HERE'S a sign of the times for York. This painted missive was seen floating in the water, three feet from the bank of the River Ouse near Shipton-by-Beningbrough.

'PARKING IN THIS AREA IS RESTRICTED' The Diary knows that City of York Council is no stranger to controversy over its policy on parking, but this is surely one clampdown too far. Whatever next? Double yellow buoys? Water wardens?

IT may have some residents in uproar, but an untapped market seems to be lapping up York's new ftr vehicle - tourists.

City of York Council housing supremo, Coun Sue Sunderland, told a rapt executive meeting how she had seen two visitors from Ireland wowed by the £300,000 "superbus".

Coun Sunderland revealed that the pair, from Dublin, had travelled on the bus and took a series of photographs as it wound along its University to Acomb route.

"They just wanted to ride the route," Coun Sunderland said.

But council leader Steve Galloway quipped: "We will be opening our first tourist information centre in Chapelfields shortly."

JUST when we thought things had gone deathly quiet on the Eddie Vee front, he pops up again.

York's perpetual Elvis impersonator contacted the Diary to inform the world he was on TV last night, in Channel 5's new movie review show Movie Lounge.

"It's a bit more upmarket than some of the daytime TV I have appeared on. I am part of a focus group reviewing the new documentary about Wal-Mart (the low-price American retail giant) and its effect on towns in the USA. The fun part is that the focus group is made up of Elvis tribute acts!" he said.

Eddie also enclosed this picture, below, from a recent celebrity charity event featuring him, Ray Aron King (another York Elvis tribute) and former boxing champion John Conteh.

Incidentally, it seems that the 30,000 Elvis impersonators in America are all shook up. A billionaire media entrepreneur has bought up the rights to Presley's name and likeness and threatened to ban "unauthorised clones."

Robert Sillerman has apparently paid £65 million for Elvis's home, Graceland, and control of the King's name and likeness, but not his music. So now what are you going to do, Eddie? Okay, there's always Shirley Bassey.