Sleepy Catfield was thrust into the national media glare when publican Freddie Packham banned the entire parish council from the sole village pub. Londonder Freddie took the drastic action after a bust-up over a bus stop outside the Crown Public House. Three weeks later he announced he was selling up, claiming a "vile" hate campaign was driving him out.

Worried parents in Great Yarmouth drew up a 300-stong petition to oust a convicted child abuser who moved into their street. The action came just days after two other convicted child abusers were moved from their homes in Cobholm after parents petitioned police.

Page three girl Melinda Messenger arrived in Yarmouth to set her male fans' pulses racing. The resort was one of 10 chosen for her Big Bus Tour around the country.

A yarmouth pub cleared its shelves of alcopops in support of a growing campaign to ban the controversial drinks. The Troll Cart, part of the JD Weatherspoon chain, has banned the sale of alcoholic soft drinks like Hooper's Hooch and Two Dogs. But other pubs in the town vowed to continue selling the sweet-tasting drinks with a kick.

An ancient maritime tradition ended with the passing of the Great Yarmouth to Gorleston ferry. The Lower Yare Ferry had carried passengers the 100-yards across the river for more than 800 years. But the council subsidy which kept it afloat was withdrawn and the ferry was forced to drop anchor for the last time.

A shocked grandmother demanded immediate action to ban street drinkers in Yarmouth after a women urinated in front of her two-year-old grandson. The incident happened in St George's Park and Maureen Robinson, 59, vowed not to set foot there again. "It's very frightening for children. I won't take Robin to the park anymore, we just don't feel safe," she said.

More than a century of tradition came to a moving end at Yarmouth's historic Hippodrome Circus. A full house marker the end of an era with a rousing rendition of Auld Lang Syne on an emotional night for Peter Jay. He tossed a single white carnation into the unique water finale to mark the last full circus show at the Hippodrome before work begins to turn it into an all-year-round family circus theme bar, cafe, training school and musuem.

Belton youngster Adrian Coote helped Norwich City break he Maine Road jinx when he knocked in the winner as the Canaries beat Manchester City 2-1. It was the first time Norwich had won in the heart of Moss Side since 1964 and was the perfect time for 19-year-old Coote to score his first goal for City.