Despite the police's guarantee that Hertfordshire would be becoming tough on crime, there were two brutal attacks, one resulting in a death, the second may be the same.

Last week a man was found dead, the back of his head almost totally destroyed. There has been no information released as to who the man was, but neighbours say that they heard screaming at the time.

And then, late last night a group of friends were returning home after spending an evening out in Welwyn Garden City, when they were the subject of an horrific attack. According to witnesses, they were approached by what they at first thought was an old man,

but as they passed him by he leapt into the light and brutally attacked one of the them. One witness described the attacker, "Whatever it was, it wasn't human. It had long black claws, a mouth full of terrible fangs and terrible contorted features." It savaged one of them before fleeing the scene. The victim was rushed to hospital but no details on their condition have yet been released. We rang Baron Von Wampktcher to ask his opinion. He said, "Ach, once again that dreaded fiend the Vampire has struck! People would do well to protect themselves. The only protections are a crucifix, garlic and holy water. Also, no vampire may cross running water or enter a place unless they are invited. Let no one into your homes and perhaps you will survive!"

We will print more details on both cases as we get them.

We must apologise an article in last week's newspaper. While we were able to praise Saido for her recent performance, her partner, Bethan, was not really spoken to. Luckily, we were able to catch up with her, and were able to ask her a few questions. Bethan also seems inspired by the same female singers that Saido likes, however, she is not just a singer. Bethan also enjoys fine art as well as music and has created a number of pieces. With so much talent, and looks to die for, it seems we have another rising star in Hatfield.

Last week we also reported on the fact that Mr Richard Stromer was injured at the concert, his arm being broken. We were also able to meet with Mr Frank Wilkes, a lawyer and senior partner in the

security firm that was protecting Saido and Bethan. He claims that Mr Stromer was overzealous and "broke his own arm." We asked Mr Stromer about Frank Wilkes' statement and he told us this: "It's ridiculous, I just wanted an autograph but you couldn't even see the two of them, let alone get close. I mean, who do they think they are, Whitney Houston and Britney Spears? It's not like they're that big and if they keep treating their fans like this, they won't get any bigger!" But what about Mr Wilkes claim that Mr Stromer brought on the injury himself? "That's rubbish. This guy pulled my arm around behind my back and when I tried to get loose my arm broke!

Will Mr Stromer be seeing compensation from Mr Frank Wilkes? You bet!

It certainly seems that way according to plans leaked from Welwyn Hatfield Council. There is very little information at this stage, but it seems a proposal is being put together by the council and a private consortium. The proposed site was not disclosed but it would be on Green Belt land, which has caused outrage with environmentalists. Also such a

development would be sure to meet with mixed reaction from local residents.

Another outcry has been raised by environmentalists as Walmart attempt to renew their bid for purchasing land near Hatfield House in order to build the first Walmart shopping area in England.

NEW DRUG ALERT

Police have issued an alert about the dangers of the new drug called 'Pepper' that has started to appear in the area. So far very little is known about the drug and its effects and the police have urged people to avoid it. The only information that they have been able to give is that it seems to be some kind of cocaine derivative.

ANCIENT GREECE COMES TO HATFIELD

To mark the start of the new Millenium the British Museum is staging an exhibition of Ancient Greek artifacts at Hatfield House. The exhibition, planned for the start of next year, is the first of a series of events planned for the coming year to celebrate man's achievements over the course of history.

The whole country is going to experience some of the worst weather since records began, and according to experts, Hatfield is going to be one of the places worst hit! You may think, what with the wind and the rain, that winter has well and truly arrived, but the weather is only going to get worse. In fact, the Met Office are predicting heavy wind and rain for the next few weeks. "The whole country will be in trouble, "says Carol Kattie, a meteorologist, "but Hatfield is no doubt going to see the worst of it." How bad can we expect it to be? "Pretty bad. Some areas might lose power and

I'm sure a lot of phone lines will go down. Now is the time to double check for loose tiles and stock up on candles."

Should people be stocking up on other essential items? "It's not as if we're in the middle of the country side, I think that ration packs and water purifying tablets are going a bit too far, but some people might not want to have to traipse all the way down to the supermarket in the kind of weather we're going to have and it is always possible that the power at your local shopping market might be cut so it is always worth getting in a few things.

YOUTH DIES IN ANIMAL ATTACK

The body of Dominic Allerton, aged 18, was discovered last night in a field just past the University of Hertfordshire's Wall Hall campus. After a pair of hikers raised the alarm at 8.00 in the morning, it was established that he had been dead for approximately five hours. Hertfordshire police are still trying to identify the cause of death, as while the body looks very much as though it has been badly savaged by some kind of wild animal, there were no prints other than that of the deceased in the soft mud of the field. "He was a true friend," said his sister Annabelle (22), of Hatfield, "He will be sorely missed". Enquiries are continuing.

HATFIELD LASS TAKES ON MAJOR COMPANY AND WINS!

Sula GmbH & Co., the German sweet company who produce Sula sugar free sweets have been successfully sued by Kelly Green, a young 'A' level student from Hatfield who, due to a scientific experiment, discovered that the artificial sweetner used by the company was actually harmful. Boxes are being withdrawn from shop shelves and Sula have made a foral apology. They say that they intend to rerelease their product but it seems that, while they were making some headway in the notoriously tough British market, faith in their product has been shattered. Their shares have fallen steeply and it is now doubtful that they will be able to recover from this blow.