THIS is a story of the good, the bad and the ugly in the district known as Redcar and Cleveland.

During its relatively brief existence, O'Mara's bistro was always one of Spectator's favourite stopping places when he felt in need of a coffee and a toasted teacake, or even a Sunday lunch, on a visit to Saltburn.

One of its more endearing traits used to be its habit of serving half a Yorkshire pudding. Spectator could never work that one out, the best information he could elicit being that the perfectly formed shape had been cut from a bigger portion. He concluded that a thesis on the mathematics and geometry of Yorkshire pudding engineering could be constructed on that subject.

Shaun O'Mara, sporting a splendid Eastenders accent despite his name, seemed to know every customer, and in turn every customer seemed to know every other customer. Christmas cards would be exchanged and Spectator is sad that, whatever the rights and wrongs of the issue, this incomparably friendly place has closed in an unseemly row over rates.

For some reason which he cannot now recall, Spectator once left a tie there and an enquiry on a return visit some weeks later revealed that it had been safely stored in the drawer of a dresser awaiting its recovery. Spectator cannot help but feel that, given the clientele, if he had left his mobile phone behind it would still have been safe in the same drawer.

It was a different story at a noisy amusement arcade in neighbouring Redcar a year ago. Spectator had his mobile nicked within minutes of his carelessly leaving it on top of a machine - "Oh, so close!", it yelled as it greedily consumed 10p pieces - to buy a coffee at the snack bar.

It was switched off at the time, but insult was added to injury when Spectator eventually dialled his own number from a payphone in a vague attempt to obtain redress. He found that his mobile had been turned back on and it was obvious that he was talking to the thief, a brazen dimwit who said he lived in Middlesbrough and claimed never to have been in Redcar. All attempts to recover the mobile, including a bargaining ploy, failed and Spectator had the instrument immediately disabled by his supplier.

By chance last Sunday, deprived of O'Mara's hospitality, Spectator kept better care of his mobile and decided to try a neighbouring Redcar arcade where they serve a lovely plate of crisp, dry chips.

He found another mystery. On one wall in a public place was a notice declaring that trespassers would be prosecuted. Spectator still cannot work that one out, either. Unless it refers to people who steal mobile phones or try to smash open the greedy gaming machines for 10p pieces. It's a funny place, Redcar and Cleveland.

BEDALE Town Council agreed in May to introduce for an experimental six months a system of committees in an attempt, it was said at the time, to reduce the length of normal council meetings as well as their frequency.

There may still be teething problems in the early days but a perusal of the minutes of the July council meeting, which took place after the first two such committees had met, revealed that it was almost as inordinately long as some of its notorious predecessors.

On Monday councillors will be asked to consider the length of council meetings. It is classed as a minor item, meriting only 17th position on a 19-item agenda. Spectator, who has to do this in the line of duty, is again preparing to take a mattress and a sleeping bag.

Unless discussion is drastically curtailed for a good reason - i.e. needless repetition - any other interested spectator would be well advised to do the same. The only difference is that he or she can go home when they have had enough.