Beauty really is only skin deep - when women are looking for a man, say scientists.

Despite claiming they base their decisions on personality and other factors young women are really just as shallow as men and go for looks.

Mothers are less choosy than their daughters - and would pick them a man who is only “reasonably” good-looking.

The younger women, on the other hand, only wanted a handsome man - no matter how respectful, friendly, ambitious or intelligent he may be.

Professor Madeleine Fugere, of the Eastern Connecticut State University, said when women and their parents are asked their opinion about potential mates they always rate traits like respectfulness and friendliness as more important than physical attractiveness.

She said: “Yet, in doing so, they assume that the potential mates at least meet a minimally acceptable standard of physical attractiveness.

“However, when a range of attractiveness levels is presented, physical attractiveness takes priority over other characteristics.”

The study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science assessed the mate preference of 80 women aged 15 to 29 and 61 of the mothers.

Participants were presented with colour photographs of three male targets varying in attractiveness - and each being paired with one of three profile traits.

The “respectful” profile included the traits “respectful, trustworthy, and honest,” the “friendly” being “friendly, dependable, and mature” and the “pleasing” meant the man was “of a pleasing disposition, ambitious, and intelligent.”

The women had to rate the photographs and trait descriptions in response to how attractive they found the man, how favourably they rated his personal description and whether they’d consider the person as a dating partner for themselves or their daughters.

Prof Fugere said physical attractiveness strongly influenced how all the women saw the targets - with the attractive and moderately attractive ones coming up trumps.

Men with the most desirable personality profiles were rated more favourably than their counterparts only when they were also at least moderately attractive.

Even when unattractive men possessed the most desirable traits the mothers and daughters did not view them as potential dating material.

Prof Fugere said: “We conclude that a minimum level of physical attractiveness is a necessity for both women and their mothers.

“When mothers and their daughters have to choose potential partners, they do not look much further than skin deep. Mothers are not quite as picky though, and will choose a man who is only reasonably attractive for their daughters.”

But mothers rated all men - even the ugliest - as potentially desirable partners for their daughters while they did not.

Prof Fugere said: “This may signal that unattractiveness is less acceptable to women than to their mothers.

“It might also mean women and their mothers may have different notions of what constitutes a minimally acceptable level of physical attractiveness - with mothers employing a less stringent standard than their daughters.”

The proverb ‘beauty is only skin deep’ originates from a line by English poet Sir Thomas Overbury in 1613 which read: “All the carnall beauty of my wife, Is but skin deep.”

The average British commuter will spend over £48,000 across their working lifetime - just to get to the office.

And over a 47-year working life, Brits will spend over a YEAR of their lives commuting to and from work, with 68 per cent driving, 11 per cent taking the train, and eight percent making their journeys on two wheels.

The study of 2,000 commuters in the UK also found that out of the lifetime cost of commuting, over a third is on snacks and takeaway coffees in the morning.

Andy Goodson, the Sales and Marketing Director for motorcycle insurance specialists Lexham, who commissioned the research, said: “While many commuters think their journeys to and from work are barely worth considering, the amount of time we spend on them shows we should give them a bit more thought.

“With an average commute time of almost an hour a day, for many Brits this is wasted time as they’re stuck behind the wheel in traffic.

“Some of the happiest respondents in our survey were ones who were able to walk to work - giving themselves the shortest commute possible.”

Brits commute on average of seven miles to work and back each day, which tallies up to an incredible 171, 080 miles over their working life - enough to circle the globe more than six times each.

Taking a car to work was voted as the most stressful way to get to work, followed by the bus, the train and Metro or Underground systems.

And taking a motorbike was one of the lowest scoring in terms of stress, alongside walking and riding a bicycle.

Nearly half of respondents admitted to being late at least once a week, arriving an average of 10 minutes behind schedule each time.

The most common cause was bad traffic, followed by a lack of sleep leading to too many taps of the snooze button.

Sixty two per cent of commuters said that if their trip to work is particularly stressful or annoying, it makes the rest of their day worse.

And an unlucky 30 per cent of train travellers have had their face stuck up next to someone’s stinky armpit more than once.

Over the course of their working life, the average commuter will read 67 books, 2248 newspapers and listen to 3617 albums.

They’ll also send 1710 work emails, munch down 977 bananas and play 2077 games on their phones.

Andy Goodson said: “One of the best ways to make your commute happier is to cut down how long it is.

“Motorbikes and scooters are a convenient way to bring down your commuting time, as they can beat traffic so easily.

“Nobody wants to have their day made any more stressful than it needs to be - and sitting in traffic, other commuters’ personal hygiene and constantly late trains definitely don’t help.”

A LIFETIME OF COMMUTING IN NUMBERS:

Distance travelled: 171,080 miles

Amount spent: £48,708.92

Time spent: 10,998 hours

Days late to work: 1906

Newspapers read: 2248

Coffees bought: 1759

Games played on phone: 2077

Social events planned: 1710

Albums listened to: 3617

Bananas eaten: 977

Women who binge drink BEFORE they become pregnant can still harm their babies, warns new research.

The study suggests mothers who binge drink before they become pregnant may be more likely to have children with high blood sugar and other changes in glucose function that increase their risk of developing diabetes as adults.

The study of lab rats was led by Professor Dipak Sarkar, director of the endocrine research programme at Rutgers University in the United States.

Principal investigator Prof Sarkar said: “The effects of alcohol use during pregnancy on an unborn child are well known, including possible birth defects and learning and behaviour problems.

“However, it is not known whether a mother’s alcohol use before conception also could have negative effects on her child’s health and disease susceptibility during adulthood,”

For women, binge drinking is defined as the equivalent of four or more drinks in about two hours.

Prof Sarkar and his colleagues conducted the study in rats, whose basic processes of glucose function are similar to those in humans.

For four weeks, they gave female rats a diet containing 6.7 per cent alcohol, which raised their blood alcohol levels to those of binge drinking in humans.

Alcohol was then removed from the rats’ diet, and they were bred three weeks later, equal to several months in humans.

Adult offspring of these rats were compared with the offspring of rats that didn’t receive alcohol before conception.

After the rats’ offspring reached adulthood, the researchers used standard lab techniques to monitor their levels of blood glucose and insulin and two other important hormones, glucagon and leptin.

Glucagon stimulates the liver to convert glycogen into glucose to move to the blood, making blood glucose levels higher. Although the main function of leptin is inhibiting appetite, it also reduces the glucose-stimulated insulin production by the pancreas.

The researchers found that the offspring of rats exposed to alcohol before conception had several signs of abnormal glucose function.

Altered glucose function included increased blood glucose levels, decreased insulin levels in the blood and pancreatic tissue, reduced glucagon levels in the blood while being increased in pancreatic tissue, and raised blood levels of leptin.

The researchers said they also found evidence that preconception alcohol exposure increased the expression of some inflammatory markers in pancreatic tissue.

Study co-author Ali Al-Yasari, a doctoral candidate, said this might lower insulin production and action on the liver that increases blood glucose levels.

He said the overexpression of inflammatory markers may be how pre-pregnancy alcohol use altered normal glucose function in the offspring.

He added: “These findings suggest that the effects of a mother’s alcohol misuse before conception may be passed on to her offspring.

“These changes could have lifelong effects on the offspring’s glucose function and possibly increase their susceptibility to diabetes.”

The findings were due to be presented at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

FEBRUARY 9:

Denis-Alexandru Evu, aged 25, of Kingsthorpe Grove, Northampton, drunk and disorderly; fined £55, possession of a class A drug; fined £160, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85.

Aiden Mandley, aged 18, of Chaucer House, Chaucer Street, Northampton, stole one bottle of vodka worth £38 from Morrisons; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £20 and costs of £40.

Sam Scullion, aged 27, of Regent Street, Northampton, dishonestly received stolen goods; fined £100, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85.

Talatha Brooker, aged 27, of Crowthorpe Road, Northampton, failed to notify authoriy of changes to benefits; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85.

FEBRUARY 10:

Stefan Dinu, aged 47, of Symington Street, Northampton, no insurance; fined £300, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. Driving without due care and attention; fined £200.

Aeron Kew, aged 29, of Drayton Walk, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, driving at 61mph in a 30mph zone; fined £267, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £27 and costs of £85, banned from driving for three months.

Thorney Motorsport Ltd, of Welsh Lane, Crowfield, Syresham, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £540,ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £54 and costs of £85.

Natalee Gilbert, aged 27, of Walmer Close, Northampton, driving at 102mph in a 70mph zone; fined £400, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £40 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Gavin McFarlane, aged 29, of Hodellcrofts Court, Northampton, no insurance; fined £950, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £95 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Ngonidzaishe Tambo, aged 24, of Hopmeadow Court, Northampton, no insurance; fined £370, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £37 and costs of £85, banned from driving for six months. Driving while using a mobile phone; no separate penalty.

Bryan Coulton, aged 30, of Portland Place, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Alexandru Haiduc, aged 23, of Bedford Mansions, Derngate, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Onoriu Popescu, aged 24, of Far Meadow Court, Northampton, failed to produce a test certificate; fined £220, no insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £220. Faulty rear lamp; fined £220.

Leanne Shorter, aged 36, of Dave Bowen Close, Northampton, driving without due care and attention; fined £220, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with four points.

Johnathan Warwick, aged 22, of Baines Way, Grange Park, Northampton, no insurance; fined £220, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £73.

FEBRUARY 13

Mary Cash, aged 38, c/o Gold Street, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £1,658; court order made.

Sarah Diggin, aged 43, of Cranford Road, Northampton, non-payment of £1,560; court order made.

Charlie Walker, aged 21, of Enfield Court, Lings, Northampton, assault; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85, costs of £85 and compensation of £50. Damaged a pane of glass; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £50.

Steven Bussey, aged 48, of Drywell Court, Little Billing, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 72mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £1,300, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £130 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 18 months.

Rusu Ionut, aged 34, of Miles Well Court, Northampton, stole a two-seater sofa and a Dyson cleaner; fined £200, ordered to pay costs of £85.

Joshua Walfall, aged 29, of Swale Drive, Northampton, possession of cannabis; community order made to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85 and costs of £85.

Rebecca Wootton, aged 45, of Addison Road, Northampton, fraud; jailed for 140 days concurrent, criminal behaviour order for five years, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £115, compensation of £20 and costs of £150. Fraud; jailed for 140 days concurrent, ordered to pay compensation of £20. Eight similar offences.

Aleksandras Diyokas, aged 40, of St Paul’s Road, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 90mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85, banned from driving for 23 months.

Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £100. No insurance; fined £250, and ordered to pay costs of £85. Drove an unlicensed car; fined £100.

Michael Negru, aged 35, of High Street, Daventry, intentionally touched a woman in a sexual manner without her consent; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85, compensation of £50 and costs of £650.

Gabriel Stanila, aged 33, of Wellington Street, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 146mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; jailed for 84 days suspended for 12 months, ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £115 and costs of £85. No insurance; no separate penalty. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty.

FEBRUARY 15

Benjamin Collins, aged 25, of no fixed abode, assault; fined £40, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30.

FEBRUARY 16

Martin Chapman, aged 36, of Connaught Street, Northampton, used a car with a fitted blue warning beacon; fined £250, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30. Similar charge; no separate penalty.

Adam May, aged 46, of Church Close, West Haddon, harassment; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85 and costs of £85.

Lea Sabin, aged 42, of Vicarage Road, Northampton, stole goods worth £63.05 belonging to Sainsbury’s; jailed for 14 days, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £115 and costs of £85.

Deiniol Rednall, aged 28, of no fixed abode, breach of a supervision order; fined £50 and ordered to pay costs of £100.

Shaheed Saeed, aged 36, of Esher Court, Northampton, Contempt of Court; jailed for 28 days.

Dareen Bason, aged 46, of Cliftonville Road, Northampton, stole baby milk and a thermometer; ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85 and costs of £85.

Comfort Commey, aged 42, of Great Gull Crescent, Northamtpon, no insurance; fined £120, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with eight points.

Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £40.

Kristians Olsteins, aged 20, of no fixed abode, used threatening or abusive words or behaviour; conditional discharge for 12 months.

Christopher Smith, aged 29, of Rickyard Road, Northampton, damaged a window; jailed for 14 days, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £115.

Stole alcohol worth £38.61 belonging to Spar; jailed for 28 days consecutive.

Stole alcohol worth £47.72 belonging to Spar; jailed for 28 days consecutive.

Stole a bottle of Malibu worth £15.16 belonging to Campus Express; jailed for 28 days, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £115.

Stole a bottle of Southern Comfort worth £28 belonging to Asda; jailed for 28 days consecutive.

Luke Barnes, aged 23, of Shakespeare Road, Northampton, no insurance; fined £120, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with eight points. No insurance; no separate penalty.

Chris Wilder, a man who knows a thing or two about bringing success to Sixfields, is confident the Cobblers have found the right man to lead them forwards and upwards in Justin Edinburgh.

From bottom of the Football League to runaway champions in just over two years, Wilder was responsible for leading Northampton into League One last season before taking over at Sheffield United in the summer, leaving the Cobblers to find a worthy heir to his thrown.

Appointed in the summer, Rob Page was Wilder’s immediate successor but despite flying high early on, a prolonged run of poor results cut his reign short and led to chairman Kelvin Thomas hiring Edinburgh, who was sacked by Gillingham just days earlier.

And the first three months of Edinburgh’s reign has offered plenty of encouragement for what lies ahead and that was further reinforced by Northampton’s spirited display against the league leaders and champions-elect on Saturday.

Fired into a deserved half-time lead by Marc Richards’ sensational finish, the Cobblers were far from overawed by the task at hand and ran United close before eventually coming up short thanks to John Fleck’s 88th minute winner.

So, providing safety is secured, does Wilder believe his good friend can lead Northampton to a better season next time round? “Absolutely,” was his emphatic reply.

“Justin knows this division really well and he was very, very unfortunate to lose his job at Gillingham.

“You get a few injuries and you lose a bit of form and you find yourself out of a job, but he wasn’t out of a job for long and I think it’s a really good fit.

“Kelvin (Thomas) will work with Justin and it’s not going to be a powerhouse or a big-hitter in the division but they have teamwork and commitment and some good players and I’m sure they’ll get the recruitment right in the summer.

“Justin came in during January and that’s the toughest time to work but he’s certainly put his stamp on the team because it was a tough game for us on Saturday.

“They were narrowly beaten away at Bolton and they’ve also beaten some decent sides so I think they’ll comfortably finish mid-table in the division and then he’ll get his own players in.

“They’ll work hard through the summer and they’ll go again and I’m sure they can be a force in the division.

“There’s no rocket science to it. It’s just getting a group of good players who are willing to run through brick walls for each other and the supporters will see that and get right behind them.”

Saturday’s game against Sheffield United might be the last time Wilder leads a team out at Sixfields givenhe now will be taking the Blades into the Championship, but he will forever remember his 27 remarkable months at Northampton.

“I really appreciate it (the reception),” he added. “People will always have their opinions and it wasn’t cut and dry what happened at the end of the season but there are some special people here.

“The way the town got behind the team and the staff got behind the players – they went unpaid but got behind myself and Alan and gave us an opportunity to go and win games and have a memorable season.

“Regardless of what happened on Saturday, don’t underestimate what those days were like for me. Days like against Dagenham, at home to Oxford, away at Oxford, at Leyton Orient, at Notts County.

“Days like this don’t happen if we’re not pulling all together and they’re in safe hands. They’re proper people. It’s not about survival, it’s about the living of a football club because don’t underestimate what it does to the town and to everybody.

“It’s a footballing town and it still means just as much to our supporters as did to last year and I’m delighted Northampton are thriving and I’m sure they’ll go from strength to strength.

“It was a special part of my career and Alan’s career and I’d like to think we left it in a better place than when we came in.”

Wilder, being the man he is, has already began thinking and planning for the Championship next season when he will manage in the top two tiers for the first time.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he added. “We’re planning for next season. It’s a tough division but you’ve seen clubs likes Huddersfield, Preston and Barnsley survive in it so we’ll have to recruit right.

“There are loads of players in League One and League Two. We took Fleck out of Coventry, we took Jake Wright out of Oxford and we made a couple of loan signings.

“There are some good players that can play a level up. I don’t subscribe to the view you have to be playing in the Premier League or anything like that.

“There’ll always be some big hitters but we’ll deal with that and I’m just overwhelmed and made up that we’ve managed to get a P next to our name.”

Matt Adcock reviews Ghost in the Shell (15), starring Scarlett Johansson

“We cling to memories as if they define us, but they don’t. What we do is what defines us.”

In the near future, Major Motoko Kusanagi (Scarlett ‘Avengers’ Johansson) is the first of her kind – a cyber-enhanced human mind housed in an automaton weapon system ‘shell’.

Designed to be the perfect counter terrorist weapon, Major is tasked with taking down the world’s most dangerous criminals as part of Section 9, backed up by humans – many of whom also have some augmented cybernetic enhancements. She’s good at her job too – able to cloak in invisibility and kill without mercy.

Major is however experiencing hallucinations or glitches in her reality – are they somehow related to her human past before she was ‘saved’ and put into her Robocop-esque body? Bothered by how little she remembers about her past and exposed to possible malware after diving into a hacked robot – it becomes clear that things aren’t quite what they seem.

This film is based on the internationally acclaimed Japanese Manga, “The Ghost in the Shell” and director Rupert ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ Sanders brings the fantastical Blade Runner-alike world to vibrant life. There are some jaw dropping visuals on display backed up with some kick ass action set pieces. Ironically though, despite the best efforts of Johansson, “Beat” Takeshi Kitano (as her boss) and Pilou Asbæk as Batou, her partner in Section 9 – the film fails to really feel like it has a soul within its impressive machine tooled body.

There is much to enjoy though and for sheer style over substance Ghost In The Shell is a triumph of future gazing, creating a world that looks scarily possible soon.

The concept of uploading human consciousness is one that has been explored in many sci-fi films and is surely a holy grail that science is grappling with behind closed doors.

Much has been made of the change in making the character of Major be played by a white actress rather than an Asian one, but within the huge budget multi-cultural landscape Johansson throws her all into the part and delivers an iconic performance.

Alas baddie Kuze (Michael Pitt), a cyber-terrorist who might know more about Major’s past than she thinks, doesn’t command sufficient threat and the neatly tied up plot feels a little lightweight.

Ghost In The Shell is a visual feast for sci-fi fans – switch off brain, sit back and prepare to be dazzled.

David Jackson reviews My Vitriol at the Craufurd Arms, Wolverton

On paper (quite literally), this should have been a great opening night to My Vitriol’s ‘Secret Sessions’ tour.

Armed with a set littered with a mix of new and old material, the ‘nu-gaze’ alternative trio (more on that later), are back with their longest run of dates for some considerable time.

Unfortunately, their headline gig at the Craufurd Arms in Milton Keynes was littered with flaws and ended up falling significantly below the standard you’d hope any band would be happy with.

Even prior to My Vitriol taking to the stage, the night had a bit of a weird feeling with no support act, just a DJ left to warm up those who few who opted to hang around the venue’s main room rather than decamp to the bar.

When My Vitriol did appear through the thick layers of smoke and red lighting, they appeared as a trio – and while there’s no inherent problems with that, frontman Som Wardner had opted for a set up featuring two (six string) guitarists and an electronic drum kit.

Things immediately got off to a bad start, when the aforementioned drum kit failed to show any signs of life.

Som was at least able to see the funny side of things and joke about needing a new kit and drummer for the rest of the tour.

However, even when things were resolved and My Vitriol got under way with It’s So Damn Easy and If Only, it quickly became apparent how bad the combined sound was.

Songs lacked depth and punch throughout My Vitriol’s hour long set which for a band with a modern shoegaze sound was a major problem.

Normally, you’d think about turning your criticism to the venue and PA but this is the Craufurd Arms - the best rock venue in the region and a regular host of bands on the touring alternative and metal circuit with a sound which is consistently among its strong points.

Things didn’t get much better, with Som talking about beginning their tour in Wolverton before bizarrely mentioning Black Country city Wolverhampton with little sign of whether this was a deliberate play on words or an embarrassing geographic faux pas.

Classic My Vitriol songs Grounded, Moodswings and Cemented Shoes should have sounded excellent but didn’t.

Despite a decent enough stage presence, guitars fell in and out of tune all night and by the time a cover of London Grammar’s Nightcall came around people's interested had started to drift away.

Even by the time set closer Always Your Way came around it failed it ignite an unenthused crowd – probably because it sounded puny.

To Som’s credit his vocals were fine. Frustratingly, My Vitriol have an arsenal of songs which on their day should sound great.

There’s always the risk reviews like this directly incurring the wrath of someone. However, most reviewers don’t want to criticise bands or performances but there can be no escaping the fact Friday was a shambles and My Vitriol need to seriously up their game on the rest of their tour.

Maybe the opening night was a blip - who knows. Either way, fans paying £15 a ticket deserved better, much better.

Get a support act. Get a bassist and ditch the electronic kit.

If My Vitriol take those three things on board, you never know, the band people adored 15 years ago might be able to rescue the rest of this tour.

For a little extra added context, these are the thoughts of someone who owns two copies of My Vitriol’s debut LP Finelines and has great memories of them first time around.

Drivers could be fined up to £200 for using contactless payment via their mobile phone while at the wheel, a police force has warned.

New mobile phone laws which came into force last month mean anyone who touches their phone while the engine is running is breaking the law.

Therefore you could be breaking the law for using a smartphone to pay at a drive-through fast-food restaurant.

Police have advised people that they should switch off their engine when using contactless payment - or face a fine of up to £200.

As well as the fine, drivers can have six penalty points imposed on their licence if they use their phone while driving.

A police spokeswoman for Cleavland Constabulary where the issue was first raised said: “We have got to take a common sense approach, but ultimately the law states you shouldn’t use your phone with your engine running.”

Drivers nationwide are advised to switch off their engine and put the handbrake on if paying using the phone - or just use a contactless card.

Children start to worry about their appearance at the age of 12, a study has found.

Almost 90 per cent admit to worrying about their appearance for an hour and 34 minutes each day with those worries starting before they even reach the age of 13.

One in five teens even admitted they have pretended to be sick to get out of going to school or work due to their lack of confidence about their appearance.

And it doesn’t end as you grow up with 86 per cent of adults admitting they still spend an hour and 13 minutes of each day fretting about how they look.

But while teens worry most about spots, adults are most likely to be concerned about their weight.

Bad hair, overall body shape and the appearance of your stomach are also common worries for adults and teens alike.

It also emerged 69 per cent of adults have, or do, suffer from bad skin, including acne, eczema and spots.

And 91 per cent of those say they have been affected by breakouts or acne as a grown-up, despite leaving their teenage years behind them,

A spokesperson for skincare brand Proactiv+, which commissioned the research, said: “Almost everyone has concerns about their appearance at one time or another, but it’s staggering to see how young these concerns start.

“And it appears that this is a problem which doesn’t go away with age - the worries we have just change slightly instead.

“Teenagers have a lot to adjust to with puberty, a testing time at school as they approach exams and dealing with peer pressure, so the spot breakouts and acne which can really affect their confidence.

“But for many these worries will also continue into adulthood leaving people really struggling with their self-esteem - especially as spots and acne are something most people only associate with the teenage years.”

The study of 1,000 adults and 1,000 teenagers through OnePoll, found social media is harming people’s confidence with 71 per cent of teenagers and 53 per cent of adults admitting sites such as Facebook and Instagram make them more worried about how they look.

Thirty-two per cent of teens have edited pictures on social media to alleviate their worries while 37 per cent have even avoided being in photos altogether.

Adults’ day-to-day lives are also affected by their appearance worries with 30 per cent saying they have made an excuse to get out of socialising with friends because of how they felt about their appearance.

Others have worn excessive make up (17 per cent), wore baggy or oversized clothes (31 per cent) or even cancelled a date (four per cent).

And 42 per cent of adults have been so affected by a skin problem or spot breakout they have sought advice, with 79 per cent of those speaking to their doctor.

A spokesman for Proactiv+ added: “We know that spot breakouts and acne can have a really effect on your confidence and how you feel about your appearance, whatever your age.

“Proactiv+ uses a 3-step system to leave you with beautiful and radiant looking skin allowing you to put your worries about your appearance behind you.”

TOP 10 TEEN APPEARANCE WORRIES:

1. Spots

2. Bad/unruly hair

3. Being overweight

4. Overall body shape

5. Stomach

6. Blackheads

7. Eyebrows

8. Unwanted body hair

9. Acne

10. Dry skin

TOP 10 ADULT APPEARANCE WORRIES:

1. Being overweight

2. Stomach

3. Bad/unruly hair

4. Overall body shape

5. Spots

6. Dry skin

7. Unwanted body hair

8. Blackheads

9. Uneven skin tone (face)

10. Legs

London Midland, Southern and Virgin trains are being affected by the delays, which are expected to last until midday.

Passengers are being advised by National Rail that services may be delayed by 50 minutes, cancelled or revised.

The National Rail have informed passengers of the delays on the website: “The overhead electric wires have been damaged near Leighton Buzzard. One of the four lines remains blocked which means trains will have to pass the affected area at a reduced speed.

“Some congestion, train crew and stock displacement in the area may mean that trains will continue to be delayed until this line has reopened.

“We anticipate a good service will be operating by approximately 12:00.”

London Midland customers are being advised that their tickets may be used on East Midlands Trains and Thameslink between Bedford and London St Pancras International, Chiltern Railways between Birmingham Moor Street and London Marylebone and Virgin Trains on all reasonable routes.

The One Stop Shop in St Crispin’s was taped off after an attempt to ram the store's ATM in the early hours of Sunday morning (April, 9).

Louise Jackson, 77, of St Crispin's, was out walking with her husband Alan today (Monday), she said: "It's awful, we came down today for a newspaper, how are we going to get one now? It's very, very sad, all the residents will have to go goodness knows where - it was a good place to do your shopping. I couldn't believe it.

"We come to this shop every day, the staff are very helpful.

"The only thing I'm disappointed at is it didn't fall on them [ram-raiders]."

Officers attended Kent Road near Duston at about 3.30am.

A spokesman for Northants Police yesterday said: "Police were called to a One Stop Shop in the early hours of Sunday morning following reports a large digger was being used to ram the store.

“The ATM was left at the shop by the offenders before they fled the scene. Colleagues from Northants Fire and Rescue Service and Western Power also attended to make the building safe.

“We are asking for residents living in the Kislingbury and Bugbrooke areas to be alert and report any suspicious activity as well as advising people to be vigilant of large diggers being driven around the county overnight.”

Workers of Little Pickle cafe said they will miss the store and predicts residents will also miss popping to the shop as the closest store to St Crispins residents in a 15-minute walk.

Thieves stole newly-fitted boilers after breaking into three properties on a Kettering building site.

The incidents happened between 6.30pm on Thursday, April 6 and 8.30am on Friday, April 7.

Three properties on the Kier construction site on Westhill were forcibly entered.

Offenders stole newly-fitted boilers from the first two but nothing from the third.

It is believed they entered the site by climbing over the fence from the adjacent wasteland.

Witnesses, or anyone with information, are asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

A man whose daughter was knocked over by a dog in a Northampton playing field was then head-butted by the offending owner.

The assault took place between 11.30am and midday on Monday, 3 April at Curtlee Hill, Wootton, Northampton.

A police spokeswoman said the victim was walking with his young daughter in the playing field there when she was knocked over by a dog. An "altercation" ensued with the dog’s owner who then head-butted the victim.

The offender is described as a white man in his mid-to-late 20s with a medium build, short, dark hair and facial stubble. He wore a white T-shirt, a dark zip-up top and grey bottoms. He also wore a gold chain and a black cap.

Witnesses, or anyone with information, are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, they can call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Jason Chisholm, 42, and Robert Lovatt, 39, brought at least 40kg of the Class A drug into the UK between June and August 2015.

Chisholm, of Military Road, near the town centre, and Lovatt, of Lyttleton Road, Spencer, were sentenced at Northampton Crown Court today (April 10) for evading customs laws by importing the heroin, as well as being involved in a conspiracy to supply the drugs.

His Honour Judge Michael Fowler, in sentencing, said: "In the right hands, drugs can save our lives and control our pain. But in the wrong hands, they cause immeasurable damage to society, to families and to the lives of everyone affected.

"I am sure the quantity and the purity of what you sought to import would have resulted in death at some stage."

Two other men from the Netherlands, Johannes Woltering, 42, and Johannes Weber, 38, were sentenced to a combined total of more than 32 years for their leading roles in the operation.

The conspiracy to import the drugs was discovered after a falling-out inside the group led to Chisholm contacting Northamptonshire Police and giving them the details of the next shipment.

Against the police's instructions, Chisholm then tried to warn the rest of the gang.

Chisholm also failed to tell police that the gang had already smuggled one load of heroin into the country.

Lovatt, who pleaded guilty to his charges, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Chisholm, whow as found guilty following a three-week trial, was sentenced to four years and six months.

Judge Fowler, in sentencing Chisholm, said: "If not for your actions, none of the other conspirators would have been discovered by police.

"Nevertheless, you willingly took part in the first delivery."

Northamptonshire MP Andrea Leadsom has announced her plans to clamp down on litter bugs as part of the Government’s first Litter Strategy for England initiative.

Under the new measures the environment secretary wants to hand serious litterers £150 fines, punish vehicle owners for rubbish thrown from their car - even if it was discarded by a passenger - and get those on community orders, including people found guilty of fly-tipping, to pick up waste.

With street cleaning costing local government £778m in 2015/16, the Government hopes to reduce this expense on the taxpayer and deviate some of the funds to other public services.

MP for South Northamptonshire Ms Leadsom said: “Litter is something that affects us all – blighting our countryside, harming our wildlife, polluting our seas, spoiling our towns and giving visitors a poor impression of our country.

“Our litter strategy will tackle this anti-social behaviour by building an anti-litter culture; making it easier for people to dispose of rubbish and hitting litter louts in the pocket.

“We want to be the first generation to leave our environment in a better state than we found it. Tackling litter is an important part of our drive to make the country a better place to live and visit.”

The environment, transport and communities departments will work together to implement the various measures they have drawn up.

One such measure aims to punish those guilty of fly-tipping by ordering them to help councils clear up rubbish and waste as part of their community sentences.

The departments also want to ensure a better distribution of public litter bins and will work with Highways England to target litter hotspots on the roads network.

Transport Minister John Hayes said: “Litter on our roads is a major and costly problem to deal with. It makes our roads look messy, can threaten wildlife and even increase the risk of flooding by blocking drains.

“To combat this needless blight on our landscape, I am working with Highways England to target the worst 25 litter hotspots on our roads network, on which hundreds of thousands of sacks of waste are collected every year, with the clean-up bill running into millions of pounds.

“By increasing fines and working with local authorities, the Government is taking decisive action to clean up our environment.”

Also on the agenda is the creation of a new expert group which will look at further ways to reduce the worst kinds of litter, such as plastic bottles, drinks containers, cigarette ends and fast-food packaging.

The incident happened just after 11.30pm on Friday, April 7, when the victim was walking along Upper Cross Street and a dark vehicle stopped close by, Northamptonshire Police today revealed.

Four men got out and ran after him and chased him into St Crispin Road.

They caught up with him just after the bollards in front of the New Life Apartments and one of them stabbed him in the leg. The four then made off in the vehicle, believed to be a 2004 Vauxhall Corsa.

The victim was taken to Northampton General Hospital and required surgery for his injury.

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said: "The four offenders are described as 18-22 years old and wore dark clothing and hooded tops with the hoods up.

"Three were black and had muscular builds.

"One was 5ft 11 inches with a full beard, wearing a dark-blue McKenzie puffer jacket, dark-blue jeans, a black beanie hat and dark footwear.

"The second was wearing dark jeans, a dark jacket, a dark beanie hat and dark shoes. The third was over 6ft and was wearing a dark beanie hat, a dark jacket, dark jeans and dark footwear. The fourth man was of mixed-race appearance with a slim build and was wearing a black beanie hat, dark jeans and dark shoes."

Police are appealing for witnesses, particularly the occupants of a vehicle travelling along Upper Cross Street very shortly before the incident and who may have seen the car mentioned above.

Witnesses, or anyone with information, are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, they can call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

The incident took place between 6 and 6.30pm on April 6 at Northgate bus station.

He threatened members of the public while waving the blade around.

He then punched a woman and knocked her to the ground.

A 31-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the offence.

Witnesses, or anyone with information, are asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, they can call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Two people in their 20s have died following a fatal three-vehicle collision near Northampton.

Two other passengers were taken to hospital with suspected serious injuries.

The collision happened around 8.45pm yesterday (April 9) on the A5199 Welford Road between Thornby and Creaton.

A blue Vauxhall Corsa was in a collision with a blue Hyundai I40 and a white Peugeot Partner Van.

The driver of the Corsa, a 25-year-old man from Lutterworth, and one of the passengers in the Corsa, a 22-year-old woman, also from Lutterworth, both sadly died at the scene.

Two further passengers in the Corsa and the driver of the Hyundai were taken to hospital.

Witnesses to the collision, or anyone who may have seen any of the vehicles prior to it, are asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 101 or call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615.

The incident happened in Mercers Row between 6.30pm and 6.50pm on Saturday (April 8) and also saw a woman pushed to the floor.

One of the three men is described as black, about 5ft 5 inches, with an average build and in his early to mid-20s.

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police: "He was wearing a black baseball cap, light coloured T-shirt and jeans and Airmax trainers. He was carrying a black shoulder bag.

"The second suspect is described as black, about 6ft 2 inches, skinny, in his late teens. He was wearing a black zipped hooded top, with the hood up, and a pale pink t-shirt.

"The third suspect was also black, about 5ft 11 inches, with an average muscular build and in his early to mid 20s. He was wearing a beige t-shirt."

Pizza and cash were stolen from a delivery driver in Wellingborough.

The driver was walking along the footpath between Shelley Road and Grassmere Green, when a man ran up behind him and demanded he hand over the pizza.

He refused but a second man appeared, carrying a hammer.

The incident happened last Thursday (April 6).

One of the offenders was white, aged 18 to 20 and skinny.

The other was mixed-race, also skinny and aged 18 to 20.

Witnesses, or anyone with information, should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.