Darlington'S bid to get people to park their unwanted chewing gum on large boards around the town centre (as seen on the BBC's Songs of Praise) was a short-lived experiment. The pavements have now returned to their customary decor of black blobs of redundant chewy.

Maybe if Darlington had followed Bournemouth Council's idea, the boards would have caught on rather better.

Down on the south coast, those parking their gum can choose a hate figure and press it on to his - or her - face. Spectator understands that Jeffrey Archer is "on the board", as is Jeremy Beadle.

Of course, as fans of skiffle king Lonnie Donegan, who died last week, will know, the only credible place to stow your gum is on the bedpost overnight.

Up in smoke

Talking of hate figures, Revolt - the campaign group opposed to the new line of pylons in North Yorkshire - has contacted Spectator with the results of its Bonfire Night e-mail poll to find the most despised figure in the pylons saga.

Lord Wakeham, the energy minister who gave consent for Enron's Teesside power station which started the saga off back in 1989"won" closely followed by David Jeffries, the chairman of National Grid in the Nineties who poushed the project through so zealously. Margaret Beckett (who gave the final and crucial consent for the line in 1998) made a late challenge to be joint third with Spectator's favourite, her energy minister John Battle (who gave pre-election pledges of support but then later shamelessly dodged giving a talk in Thirsk citing police warnings, warnings which the police said they never issued). Michael Heseltine (who gave a provisional consent for the line) and James Ross and Roger Irwin (more recent National Grid executives) trailed the field.

Effigies of the lot were burned with due ceremony at the group's bonfire party held near Easingwold to hearty cheers and boos.

Despite the terrible rain which turned the field into quagmire, a good time was had by all and about £100 was raised for the town's St Nicholas Hospital