One quarter of the 185,000 population is from an ethnic minority and there are more than 100 languages spoken in Luton."I am biased as I have had so many formative experiences in Luton But a good budding author will find inspiration there. It is all in the looking and I have found it conducive to contemplation," he said.The town's university offers a popular degree course in creative writing and last year it relaunched the Hat Factory, an arts and multi-media centre.But Sam Jordison, who co-edited Crap Towns II, was not quite as confident about the town's bid to rebrand itself. "I visited Luton this week and attended a debate in the town library about whether it's crap or not. To an extent, I have revised my opinion but I still stand by what the book said. Luton is hideously ugly and taken over by the chain shops like many towns are, but I hope that in the future, it might be an inspiring place to live," he said.Ironically, he felt that the "terrible feeling of despondency" in the town might actually serve a literary purpose "Particularly miserable places can be inspiring," he said "It's to do with a fascination with an abomination. It's definitely inspiring to regard the ugliness and wonder whether it's really worth dwelling in.

He wants to head off Tory attacks on the Government's record on crime by seeing measures such as a national identity cards scheme pushed through before the election.He was persuaded to make a U-turn over whether to hold a referendum on the EU constitution by a cabinet campaign led by Mr Straw, who is more sceptical on Europe than Mr Blair.The row has revived the tensions at the top of the Government over the referendum. He also wants the Government to give a firm commitment to hold a referendum in the spring of 2006.But Mr Blair is reluctant to give the European Communities Bill top priority because it would leave little Parliamentary time to get other legislation on to the statute book before the election. A Cabinet battle has broken out over Europe, with Tony Blair and Jack Straw at odds over whether to rush through the legislation implementing the proposed European Union constitution. Caledonian MacBrayne, the ferry company which links the mainland of Scotland with 22 islands off the west coast, has been accused of name-dropping in its brochure after it used a number of celebrity pictures and quotes promoting the attractions of its destinations. Tony Edwards, of Luton First, said the initiative would offer a rare opportunity for writers struggling to get their work published.

The catch? They have to mention the town in a positive light.Mr Edwards said: "We will allow total freedom of style, topic, characterisation and plot, with the one proviso that stories should touch on a key aspect of the town in a positive way, with particular reference to Luton as a great place to live, work, learn and have fun."Though the town may not be the most obvious crucible for literary talent, it has produced a string of successful writers, including the screenwriter David Renwick, who wrote One Foot in the Grave, and the poet John Hegley, who last month wrote a poem about the town which cited it as a place of literary inspiration. The accident happened sometime after midnight in Eastleigh, Hampshire, as the train, made up of 15 wagons and carrying aggregate, was being shunted, said an EWS spokesman.. As a cradle of artistic inspiration, Luton has - so far - failed to make a huge impression on the world's creative stage. Wordsworth may be inextricably linked with the Lake District, but Luton finds itself forever twinned in the public's imagination with its budget holiday airport, and a three-decade-old advertisement for Campari, starring Lorraine Chase and the catchphrase: "Nice, 'ere, innit?" As a cradle of artistic inspiration, Luton has - so far - failed to make a huge impression on the world's creative stage. (This is the point of departure from the M1 for the Bedfordshire town.)Last month, Luton suffered the indignity of being voted top of the 50 most awful places in the country. The results were revealed in a book called Crap Towns II, and ever since, the town has been attempting to claw back some credibility.