter and Southampton. In 2006 it also plans to fly to Jersey, north-east Scotland and to Bordeaux, Bergerac and Brittany.