BOLTON girl Ruth Higham stopped the traffic when she made her debut as Glo White - the beautiful, blonde bombshell and star of Launderama, the Internet's on-line soap opera from ACDO, Bolton-based washing specialists. Glamorous Glo is currently touring the country's universities handing out free samples of ACDO washing prducts to students. "Hopefully this will prevent them from taking bagfulls of dirty washing home to mum," giggled Glo as she disappeared amid a sea of Manchester University students.

As reported exclusively in last night's BEN, Ruth, a 21-year-old model from Harwood, was picked from thousands of hopefuls to play Glo White - the lab assistant with a lustful longing for ginger-haired boffin, Doctor Beckmann.

The former Canon Slade pupil is set for world-wide stardom as her character appears on web sites everywhere - Launderama already has a regular estimated audience of over 100,000.

Yesterday, Glo White arrived at Manchester University in style, stepping from a stretch limo amid a posse of popping flashbulbs.

According to a spokesman for ACDO, Glo is the soap's central character and the one who most definitely receives the most fan mail.

"She even had one chap writing to her requesting a date," said the spokesman.

Cyber babes obviously rule the sites when it comes to pulling power and Glo White is already being compared with tough totty, Lara Croft, from the top-selling Tomb Raider computer game trilogy.

But who would you choose?

Would you plump for the fast livin', trouble shootin', Uzi totin' Croft or do you prefer the smalls washin', bubble makin', sudsy soap star, Glo White?

Check out their credentials in the fact files here, before making your decision. Lara Croft - Background: Aristocratic - daughter of Lord Henshingly, she seeks adventure purely for kicks

Image: A penchant for tight fitting wetsuits or tight fitting shorts, bovver boots and tight fitting T-shirt. You could describe her as "all front".

In the flesh: model Nell McAndrew.

Loves: A good fight.

Hates: The claustrophobic suffocating atmosphere of upper-class British society.

Famed for: Discovering ancient sites of profound archaeological interest (and shooting things). Glo White - Background: Soap star.

Image: Voluptuous blonde with a liking for mini skirts, tight red jackets and ankle-breaking high heeled shoes. You could describe her as "all front".

In the flesh: Harwood model Ruth Higham.

Loves: Dr Beckmann, having picture taken.

Hates: Dirty laundry.

Famed for: Clean clothes everywhere and pouting, wolf whistle-inducing poses. ACDO's Launderama is a "bubble action" soap opera with all the nuances of a normal soap - outlandish characters, off the wall plots and lots of humour. There is a new episode every two weeks and it can be accessed on www.acdo.co.uk.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.