| In search of the Lancashire U-boat commander The bizarre surfacing of a German U-boat on the Leeds and Liverpool canal is the talk of the towpath. Helen Carter goes in search of its elusive ownerShe sits moored on the Leeds and Liverpool canal and is clearly different from other boats; she is battleship grey for one thing, and has a turret but no windows. Horses and cows grazing in a nearby field seem oblivious to the replica German U-boat in their midst, but shoppers leaving Botany Bay (a converted mill open 364 days a year) all slow their cars to point, gasp and admire her distinctive hull.The dog-walkers, too, universally approve of this extraordinary, windowless creation. Minutes after I walk up the tow path, a well-built man with white hair and a neatly trimmed beard approaches me – and the mystery deepens.Newspaper reports claim that one "Admiral" Cyril Howarth, a 78-year-old from Thornton Cleveleys, has spent a cool £50,000 on the canal boat's refit. But sources at the Lancashire Telegraph say the owner is actually a mysterious chap called Steve, who seems to have fitted out the boat for his 50th birthday.Whatever, the man in front of me, wearing a long overcoat and distinctive white trainers, seems to know an awful lot about the U-boat. It has airlock doors, a periscope that goes up and down, but isn't quite finished yet, and 360-degree video monitors that enable it to be steered from inside. It has sonar and radar systems, infra-red lighting and storage for dummy torpedoes in the sleeping quarters. Its registration number, painted in white on the turret, is U-8047 – chosen for its resemblance to U-BOAT."You seem very knowledgeable about the boat," I suggest. "Are you the owner?""No, no," the man blusters, lighting a cigarette. "No. Er, my name's . . . Richard.""Are you sure you're not Steve?" He refuses to say, instead explaining that he has "been down here a couple of times watching the work that's been done over the last few weeks. It is a brand new shell, and not as long as they have said in the papers. It was craned in further up the canal a few weeks ago."The man says the real owner of the boat "lives in Canada", adding that, "I don't think he wants identifying." No kidding. Then he disappears in an L-registration grey Astra and is not seen again for some time.The owner, whoever he is, had been more forthcoming in an interview with the local press, explaining that he spent about £50,000 converting the boat, that some of the panels had been used on episodes of Torchwood, and that he hopes to take it to maritime festivals and the Henley regatta.Later I bump into retired lorry driver Brian Gaskell, walking past with his boxer dog, Eric. "I noticed it about three weeks ago," he says. "At first I thought it was being built for a film, but since then I've been talking to the owner."Gaskell says he has taken a peek inside and seen the periscope and steering wheel – "but I've never actually been on board. I just looked through the porthole. It must have cost a fair whack. The owner didn't look 78 to me, he was a lot younger." I describe "Richard" and he nods. "That sounds like the same bloke."Ambulance driver Ken Higham and his colleague Gillian Connolly pause to admire the U-boat. "There are no windows in it, are there?" Higham says. "I can't see why there would be any objections to it from war veterans."British Waterways says it doesn't have any contact details for the boat, as it is not yet registered with it – which means, technically, it should not be moored here. But the organisation has no objection to the aesthetics of the U-boat.Dog walker Paul Drakefield, meanwhile, thinks it is brilliant. "When I first saw it, I couldn't believe my eyes," he says. "I thought, 'No, it can't be a U-boat.' But then I walked past and the doors were open, and I could see the panels and buttons inside with flashing lights. It's as good as the real thing."TransportSecond world warHelen Carterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Norgrove inquiry 'is a priority' US Gen David Petraeus says discovering how UK aid worker Linda Norgrove died is his "personal priority", according to Downing Street. bbc.co.uk |
Child benefit changes to hit additional 300,000 families Treasury admits to miscalculation as spending review sees 1.5 million families affected by cuts not 1.2 million first forecastCuts to child benefit will be more savage than earlier government estimates, it was revealed today, with 300,000 additional families caught by scrapping of payments to higher rate taxpayers.Treasury officials conceded ministers had miscalculated how much would be raised by slashing child benefit and that 1.5 million families would be affected, not the 1.2 million suggested by David Cameron and George Osborne at the Tory party conference.The amount saved by the changes – to come into effect in January 2013 – has been revised upwards from £1bn to £2.5bn.Osborne's disclosure was met with a barrage of criticism from Labour, as shadow chancellor Alan Johnson denounced the move as "cynical" and "playing loose with the truth".In his response to Osborne's speech, Johnson said: "The discrepancy between previous projections and what the chancellor announced today beggars belief."Officials said the lower figure had been a "cautious" initial estimate and had not been vetted by the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR).The changes mean families where one parent is a higher rate taxpayer will no longer qualify for child benefit, regardless of the household's overall income.As a result, a single parent earning more than £44,000 a year will be up to £1,750 a year worse off, according to chartered accountants Blick Rothenberg. If two parents individually earn £43,000, contributing family income of £86,000, the family will continue to receive child benefit. The reforms have been described as "ludicrous" by campaigners.The OBR warned that the benefit change could act as an incentive to some parents with incomes running just above the higher-rate threshold to reduce their taxable pay.It told the Treasury that the £2.5bn saving from the cut was of "particular uncertainty" given the potential impact it would have on people's behaviour.The OBR's note of caution was set out in its "certification" of the Treasury's spending review costings document.Critics say people who receive a small pay rise, taking them into higher rate tax, could be worse off because they lose more in child benefit as a result."Taxpayers with children and incomes just above the higher-rate threshold have an incentive to reduce their hours or find other ways of reducing their taxable income, such as increasing pension contributions, taking part in salary sacrifice schemes, or making donations subject to Gift Aid," the OBR said.Families received further bad news today when the chancellor announced a reduction in the percentage of childcare costs that people could recover through the working tax credit from 80% to 70%, meaning couples who qualify for the benefit will effectively have to pay 10% more for their childcare.Couples with children will also have to work for at least 24 hours a week between them in order to be eligible for the working tax credit.The National Day Nurseries Association said the reduction in the percentage of costs working parents can claim back for childcare will hit the poorest hardest.But the 15-hour free entitlement for all three and four year olds will continue.Child benefitSpending review 2010State benefitsChildrenRichard Wachmanguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Stiles' 1966 medal sells for £160,000 The 1966 World Cup winners medal, belonging to England midfielder Nobby Stiles, has sold at auction in Edinburgh for £160,000. bbc.co.uk |
Germany donates historic tree to Bomber Command Memorial Germany has signalled its support for the proposed Bomber Command Memorial by donating a £25,000 yew tree to be planted at the site in central London. telegraph.co.uk |