It's brilliant

It's brilliant."The fossil is from an extinct species called homo heidelbergensis - the first humans to colonise Europe. Using a trowel, she was sifting dirt when she found the tooth "Everything you dig up you wonder is it human," she said. It was found at Britain's most important Stone Age archaeological site, Boxgrove near Chichester in West Sussex and will shed light on how Britain's first inhabitants lived. Dr Geoffrey Wainwright, English Heritage chief archaeologist, said yesterday: "The importance of these finds to the evolution of our species and understanding of human condition cannot be overestimated."The tooth was found by Laura Basell, as 19-year-old student of archaeology at Bristol University. Dating from half a million years ago, it belonged to a long extinct species of human - an ancestor of Neanderthal Man. Mr Brown said sorry to customers who had faced "difficulty" as the company went through a "massive change" Full report, page 2. DAVID KEYS An archaeology student has unearthed the oldest human fossil found in Britain - a tooth. British Gas chief executive Cedric Brown today apologised as figures showed customer complaints had soared to record levels and profits were falling.

"Separate regulation of each industry has failed to keep pace with the changing market," he said.City sceptical on bid, page 18Comment, page 19. But Ofgas, the gas industry regulator, would almost certainly oppose British Gas buying another utility because of the concentration of market power.Unions warned that a merger between North West Water and Norweb would result in heavy job losses in industries which have already seen workforces "cut to the bone" since they were privatised.Jack Cunningham, shadow trade and industry secretary, said any merger plan should be rigorously examined."The consumer interest, effective regulation, and the consequences of monopoly private control of two essential utilities all need to be investigated in the public interest," he said.Philip Cullum, policy manager at the Consumers' Association, called for an urgent revamp of the utility watchdog system in the light of the proposed merger. Smoking is banned from the Briggs' shops - though there is a smoking area at Carlisle - and the bonus is withdrawn even from staff who only smoke socially.Staff know they are unlikely to get away with it for long. "Everybody knows everybody's business in Kendal," said Miss Murdoch. Her basic pay is pounds 6,305 a year but would be pounds 268 more if she kicked the habit. Added to that is the pounds 2.71 she spends a day on a packet of 20 cigarettes - pounds 986 in a year or a grand smoking total of pounds 1,254.Employees who say they are going to give up are asked to sign a pledge and three months later if they are not smoking the 15p bonus takes effect.

"I have never been off sick with smoking or anything."Miss Murdoch gets pounds 3.53 an hour as a sales assistant. Aged 18, she joined the firm three years ago, already a smoker and knowing the penalty."I don't think it's very fair because you do the same job as everybody else," she said. Passive smoking was annoying him and after finding absenteeism to be higher among smokers, he decided to pay an incentive to those who did not smoke at all.Fifteen years after the initiative was launched, only four out of 60 employees smoke and the firm says absenteeism has been substantially reduced.Sharon Murdoch is one of the smokers and does not intend to give up for 15p an hour. But after a bout of pneumonia brought him close to death, he kicked the habit and upon returning to work began analysing the sickness records and casual absences due to coughs, bad chests and other smoking related complaints.At the time, 80 per cent of the 20 staff smoked. The firm's pay policy came to light after a local radio station broadcast a job vacancy at its Carlisle branch pointing out the pay was better for non-smokers.Tom Powney, general manager of the Kendal-based chain, realised to his surprise that the differential was probably unique and was taken aback when accused of "Gestapo tactics" in enforcing the rule that has cost at least two employees their bonus after being seen smoking socially in the evening.Eighteen years ago, Ian Powney, Tom's father who is managing director of the family firm, smoked 60 cigarettes a day.