The firm behind a shopping complex, which critics claim could harm Northampton retailers, has unveiled plans for a 200-acre nature reserve.

The controversial Rush­den Lakes leisure and retail park development has been heavily criticised by some local authorities who fear it will take vital footfall away from town centres in the county.

The Skew Bridge site, on the edge of Rushden, is made up of more than 250 acres, of which 32 acres will be the new leisure, tourism and retail development.

LXB Properties, which owns the land, has confirmed that 200 acres of lakes and meadows will be opened to the public as a visitor attraction. It would be managed by the Wildlife Trust if it gets planning permission from East Northamptonshire Council for the wider scheme.

The nature conservation site has become a target for illegal off-road vehicles in recent years, but LXB has been in discussions with Natural England since buying the land for about £5m last year, with a view to restoring the nature value of the site and opening it to the public.

Development director at LXB, Jon McCarthy, said: “We are committed to funding £300,000 of paths for the new reserve, and a further £300,000 for a fantastic sustainable visitor centre.”

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire is also in discussions with LXB about taking space in a new visitors’ centre which aims to enhance the visitor experience of the proposed development.

Chairman Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey said: “If we can successfully fund the costs of the visitors’ centre, this will be an important opportunity.”

THE plans for Rushden Lakes have been criticised by borough councillors in Northampton.

Developers said the plan would create 1,500 jobs, but Councillor Tim Hadland (Con, Old Duston) said: “We have a duty to protect and nurture our town centre.” Objections have also been raised by councillors from Corby and Kettering.

Councillor Hadland said: “After studying the size and location of the proposals and the potential impact on Northampton and other town centres, the committee has raised a number of strong objections.

“The proposals appear to conflict with national planning policy and could jeopardise jobs and investment in Northampton.”

A brothel madam who ran a team of vice girls across the country must pay out more than £200,000 or face 30 months in prison.

Naomi Woodward, aged 30, was convicted of managing dozens of prostitutes working at up to eight brothels in October 2010.

Officers raided her home the previous year and discovered a number of diaries and ledgers in a safe .

These held details of prostitutes working for her in London, Birmingham and Manchester, their fees and how much Woodward was paid for managing prostitution.

Having been sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, she was prosecuted under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

At Northampton Crown Court, Judge Richard Bray said Woodward had benefited by £209,375, but has only £100,077 in realisable assets which can be confiscated including part-ownership of a property in Southbridge, Northampton. She was told she now has six months to pay the confiscation order or face being jailed for 30 months, and still be liable for the money.

BEN FODEN has warned England they can’t afford to be ‘too lethargic’ when they take on South Africa in the second Test this Saturday.

The Saints star scored a late try in the first meeting between the two sides last weekend, but it wasn’t enough as the Red Rose lost 22-17 in Durban.

They now move on to Johannesburg knowing another defeat would see them lose the series and stand on the brink of a whitewash.

Foden knows exactly where his side need to improve if they are to get a win on the board this weekend, but he believes they should be full of confidence ahead of the second showdown.

“We knew we’d have to be more physical at the breakdown [in the second half] and slow them down but at the same time play to our strengths,” said the 26-year-old.

“I think we sat back and saw what they could throw at us and they scored two tries from us sitting back and being too lethargic.

“We’ve got a lot to work on but we’ll also take a lot of confidence because we’ve got areas to improve and know we can break them down.”

England were severely lacking in international experience in comparison to South Africa – with 187 caps in the visiting starting 15 against 458 in the home side.

But the five-point defeat was the closest they have run the Springboks in the last eight meetings between the sides and Foden believes a big scalp is on the cards on Saturday.

“It’s new experience for a lot of guys in this squad, coming to the southern hemisphere and playing this intensity of rugby, especially away from home is a big ask,” he said.

“But we’re England at the end of the day, we’re going places and aiming for big things, so the next big step for us is to take a scalp out here.

“Hopefully we can do that in the next game and it will really heat up for the final Test.”

Meanwhile, Saints prop Paul Doran-Jones will start for England in their tour game against South Africa Southern Barbarians tomorrow.

Doran-Jones is one of a raft of changes from the side which faced South Africa in the first Test, with none of the players who started that game selected for the midweek encounter.

Saints scrum-half Lee Dickson will be hoping to get some game time from the bench against the Southern Barbarians, while Phil Dowson, Dylan Hartley and Foden are rested.

COMING from Northamptonshire, if there is one thing bound to make me feel like a country bumpkin it is a day out at Salford Quays.

I never would have entertained the idea of going to Greater Manchester for a day, but my husband discovered a fast Virgin train from Milton Keynes which – impressively – took under two hours to reach its destination.

Once in Manchester, Salford Quays is just a quick tram ride away from the central Piccadilly Gardens stop.

And the sight that greets visitors is one of sheer modernity. Once an industrial heartland of Victorian England, the docks were renovated in a multi-million pound project .

The landscape is now dominated by ultra modern, yet beautifully designed bridges crossing a waterscape edged by striking 21st century buildings including the BBC’s Media City UK, the Imperial War Museum North and The Lowry arts and entertainment centre.

Our destination was The Lowry centre and, after a quick stop off for lunch at Cafe Rouge, one of the Quays’ many waterside restaurants, we headed to this jewel in the crown of the area’s architecture.

As well as a theatre venue, the centre houses a gallery which is home to the world’s largest collection of works by LS Lowry, with around 400 items including oil paintings, drawings, pastels and watercolours. Entry is free, although there is a recommended donation amount.

I have always been fond of seeing “matchstick men” works by Lowry, but never knew much about him. I found it useful that on entering the gallery visitors can sit and watch a short documentary about the man himself.

What I love about Lowry is that his work was a far cry from the desperate and pretentious kind of art which leads people to stare at splodges on canvas, in expensive galleries, searching for meaning.

He once said: “I am not an artist. I am a man who paints.” He also proclaimed there was no meaning in what he painted; he just painted what he saw and felt.

After looking after his bed ridden mother for seven years from the 1930s, until her eventual death, he never married and lived his life alone. Understanding his loneliness really brings an added poignancy to the crowd scenes which formed most of his work. After all, crowds can be lonely places too, is what he seems to be saying.

The collection includes his depictions of homeless people with whom he developed a fascination, his famous industrial crowd scenes and the sexually themed unpublished pictures which were only discovered after his death, depicting a heavily corseted young woman; the latter a little troubling in nature.

The display of varied works is wonderful in how it is presented, assuming no particular artistic knowledge from its visitors but concentrating on opening up the artists’ work so it is easy to learn more about his life and understand his motivations a little too.

Elsewhere in the gallery, we also visited the V & A’s touring exhibition The House of Annie Lennox, a free, temporary display which runs until June 17.

The space has been devoted to a huge mass of memorabilia and photos from the singer’s life including a sprawling wall of her gold and platinum selling discs, many of her colourful and outrageous outfits and even an entire room where people can watch her often bizarre music videos. I still think – as I said to my husband at the time – the addition of a dance floor would be the only improvement I would add.

As gardeners cross their fingers for plant-friendly weather throughout June, gardening expert Nicholas Warliker talks us through his tips for what to do in the garden this week.

1) The first thing to do in the garden this week is to complete all bedding, so even the half-hearted plants can go out. It is June so dahlias and anything like this can go out.

2)People can sow salad leaves like leaf lettuce, radish and the quick maturing salad crops.

3)With tomatoes, remove the side shoots, if they are Cordon types. It is wasted growth. Once the first lot of flowers have set, you can start feeding the tomatoes. If a proprietary feed is used, then something like Tomorite or any high potash feed would be good. That will keep them going.

4) With cucumber, if they are climbing ones, they will want to be continually tied in. They need to be continually fed, and remember to keep the moisture levels up. If they are in a greenhouse, keep a high humidity. Keep a bucket of water in there and that will also prevent red spider mite.

5) With fruit trees, once June drop has taken place then cut any other excess apples.

Nicholas Warliker is a senior plant advisor at Podington Garden Centre in north Northamptonshire. He was also head gardener to Princess Alice of Barnwell Manor.

The guide will soon include a monthly gardening problem page and we would like to hear your questions so they can be posed to a gardening expert.

Contact the features team by tweeting @chrongardening or emailing nicole.lemarie@northantsnews.co.uk

Two men escaped with a quantity of cash and cigarettes following a break-in at the One Stop store in St Crispin, Northampton, this morning.

The men, who were not armed, burst into the store at about 6am today. They were wearing scarves over their faces and light jackets.

They made off on foot towards Kent Road, Duston.

Police have revealed they have seized passports from 21 known football hooligans in Northamptonshire as part of a crackdown to coincide with the Euro 2012 championships.

High numbers of officers were in Northampton town centre last night, as England played their first match of the tournament against France.

Early indications are that the evening passed peacefully, with police vans patrolling the town centre before and after the 5pm kick-off.

England will next be in action on Friday night, at 7.45pm, when they play Sweden.

Today, police confirmed no known football troublemakers from Northamptonshire have travelled to Poland and the Ukraine to watch England in the European Football Championship.

A total of 21 people from the county, including one person living in Australia, are subject to banning orders and all 21 have been contacted by Northamptonshire Police and had surrendered their passports before England’s opening game.

All those with banning orders will continue to be monitored by police.

Seven of those subject to banning orders are allied to Northampton Town FC, four to Kettering Town and one to Rushden.

The other nine were issued with banning orders following football incidents at Arsenal, Aston Villa, Leicester City, Leeds United, Norwich City and West Ham United.

PC Nick Price, of the Force Intelligence Unit, said: “The UK Football Policing Unit is primarily interested in ensuring no known troublemakers from this county have travelled to the tournament and we are satisfied this is the case.

“We are keeping a close eye on those who have banning orders in Northamptonshire to make sure they do not step out of line.

“Anyone who does not comply with any requirement made by the Football Banning Order Authority commits a criminal offence and will be subjected to priority action.

“We want to hear from anyone who has information about troublemakers who cross the line while watching the football and we would also appreciate information about anyone planning to cause disorder or commit offences in our town centres.

“Information is vital to us nipping any potential problems in the bud so please let us know or ring Crimestoppers.”

Neighbourhood wardens will be out and about this week reminding dog owners to ‘bag it and bin it’ in support of the Dogs Trust National Poop Scoop week.

Throughout the week wardens will be talking to dog owners and reminding them to clear up after their dogs to help keep their local community clean.

Since April this year council wardens and park rangers have been stepping up patrols across the town to remind owners of the need to clear up after their dogs.

As well as raising awareness of the issues and encouraging dog owners to pick up after their pets, they have been appealing to the public to report incidents and problem areas so that targeted action can be taken.

By supporting the 2012 campaign by the Dogs Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity, the council’s wardens hope to encourage more dog owners to pick up after their dogs.

Councillor John Caswell, Northampton Borough Council cabinet member for the environment, said: “For the past few months our wardens and park rangers have been working across the town to highlight the problem of dog fouling and so we are very happy to support the National Poop Scoop Week 2012 campaign.

“Thankfully most dog owners do clear up after their pets, but there are still a minority who don’t. These campaigns coupled with regular patrols help make a difference by raising awareness of the issue.”

To report problems of dog fouling call the council’s neighbourhood wardens on 0300 330 7000 or email ehealth@northampton.gov.uk.

SAINTS have been placed in pool 4 of next season’s Heineken Cup, alongside Ulster, Glasgow Warriors and Castres Olympique.

Jim Mallinder’s men were top seeds, with Ulster coming from Tier 2, Glasgow from Tier 3 and Castres from Tier 4.

It means a quick return to Northampton for No.8 Roger Wilson, who returns to Ulster this summer after four years at Franklin’s Gardens.

Saints were eliminated at the pool stage last season, with defeats to Munster and Scarlets costing them dear.

But the 2011 finalists will expect to fare better this time round and will most likely be favourites to progress to the quarter-finals.

Last season’s finalists Ulster, who lost to Leinster in the showpiece at Twickenham, will provide a stern test.

Saints last faced them in the quarter-finals two seasons ago, winning 23-12 at stadium:mk.

Glasgow could be the surprise package of the pool, while Saints will play Castres for the third season in succession in the pool stages.

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER is convinced good times with Mercedes are still around the corner as he has not lost faith in the Brackley-based team.

Schumacher endured yet more bad luck this season in Sunday’s Canadian Grand Prix, with the seven-times champion forced to retire as the DRS that aids overtaking was frozen in the open position.

It was the fifth time in seven races this year Schumacher has retired, suffering mechanical issues in three others, whilst he was also involved in an early accident in Spain.

Schumacher is currently languishing in 18th in the championship, with just two points to his name, whilst in contrast team-mate Nico Rosberg is fifth and 21 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton.

A philosophical Schumacher said on his personal website: “I want to emphasise again Formula One cars are prototype vehicles and hundreds of components are made especially for them.

“For me, it’s completely understandable that things can go wrong from time to time.

“Of course it was a disappointing outcome in Montreal, but I won’t lose my nerve or faith in the team.

“I still believe we will achieve something special together with Mercedes.”

Despite his woes, Schumacher believes nothing will come of finger pointing, adding: “There is no reason to blame anyone - unfortunate circumstances like these are part of motor racing.

“Indeed, I’m certain it’s even tougher for the guys in the team.

“That’s why I sat down with my race engineers immediately after my retirement to discuss how we should approach the time before the next race and to make sure we stay in close contact over the coming days.

“Perhaps the only small advantage from the situation was that I managed to beat the traffic to get to the airport.

“I had already planned to fly back to my family as soon as possible after the race, so at least I was able to get away from the circuit just before the chequered flag was waved.”

DIRECTOR of rugby Jim Mallinder says Saints are ‘feeling positive’ after hearing their Heineken Cup fate.

Mallinder’s men will face Ulster, Glasgow Warriors and Castres in Pool 4 of next season’s competition after the draw took place in Dublin on Tuesday.

The draw means that the last two Heineken Cup losing finalists will be going head-to-head for the first time since the 2011 quarter final, not to mention an early return to Franklin’s Gardens for number eight Roger Wilson, who re-joins Ulster this summer

And with Glasgow and Castres both reaching their respective league play-offs Mallinder says that Saints will have to be at their best in every pool match if they are to reach the quarter finals for a third time in four years

“It is a challenging pool for us and we will have to play well to progress to the knockout stages,” he commented after the pool draw was completed.

“Ulster showed on several occasions last season that they have really matured as a team, especially in their quarter final win away at Munster and in their home pool matches against Leicester and Clermont Auvergne. We also have fresh memories of playing them in the 2011 quarter final when they pushed us all the way in a competitive match.

“Glasgow is another team which is improving year after year. They came fourth in the Pro 12 table and finished second in a Heineken Cup pool which included Leinster and Montpellier, and with a number of international players in their squad they will be hard to beat, especially at Firhill.

“Of course we know plenty about Castres, having played them in the past two Heineken Cups. Down in France they are a very tough proposition. They had an excellent home record once again and reached the Top 14 play-offs for yet another season, and with the quality of squad they have they will pose us plenty of challenges at Franklin’s Gardens as well.

“However we know we have a squad which can compete in this pool. Our core group of players has been together for a number of years now and is determined to improve and achieve better things in 2012/13. We have added more international experience and the end of the last campaign showed that our youngsters can step up to the mark, too.

“So while it is a challenging European draw for us we will be feeling positive going into next season’s Heineken Cup.”

Andrew Hall believes that the Northamptonshire Steelbacks have the kind of balance in their squad that can lead them to the Friends Life t20 finals day.

The Steelbacks have only reached the last four of the tournament on one occasion - in 2009 when they lost to Sussex in the last four at Edgbaston - but Hall has set his sights on emulating that achievement.

The Welsh Dragons, or Glamorgan in old currency, provide the opening opposition on Thursday evening and Hall can’t wait to get started.

He said: “We’ve had a chat about T20 and how we want to go about it and there’s definitely a buzz in the team.

“We feel that we’ve got a very balanced team and a good squad and if we look back a couple of years at when we played some very good cricket, we think we’ve got the same kind of balance this year.

“It’s a home game first up, hopefully we can get a nice big crowd in here and that can lend itself to us making a good start.

“The last time we played a 10-game format we made it to finals day and this year we can use that in our plan for the competition.”

While 2009 and 2010 saw Hall’s men reach the knockout stages, it was a completely different story 12 months ago when they didn’t even threaten to make it out of the group.

And Hall knows where the improvement will have to come from if that is to be avoided.

He added: “Last season we didn’t bat well at all. We’ve had a look at the stats and that showed where we were going wrong. We had a lot of different guys going in at the top of the order while we tried to find a good solution.

“There’s a good mix now, especially with Cameron (White) coming into the middle of the orderr, and we feel that we should be able to post the kind of scores that we can defend.

“As captain I feel a bit more at ease with the batting order now that we’ve got more players who can clear the ropes.

“Hitting boundaries at important times was something we found hard to do last year but with Cameron and Kyle (Coetzer), players who have got plenty of experience in this format, there is the ability there to achieve that.”

Hall also feels his charges have adopted a more mature attitude towards their approach to the shortest format of the game.

“It’s about the players taking responsibility for their roles,” he continued.

“I’m really pleased about how we’ve gone about our practice. In previous years we’ve gone out and just tried to hit boundaries from the off but this time everyone’s been a bit more measured and I think that bodes well.

“Last year we didn’t have a great tournament but that can happen. We feel like we’re in a good place and are ready to go.”

A cannabis factory was discovered in Northampton today.

Officers raided a property in Stanley Street, in Semilong, where they uncovered what is believed to be a substantial drug den.

Two men, aged 26 and 43 and a boy, aged 17, all from South East Asia were arrested at the scene and are now being quizzed by detectives.

Police said the operation came about following a tip-off from the member of the community.

Council leaders have asked Legal & General for urgent talks following claims that plans for the development of the Grosvenor Centre have been beset with ‘viability issues’.

Legal & General have informed the council that they are not moving forward with the current planning application because the economic conditions mean that the current scheme may not be viable.

Leader of Northampton Borough Council, Councillor David Mackintosh, expressed his disappointment at the continued delays, which were exclusively revealed in last Thursday’s Chronicle & Echo, and said: “It is very frustrating that the Grosvenor Centre project is being delayed yet again. We have done all we have been asked to do in support of the redevelopment scheme but now we hear that this has still not been enough.

“I understand the challenges of the current economic climate, but there has never been a better time to invest in Northampton. We are in the top 10 for private sector jobs growth and for our overall employment rate. We have high levels of investment in growth from both public and private sector partners – if now is not the right time to develop the Grosvenor Centre, when will be?”

The Borough Council will now hold urgent talks with Legal & General to discuss the situation and ask for a firm commitment to making real progress on the development scheme. The authority has said it will look at all options to move the project forward.

Councillor Mackintosh said: “We are committed to retail regeneration in Northampton town centre and want shops that match our aspiration to be a top destination for shopping.

“I will work with Legal & General to overcome any issues if I can, and I am prepared to consider options open to the Council that would make retail development in the town centre a certainty.”

Major regeneration projects already underway in Northampton as part of Northampton Alive include the Waterside Enterprise Zone and developments at St John’s, Castle Station, the Innovation Centre and at Avon Nunn Mills.

In a statement released on Tuesday night, a spokesman for Legal & General said: “Legal & General is fully committed to its investment in Northampton, in particular the Grovesnor Centre and the major role that it sees itself playing in Northampton town centre’s much needed retail-led regeneration. However, given the ongoing challenges of the economic climate, it is currently taking the opportunity to reassess its plans and the timing of redevelopment works.

“In particular, in light of the recent spate of retailer administrations, as well as the threat of recently proposed out-of-town schemes, Legal & General recognises that the extension to the Grosvenor Centre needs to be reassessed to ensure that it provides an attractive retailing offer for Northampton as well as a scheme which is economically viable.

“Legal & General has been very disappointed, however, by the lack of public support that it has received from the Council, in its attempts to bring forward a scheme that best meets the needs of the town and which is economically viable.”

Simon Russian, head of Retail Development at Legal & General Property, added: “Contrary to reports and comments that have been made in the press, the blame for the delays in the attempts to bring forward the scheme cannot all be laid at the door of Legal & General. We are very disappointed and frustrated that the council are so quick to point the finger of blame for our desire to reassess the scheme in light of economic conditions which are outside of our control.

“It is important that people understand that we are not just another faceless corporate, but instead that, given that our primary role is to look after money of the man on the street, from individual policies to larger pension pots, we take our moral investment responsibilities incredibly seriously. If we pursue an unviable scheme, we are not only wasting public money and time, and failing to meet the needs of the people of Northampton, but also wasting cash from investors just like them.

“We continue to believe in the regeneration of Northampton’s town centre through strengthening the retail provision of the Grosvenor Centre. We need to therefore be positive about the dynamics of Northampton and what our skills can bring, but also realistic and level headed in achieving our goals.

“Over the coming months, LGP will therefore undertake a further review of the scale and phasing of the redevelopment scheme it is looking to bring forward, and may indeed consider delivering something in a shorter timescale than first planned albeit on a more viable scale.”

AIDY BOOTHROYD believes he has been able to attract new signings to the Cobblers because of the atmosphere of ambition that is being created around the club.

The Town boss has drafted in forward players Clive Platt and Alex Nicholls and wants to add another in that area, with a right-winger required to compensate for the expected departure of double player-of-the-year Michael Jacobs.

Platt turned down a contract at npower League One side Coventry City to move to Sixfields, while Nicholls walked away from a verbal offer at another league one side in Walsall to become the most recent recruit to the claret and white cause.

To have signed players that were wanted by clubs at a higher level represents something of a coup for the Cobblers and it will have pleased Boothroyd to hear both new arrivals cite his influence as a key factor in their decision to head south.

The precise nature of those convincing conversations remains top secret but the key strand of Boothroyd’s pitch has been one of mutual ambition and dragging the club away from the wrong end of the Football League.

“All players want to be part of something – when you’ve been part of a promotion or a successful campaign it whets your appetite for more,” he said.

“Clive (Platt) I have worked with before at a couple of clubs so I know what he is all about and Alex (Nicholls) is young, he’s hungry and I’m a similar ilk.

“I’ve worked in higher leagues but sometimes when you’re at a place it can exude ambition when you walk in, and I think this club is like that.

“I don’t want to be scrapping around the bottom of the league and to do that you’ve got to attract better players than what you’ve got, and I think we’re doing that.

“You’d have to ask the players why they are signing but I would guess they buy into my belief and my passion for getting Northampton out of the doldrums and back with some positive momentum.”

Anglian Water is expected to lift the hosepipe ban which has been in place across Northamptonshire since April.

It is one of three companies which will announce the end of the restrictions which will be lifted today.

Seven water companies across southern and eastern England brought in hosepipe bans to combat drought, after two unusually dry winters left groundwater supplies and rivers as low as in the drought year of 1976.

A spokesman for Anglian Water said the decision had been made because of a combination of factors combining to ease pressure on the water system.

He said: “It’s been because of supply and demand, it has recharged.

“It also is because we have had such a cold, wet May and June following a wet April, which means demand has been suppressed.”

Anglian Water is joined by Thames Water and Southern Water which are also lifting bans.

The news came as heavy downpours battered Britain, with forecasters warning they are set to continue through the rest of the week.

South Wales, the south of England and Northern Ireland all saw heavy showers yesterday and temperatures struggled to get above 14C.

In its latest drought briefing last week, the Environment Agency said the wet weather had significantly reduced the risk of drought and widespread water restrictions this summer.

River levels and reservoir stocks have improved significantly and further water restrictions for the public and businesses are unlikely, the government agency said.

Thames Water said at the time unless the weather takes “an unexpectedly Saharan twist”, it no longer expected to keep the ban in place through to the autumn.

South East Water, Sutton and East Surrey Water, Veolia Water Central and Veolia Water Southeast have hosepipe bans remaining in place. South East Water said today its ban would remain in place. The others were unavailable for comment.

Parents of children who missed out on all three of their first choice primary schools will have a second chance to apply for more than 90 places.

Northamptonshire County Council announced that new places at schools in the town centre had been created to provide space for the applications received after the January deadline.

These will also be open to applications from parents of children who missed out on all their first three preferences.

Carly Galpin, of Berkeley Close, Cliftonville, missed out on her first three choices and her son was sent to Briar Hill Primary School. She said: “Fingers crossed this will be a solution. At least they have recognised they had a massive problem with some of the applications.”

Conservative MP for Northampton North, Michael Ellis, who was contacted by a number of parents who had missed out on any of their first three choices, said the system had created some “bonkers” results.

He said: said: “Although I appreciate that 95 per cent of parents got one of their first three preferences, it is very frustrating for the five per cent who did not, and in some cases, got some bonkers results.”

“It looks like the council are creating dozens more places and hopefully this will lead to an overall improvement in the situation for a number of parents of children who unfortunately missed out on all three of their preferences.”

THREE masked men threatened a terrified shopworker with a knife during an armed robbery at a supermarket in Towcester.

The raiders stole what police have described as ‘a significant quantity’ of cigarettes during the robbery, which took place at the Richmond Road Co-Op at about 6am on Friday when the member of staff was opening the store.

The employee was threatened with the knife but not harmed.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Police said: “The cigarettes were loaded into five blue tote boxes and wheeled out on a trolley. The trolley was later recovered nearby, however the totes are still missing. No vehicle was seen during the robbery, although it is likely that one would have been used.”

The first man was white, late 20s, 5ft 7ins, medium build, wearing a black scarf, black hooded top and black jogging bottoms. The second man was a similar age and build wearing a white scarf, thick grey top, grey jogging bottoms and white gloves. The third man wore a black hoodie, black jogging bottoms and a black scarf.

A purse stolen in the raid was later recovered in Queens Road. Witnesses can call police on 101.

The TV series Appropriate Adult may have been richly rewarded at the recent BAFTA ceremony . . . but not everyone is a fan.

The controversial series told the story of Janet Leach (played by Emily Watson) who became the “appropriate adult” assigned to the infamous and gruesome case of serial killer Fred West in 1994.

But to the staff and volunteers at the charity Catch 22 in Northamptonshire, the programme gave completely the wrong impression of what an appropriate adult actually does.

Katrina Tite, one of the appropriate adults working for Catch 22, said: I have to say that it isn’t like that any more, It is totally different to how you see it on screen.

“In the programme the character was allowed to wander about police stations and was more involved than she should have been and was trying to do her own investigation work.”

Catch 22’s Lesley Griffin added: “It is nothing like that now.

“On the TV show the police were questioning her to get information for them.”

So in today’s world, what is the role of an “appropriate adult?”

Working with youngsters between the ages of 10 and 16, Catch 22’s Appropriate Adult service operates across the county to provide a responsible person to support young people who have been arrested and detained and to make sure procedures are carried out in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE).

IMPARTIAL ROLE

Their role is to be impartial in the police interview room, court house, or wherever they need to be, to ensure that justice is done and a young person’s needs are looked after.

They are called in if a suitable parent is not around to support their child or if – as in some cases – the parent is the victim of the alleged crime.

Lesley said: “We are there to make sure we support that young person and make sure the police do their cautions and everything is done correctly, otherwise everything can be thrown out.

“It is to support and assess the young people when they are in custody if no one else is appropriate to go. Our role is to go and be a referee. You are not there in a personal role, you have to make sure that everything is done in accordance with the law.

Currently there are only five appropriate adults – two staff members and three volunteers – to be there for young, arrested people across the whole county.

Before April this year, appropriate adults were provided by Social Services to attend out-of-hours incidents, while Catch 22 took care of the day time. Now the entire service has been passed into the charity’s hands and it desperately needs more volunteers across Northamptonshire to help provide for the rising number of cases.

Between 2010 and 2011, 85 cases were dealt with out of hours alone and, according to daytime call-out figures for 2011-2012, 224 calls for support were received.

WARTS AND ALL

Although the popularity of the Appropriate Adult programme did help boost interest in the service, few people saw their initial inquiries through to the point of actually offering their voluntary services.

Lesley and Katrina find it important that, following the dramatised version seen on TV, prospective volunteers are given a full idea of what the reality is.

Lesley said: “We give them the warts-and-all version. You can be in a little room where there might be seven people at one time. You often have students coming in, and observers, as sometimes a solicitor might have an observer . . . and they are little rooms.

Katrina said: “Some of them might have been sleeping rough, some might be covered in blood and some in sick. One had maggots on his feet as he had been living rough.

“We might have to travel to Corby or to Wellingborough. We are desperate for people in Corby.” The whole process is about making sure justice is done.

Lesley said: “You make sure the interview is conducted fairly and there isn’t intimidation. We ask people if they have learning diffculties too.”

She continued: “A lot of young people have ADHD and need drugs. You can’t send someone into an interview unless they have got the right medication.”

Katrina said: “We make sure they are fit for interview. We also make sure they have legal advice. A lot of young people will say they don’t want a solicitor.”

Lesley added: “This can be because they think they can get out quicker or worry that their parents might have to pay for a solicitor.”

Volunteers are not allowed to ask young people to disclose any details about the nature of their cases.

GETTING TO KNOW THEM

Katrina said: “We have the right to speak to them privately and to tell them our role and that we are only there to act as a supervisor. We also ask them if they have had anything to eat, if they have medication problems or if they are on any drugs. Some young people can be very stubborn and not want to speak to you, but that is very rare.”

An inevitable part of being an appropriate adult is getting to know and becoming familiar with repeat offenders. One challenge can be to remain unattached through what can be a traumatic process.

Katrina said: “There are some people we have known from an early age, their life revolves around it.

“With the older ones it is so hard not to become a little attached to them because of their circumstances. We know if they might have problems in their family, they might talk to you about that. Some might say ‘my mum doesn’t care about me and that is why I’m here’. It is hard to distance yourself from them.”

Being an appropriate adult takes an individual who can cope with the grittier side of life. I had one person who was screaming and swearing, who wouldn’t get up and wouldn’t talk to us,” said Katrina. “He was in one very bad mood. You have to be prepared for the language coming at you.”

Catch 22 are looking for people who are mobile and have a mature outlook and flexible time on their hands to act as volunteer appropriate adults for young people held in custody at police stations throughout Northamptonshire. Full training is given.

Lesley said: “The service will be volunteer-led so we need volunteers with flexibility to work seven days a week from 9am to 11pm on a rota system.”

Anyone interested can ring 07540673818 or 07795447205.

A WOMAN from Northampton has been jailed for two years and six months for stealing more than £500,000 from her father’s company.

Samantha Jess, aged 39, was jailed at Amersham Crown Court on Monday after she pleaded guilty to theft.

Jess, of Battalion Drive, Wootton, stole the funds while employed in the role of financial director at Brett Communications, a family business based in Milton Keynes run by her father, between 2006 and 2011.

She transferred £514,655.85 into her personal accounts and tried to disguise the transactions by using the names of suppliers and used the money to fund her lifestyle, which included luxury holidays abroad and shopping trips.

Investigating officer Det Con Gareth Suffling, based at Milton Keynes CID, said: “This is an exceptionally sad case in which Samantha Jess completely destroyed the trust placed in her by her father.

“During her time working for the company she stole an exceptionally large amount of money for no other reason than pure greed. She used the money to fund lavish holidays and expensive shopping trips, often spending hundreds of pounds at a time.

“I hope this outcome will mark an end to this distressing case and enable the family to move on.”