Modestly, Peterborough doesn't shout about many of its best features.

Unlike some superficially sophisticated cities which ram their gems down your throat (have a punt at one of the places I'm talking about).

Peterborough, with the exception of its cathedral, does not possess awe-inspiring tourist attractions or host world-renowned events

But it's low-key pleasures are all the more enjoyable as invariably you discover them yourself.

This year, after more than a decade living here, I've discovered the rowing lake – I knew it was there, of course, it's just I'd never been.

More specifically I've been entranced by a couple of the regattas I've witnessed there.

It's a fantastic sight watching the boats hurtle along the glistening water. A serious sporting event in a wonderful setting with an enthusiastic and well-behaved crowd, it is a credit to the city.

I popped down to the lake last weekend to spend a pleasant hour or so taking in some of the races.

My route took me on a footpath which runs parallel to Longthorpe Parkway and past a spot where some of the competitors and their followers had set up camp.

Some were packing up to leave.

Not surprisingly there was a lot of litter about, but I expected them to pack it into their cars and dispose of it themselves.

A couple of hours later, I was making my return journey. The campers had long gone. Their rubbish had not.

I'm surprised a bit of littering and anti-social behaviour still has the power to shock me, but it does. It was still strewn over the site on Monday morning but had been cleared by the evening.

The culprits were almost certainly visitors to our city and, although this is a generalisation, probably well educated and middle class given the nature of the sport.

People quite rightly are out- raged when travellers leave a mess behind them, and this behaviour is no different.

The regatta organisers should write to all the competitors and remind them of their responsibilities to their hosts.

And maybe they should direct them to land owner Nene Park Trust's website which states its aim is "to provide for the public benefit a park and recreation ground for the inhabitants of Peterborough and visitors with the object of improving the conditions of life for such persons."

Olympics: Tom's pal should know you have to pool together

ONE of the best things about the Olympics is that it gets you involved in sports you wouldn't otherwise give a second thought to.

Synchronised diving is a case in point but, thanks to the inclusion in Team GB of boy wonder 14-year-old Tom Daley, it's a gripped the nation for a few hours.

Sadly, Tom and his partner 26-year-old Blake Aldridge (belly) flopped and came last. Later it emerged the pair had a huge bust-up during the event.

I was only half-listening when it was reported on the BBC but I heard it all kicked off after a phone call was made to mum during the event.

"Poor little Tom'', I thought, "needed a bit of TLC from his mum when the going got tough. Still he is only 14."

But later I found out that, amazingly, it was 26-year-old Blake who had felt the need for a chat with his mum.

Later, he had the brass neck to blame Tom saying: "Tom said 'Why are you on the phone? We're in a competition. That is how over-nervous Tom was '."

It's a good job I wasn't Blake's team-mate or else he'd have been doing another dive... to retrieve his mobile from the bottom of the pool.

Pictured: THOSE clever marketing people at Wonderbra have come up with a new campaign featuring hundreds of "real women" to promote their excellent products.

It must have been a tough job searching out 1,000 non-fake women, but, hey, someone's got to do it.

I just wish my careers advisor at school had suggested to me.

You all love Leeds and Leeds and Leeds

YOU'VE got to hand it to Leeds United – we are the only team that has proved capable of stopping Man U from winning everything this year.

We might, as lazy sports journalists never tire of telling us, be fallen giants, but at least we've come top of one league.

We have pipped our pals from across the Pennines to the coveted title of the most hated club in England.

A survey revealed Leeds are the most hated team in the land leaving even the Mancs and Chelski trailing in our wake.

I'm absolutely baffled. How could you hate us? Norman Hunter, Billy Bremner, Don Revie, David Batty, Vinnie Jones, Alan Smith, David O'Leary, Lee Bowyer, Danny Mills, Ken Bates, Dennis Wise? What's not to love?

And our fans wherever they go are always ready for a spot of good-natured rioting and destruction. Police forces up and down the land are so fond of the white army they force clubs, including Posh, to bring forward the kick off time when Leeds are in town – presumably because they're so eager to renew our acquaintance.

I'm sure when Leeds rock up to London Road on October 4, Posh fans – and Cambridgeshire Constabulary – will shower us with love.

I CAN'T believe Big Brother 9 stars Bex and Luke didn't pop in to see me when they visited Peterborough last week. The pair were in town to get a passport before being whisked away to Las Vegas for a fake wedding stunted up and paid for by a national newspaper.

I was the only one at Telegraph Towers who'd even heard of the pair – my col- leagues, no doubt, being too busy watching Panorama or otherwise behaving in a manner befitting of a grown- up.

Mum and daughter Deborah Brown and Hayley Carson from Ravensthorpe were lucky enough to meet the pair. Or at least they claim they did. I cast doubt because of Hayley's description of Bex as "nice but not very talkative". For anyone who has watched Big Brother, there must be serious doubt that this was the same Bex we saw on our screens.

UNTIL I picked up Friday's ET I had no idea I was a hypermiler. For those who missed it, a hypermiler is a motorist who tries to get the most out of their tank of fuel.

Karl Dyson, from Stamford, is so obsessive about saving cash he has even set up a website with handy tips for the hypermiler. But I'm not motivated by money. My car has a handy gadget on it which tells me my mpg consumption so now every journey has become a sporting event as I try to better my personal best.