Those are just some of the fancy dress outfits worn in the last thirteen years by those taking part in Cycle4Cynthia, the vital fundraiser which raises tens of thousands of
pounds annually for Northampton’s Cynthia Spencer Hospice.

And with this year’s ride taking place on Sunday September 24 at Lamport Hall, the hospice’s fundraising manager, John Helm, reckons there’s plenty of time for those
who might want to enter a team to come up with some inventive creations:

“Most riders don their usual lycra or shorts and t-shirts, and of course we’re pleased to see everyone, whatever they’re wearing, but it really does put a smile on everybody’s faces when a bevvy of cats turn up or you see Harry Potter and Hagrid on a tandem, which we had last year!” explained John.

“So while the day has its serious side in supporting the hospice and the amazing care it offers to its patients and their families, dressing up is a great way to have some fun
and create the kind of team spirit that epitomises the day” he added.

As an added incentive, the team with the best fancy dress is awarded a trophy for their efforts, while there are also prizes for the biggest team, the most money raised by an
individual and the Chairman’s Cup which goes to a rider, or group of riders, going one step further to support the event.

However, if dressing up is not your thing, the 2017 Cycle4Cynthia jersey is now on sale priced at £25, with proceeds going to the Hospice.

Cycle4Cynthia, which last year saw more than 1100 riders take part and bring in £76,000 in entry fees and sponsorship, has raised almost half a million pounds since its inception.

Entry is £15 for adults, £7.50 for children and £35 for families (rising after 1 st September) and again offers the choice of 5, 25 and 50 mile routes.

For more information, including registering for the ride, details of corporate sponsorship opportunities, or to order your C4C jersey, please visit www.cycle4cynthia.co.uk or call the Hospice on 01604 210941 or email fundraising@cynthiaspencer.co.uk.

Councillor Gareth Eales (Lab, Spencer) has had a number of charity collection boxes made on behalf of Alfie Bear's Journey and he wants to get them into places across the town with high footfall to raise much-needed funds.

The mayor said: "I would really appreciate the good people of Northampton's help with this. I'm asking if anyone knows of a good place we can put one of our Alfie Bear's charity collection boxes to please get in touch.

"It needs to be a public place or a place with high footfall...so, bars, restaurants, shops, workplaces, staff canteen's etc...but wherever really."

If you can help, send a message to the mayor of Northampton's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/MayorOfNorthampton or email: mayor@northampton.gov.uk.

Alfie Bear's Journey raises funds for paediatric brain tumour research, to help children affected by a DIPG tumour. For more information on Alfie Bears Journey, head to the charity website here

The mayor added: "Look out for some exciting announcements on some events I am organising soon. Some really great things are planned".

After making his 11th signing of the summer, Cobblers boss Justin Edinburgh knows he will face a serious selection headache when it comes to naming his team for the season opener at Shrewsbury Town on August 5.

And that is exactly the way he wants it.

This week’s double capture of midfielder Matt Crooks for an undisclosed fee from Rangers as well as former Wycombe Wanders central defender Aaron Pierre means the Town first team squad is now up to 24 in number, with more to come.

Edinburgh still intends to sign two more players, and they will be a goalkeeper and an attacker.

Once the duo are snapped up, that means the Town boss will have 26 players at his disposal, and although one or two of the younger members could be sent out on loan, it will still be a very healthy squad.

There are going to be at least two players vying for every position, and that means Edinburgh is going to have to upset plenty of players every time he names his match-day 18.

“It is going to be tough, but that is the way we want it,” said the Cobblers boss.

“I don’t think it was tough enough last season, and I certainly feel we have greater dynamics to the team now, and more variation.”

The Cobblers continue their pre-season preparations on Saturday when they take on Kettering Town in the NFA Maunsell Cup Final.

The match has been switched to Wellingborough Town’s Dog & Duck ground, with a 3pm kick-off.

David Cornell will once again start in goal against the Poppies, and although Edinburgh has made no secret of the fact he wants to sign another shot-stopper, he also had words of praise for the Welshman.

“David is doing really well, so that position is not a worry for me as we have a very, very good goalkeeper in the building,” said the Town boss.

“David has got himself into a really good condition, and I am pleased with him.”

The Maunsell Cup is seen as a competitive game, so the Cobblers will only be able to use three substitutes, meaning eight players are going to get through 90 minutes.

And the Town manager said: “As we hit the weekend the 90 minutes start kicking in, and that’s when players gain a real rhythm and start to get fluency into their game.

“Now it’s where we start to look at the results, and the style of play.

“This is where the players are now looking to nail down a place in the team, and from now on it is about competition for places.

“It’s about the style, the system, and we will really start to look at that.”

The Cobblers will be launching their new home kit at the the club’s annual Family Fun Day which takes place at Sixfields on Sunday.

There are going to be a host of fun activities for the whole family, with the doors open from 10.30am.

Those fans who turn up can see boss Justin Edinburgh putting the Cobblers players through their paces from 11am as they put on a public training session.

There is also a mascot race involving Clarence and some of his furry friends, before the home kit is also launched

All young supporters, aged 11 and under, will also get the chance to go on to the Sixfields pitch and take on the first team squad in a giant game of football.

The club is then aiming to break the record for the biggest ever team photo, beating lastr year’s effort, involving players, club staff and supporters in the west stand.

The players will be on hand throughout to meet supporters, sign autographs and pose for pictures, while stadium tours will run regularly from 12.45pm, leaving from the main reception.

In addition to what is happening inside Sixfields, there are plenty of fun activities planned outside the stadium too.

Below is a list of some of the companies and club partners attending:

The Wacky Faces face painting; Mick George; P W Sweet sweet van; University Of Northampton; Opus Energy; Sheinman Opticians; Boost Trampolining; Bristol Street Motors; Fitness4Less; Royal & Derngate; Cobblers in the Community; Northampton Town Academy; Sixfields Education Centre; Supporters Trust; Sixfields Travel Club; Northants Cricket with Steeler; Northants Search & Rescue; ConnectFM; Northants Police; Hope Centre; Macmillan; Legacy Leisure; A–Plan; Cynthia Spencer Hospice

Zapato is still in its first year and seems to still be deciding what it is. It's a pub, or maybe a bar, and a tapas lounge, but you can come for brunch, and there's also take-away coffee and a quiz on Mondays.

As well as all these things, Zapato wants to be an art gallery. Paintings and pictures with no connected theme cover every wall. There could be over a hundred. No two chairs match and the tables could have all been nicked from Mediterranean porches. The decoration is captivating, but it, too, is undecided. It makes the room feel immense on arrival, but on busy nights it just helps to make things cramped. At least there's plenty to look at whlie you wait for your food, which can be a while. To Zapato's credit, they get very busy.

Let's start with lunch. Zapato subscribes to the modern trend of serving tower-tall burgers in brioche buns - but they don't subscribe to the other half of this, which is sticking a skewer in to hold it all together. The basic Lounge Burger with added bacon and cheese fell apart like a jenga tower in my hands, with one meagre napkin to clean up with. The burger relish I licked off my thumb was out of this world, though. I'd give the raw red onions a miss in future. With fries and a lunchtime pint, it came to £15. Steep, in my opinion.

The brunch menu looks excellent. It's a proper, tantalising, belly-rumbling spread, served all-day and with a platter of extras so you can pinch the best bits from the other options. Stacked buttermilk pancakes, chorizo hash, the full monty; it's all here. But brunch should be large and lazy. The eggs benedict (£7.50, with salmon) could be a dream but it doesn't last more than a few minutes. Adding avacado for £1.50 and getting what amounts to an eggcup's worth on the side is also disappointing, especially with a fruit-and-veg market just outside the front door to source it from. There just isn't enough for the price it is. Still, a good choice for a late breakfast in town.

The tapas is a success, though. Get some friends, order all of it and split the £40 bill. There are eleven choices and every bowl is a treat. Grab your forks and fight for the last pork belly square. There's ciabatta included for mopping-up afterwards too. Again, it's not that filling, but it's the tastiest selection money can buy on Northampton's market square.

Zapato Lounge has tried to offer everything at once. Fish finger sandwiches, 28-day-aged steak and sweet chilli noodles, all under one roof. This hecticness is in every inch of Zapato and eating here can be tiring. The staff are friendly, there is colouring and free drinks for children and the food is undoubtedly good. But it's not a relaxing place to visit and for the price charged this can be an off-putting combination. Try this unique but uncategorized lounge at any time of day and see if the atmosphere is something you enjoy.

Dean Bowditch fired Northampton ahead 18 minutes into a first-half the League One side dominated, but a flurry of missed chances would come back to haunt them.

Kettering, who play in the Southern League Premier Division, gave a good account of themselves after half-time having previously been outplayed. and a wonder strike from Michael Richens early in the second period was enough to force penalties.

Daniel Powell, Marc Richards and Yaser Kasim all scored their spot-kicks but Bowditch was denied by a fine save and that proved telling as Kettering took the honours.

Neither Aaron Pierre nor Matt Crooks featured on Saturday following their arrivals earlier in the week, as Justin Edinburgh tinkered with system by playing 3-5-2.

Ash Taylor, Regan Poole and Leon Barnett made up a three-man defence with George Smith and Aaron Phillips deployed as wing-backs and Kasim partnering Sam Foley in central midfield.

Dean Bowditch playing behind a front two of Billy Waters and Richards, and the Cobblers, whose starting line-up contained only three players from last season, settled smoothly into their new formation in a dominant start to Saturday's contest.

Barnett headed a corner over and Waters was twice denied before a rare Ketting attack ended with the ball in the net but an earlier foul on goalkeeper David Cornell ruled the goal out.

Town continued to make the most of the running, and in the 19th minute they had the lead. A neat move down the left culminated in Foley getting to the byline and cutting the ball back to Bowditch, who coolly sent Kettering's Paul White the wrong way to find the bottom corner.

With the two wing-backs enjoying plenty of freedom down either flank, Town maintained their control of both possession and chances, and they came close to adding a swift second on more than one occasion but Foley - three times in three minutes - and Ash Taylor were both thwarted.

Bowditch then fluffed his lines when presented with a golden opening to double his and Northampton's tally, dragging his shot wide, before White just about clung on to Phillips' fierce drive and followed that up by keeping out Waters from close-range as chances arrived in a flurry for the visitors.

The Cobblers were unable to extend their lead prior to half-time despite continuing to dominate, and they picked up from where they left off in the second-half with White at full stretch to save well from Richards' venomous free-kick.

Though Kettering did improve and come more into the game, their equaliser on 54 minutes was something of a bolt from the blue. Having picked up possession 40 yards from goal, Richens unleashed what seemed a speculative long-range effort which deceived Cornell and nestled into the bottom corner.

The Poppies had been second best up until that stage but the equaliser gave them the confidence to go at their League One opponents, and they should have gone ahead when Rene Howe hooked over from close-range.

In what was now a far more even and competitive affair, Town regained their composure and nearly re-took the lead themselves but neither Waters nor any of his team-mates could force the ball over the line from Brendan Moloney's low cross.

Moloney's arrival, in place of Phillips, had made a notable difference to the visitors as he lashed just wide from inside the box, but the best chance fell to Bowditch, who failed to hit the target with the goal gaping after a fumble from keeper White.

White made amends for that by excellently denying substitute Daniel Powell from an acute angle, and there was then some late worry for the Cobblers when Foley picked up some kind of leg injury and was forced off.

Northampton chased a late winner and Moloney almost found it but he was denied by the woodwork in the final minute, meaning it was left to a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner and Kettering scored all five spot-kicks to take victory.

Cobblers: Cornell, Phillips (Moloney 61), Barnett, A Taylor, Poole, Smith (Buchanan 61), Kasim, Foley (M Taylor 87), Waters (Powell 70), Bowditch, Richards

Subs not used: Goff, Lobjoit

Kettering: White, Bateman, Brighton, Mulligan, Langdon, Meikle, Miles, Hoenes, Hicks, O'Connor, Howe

Subs: Richens, Meakin, Baker, Boeland, Stohrer, Solkhon, Sundrie

Referee: Ian Rathbone

Richard Levi smashed a stunning 88 from 43 balls - but the Steelbacks were beaten in a rain-affected game at Trent Bridge.

Nottinghamshire Outlaws recorded a 12-run win on the Duckworth-Lewis method to leave Northants frustrated.

On the previous evening, the weather had helped the Steelbacks, who won by two runs on the D-L method at Leicestershire Foxes.

But things evened themselves out inside just 24 hours as Notts' flying start - they were 52-0 when rain stopped play after 5.1 overs - earned the hosts a welcome win.

Only five overs were needed in the reply to constitute a game and the Outlaws just managed to get enough of their innings as Alex Hales (30no) and Rikki Wessels (14no) ensured it would be their team who took the spoils.

It was irksome for Northants, who had racked up 195 for eight after being put into bat, with Richard Levi the star of the show.

The big-hitting South African batsman smashed a superb 88 from just 43 balls, including seven fours and eight sixes, as the champions took control early on.

But Notts fought back well with the ball and the bat, meaning that they had the edge when the weather intervened.

The Steelbacks remain second in the North Group with three wins from their opening six matches and they will now prepare to host Worcestershire Rapids on Thursday night.

David Ripley's men were keen to win at Trent Bridge, which is a ground they have not been victorious on in a 20-over match.

And after skipper Alex Wakely lost the toss, the Steelbacks were put into bat, just as they had been at Leicestershire on the previous evening.

Samit Patel bowled a tight first over, with Levi managing just one four from it as the Steelbacks registered five runs.

The second over was similarly quiet, but Levi then got into his stride in the third, smashing a four and two sixes off the bowling of England man Jake Ball.

The Steelbacks were going at a rapid rate, with Adam Rossington also in the runs, but he was to go from the final ball of the fifth over as he was trapped LBW by Ish Sodhi for 17.

That brought Ben Duckett to the crease, with the batsman aiming to emulate his heroics of finals day last year, when he struck a superb 84 against Notts in the semi-final success.

Duckett introduced himself with a four and Levi continued to go well at the other end as the Steelbacks reached 63 for one at the conclusion of the powerplay.

Levi took a blow to the head in the eighth over and with him only having returned from concussion on the previous evening, there was a little concern around.

The ball had flown over the wicketkeeper for four and Levi was able to shrug off the impact as he looked to continue his fine form.

And Levi was to reach his half-century from just 26 balls with successive sixes, bringing up the Steelbacks' ton in the process.

Nottinghamshire were desperate to stem the tide and after Steven Mullaney conceded just three runs from his first over, Luke Wood bowled Duckett for 28.

The Steelbacks sent Rory Kleinveldt in at four in a bid to keep the pressure on, but the all-rounder went first ball to give Wood a hat-trick chance.

Wakely saw it out, but Nottinghamshire now had their tails up and Levi escaped as his sliced shot fell short of two advancing fielders.

Notts did think they had Levi when Mullaney took a catch on the boundary, but Wood had bowled a no-ball and the Steelbacks star escaped on 81.

But Levi did go in the next over, skying it and being caught by Hales off the bowling of Sodhi for a magnificent 88.

And Sodhi struck again in his next over, having Rob Keogh caught behind for eight as the Steelbacks innings started to stall a little.

Wakely hit a six off Patel before the bowler missed a sharp caught and bowled chance from the Steelbacks skipper.

But Wakely was to go for 19 in the next over as Wood took the catch off Harry Gurney and the Outlaws had fought back, leaving their opponents 170 for six from 17.1 overs.

Steven Crook came in and lashed a six, but Rob Newton was out for eight as he top edged a Gurney delivery and wicketkeeper Tom Moores took an easy catch.

Crook then found third man to go for 13, but Ben Sanderson finished the innings with a flourish, smashing Gurney for six off the final ball to set Notts 196 to win.

Sanderson then produced a tidy first over with the ball, conceding just two runs from it.

However, Notts got lift-off in the second, taking 16 runs off Richard Gleeson and then 13 off Kleinveldt in the next.

They hosts continued to motor on and when the rain started to come down, they had no issue with heading off as they were well ahead, earning them the victory.

Nottinghamshire Outlaws: Wessels, Hales, Patel, Christian (c), Taylor, Mullaney, Moores (wk), Wood, Sodhi, Ball, Gurney.

Steelbacks: Levi, Rossington (wk), Newton, Duckett, Wakely (c), Keogh, Crook, Kleinveldt, Sanderson, Gleeson, Shamsi.

Attendance: 7,638

Northants lost by 12 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method as the rain intervened after just 5.1 overs of the Notts reply.

The Outlaws had raced to 52 without loss thanks to an unbeaten 30 from Alex Hales and 14 not out from Rikki Wessels.

And that put them well ahead of the rate as they replied to the Steelbacks' 195 for eight, in which Levi lashed 88 from just 43 balls to earn the man of the match award.

"It's not that great because you want to get the performance out there to get the boys over the line," Levi said.

"Obviously the weather's had an impact today.

"I'm happy to get a couple of runs, but obviously disappointed with the result.

"It was not the worst pitch I've batted on.

"If they got the ball in the right area, there was still a bit of nibble and bounce but in general, with a decent wicket and small boundaries, you hope to score some runs.

"It's one of those where you could give yourself a bit of extra time and you could always catch up.

"It's one of those where we almost tried too hard and kept losing wickets.

"They bowled quite well to drag it back and taking wickets slows down the rate.

"We obviously didn't get to quite where we wanted, but if you'd said we'd get to 195 at the beginning of the day, we'd had bitten your arm off.

"We were looking for 210-220 and maybe we should have got there."

Northampton dominated the first-half and should have been out of sight by half-time but a hatful of missed chances, combined with Michael Richens' stunning 40-yard strike that caught David Cornell unawares, meant it was left to a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner.

And Kettering successfully converted all five spot-kicks to prevail, with Dean Bowditch, who netted Town's opener on 18 minutes, the only man to miss when denied by a fine save.

It means the Cobblers have failed to beat two non-league teams in a week following Wednesday's defeat to AFC Rushden & Diamonds, and whilst it's far too early to sound any alarm bells, Edinburgh conceded there is much room for improvement.

"It was a game of two halves really," he reflected. "I thought we started well but as it wore on we became more disjointed and wasteful in possession and that would be the disappointing thing for me.

"In the last couple of games our passing and decision-making hasn't been up to where we want it to be so that's disappointing.

"We've got some players through 90 minutes which is what we looked for first and foremost."

Only three of Northampton's starting XI on Saturday were at the club last season as several new signings featured in a new-look 3-5-2 formation, but Edinburgh was not prepared to use that as an excuse for his side's sloppy display, even if it was a mitigating factor.

He added: "There's a lot of new bodies who have come in and some still to come in so we're in a rush to try and bed them in but as a group now we know how we're going to play and the system we're going to play, so now it's down to personnel to make their claim for each position.

"Whether you know each other or not you should be able to complete 10 and 15 yard passes and that frustrated me more than anything today - it was a lack of care in possession of the ball, but that's what pre-season is for."

Could your kids be playing with a hidden fortune? According to new data, households across the UK could contain more than £50 million worth of highly-collectable LEGO.

The iconic building block toy has seen an average year-on-year increase of 12 per cent in value since the millennium, according to Zapper.co.uk.

That’s a better return than you’d get with gold, say the tech trade-in company, who in 2017 have traded tens of thousands in LEGO already.

However, they estimate that a potential £54m fortune – based on average LEGO trade-in prices – is sitting in attics, disused toy boxes and cupboards across the UK.

In total there are around 48 million pieces in the UK - enough to build a life-size replica of Buckingham Palace (and even a little Royal Family to sit inside).

The company say that loose LEGO still holds value and can be a great money maker for enthusiasts. However, it’s the rare and collectable items which are causing the spike in value, with some figurines and sets are selling for staggering amounts.

LEGO’s most valuable figurines

1. Mr Gold Figurine - £1,799.99

2. The Hobbit: Azog - £1,756.66

3. Star Wars: Boba Fet (Cloud City) - £280

4. Guardians of the Galaxy: The Collector - £278.27

5. DC Legends of Tomorrow: Atom - £170

6. Star Wars: White Boba Fet - £170

7. Star Wars: Lando Calrissian (Cloud City) - £115.94

8. Lord of The Rings: Bilbo Baggins - £75

9. Harry Potter: Professor Trelawney - £59

10. Harry Potter: Beletrix Lestrange Dual Face - £49.99

11. Harry Potter: Hagrid - £49

LEGO’s most valuable sets

1. Star Wars: Ultimate Collector’s Millennium Falcon – selling for £3,113.02 (RP £342.49)

2. Café Corner – selling for £2,499.96 (RP £89.99)

3. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Castle 5378 – selling for £1,617.46 (RP £69.99)

4. Harry Potter: The Knight Bus – selling for £221.03 (RP £29.99)

5. Star Wars: Death Star 10143 – selling for £3,189.99 (RP £249.99)

6. Green Grocer 10185 – selling for £1,629.95 (RP £99.99)

7. Lego Batman: The Tumbler, Joker’s Ice Cream Surprise – selling for £679.99 (RP £39.99)

8. Emerald Night Train Set – selling for £989.95 (RP £69.99)

Patrick Neill, CEO of Zapper, commented: “There’s more than 48 million pieces of LEGO in the UK, which means the potential for re-sale is huge. If the whole of the UK were to cash in on their collections, it would mean seriously big money. Of course, that’s not going to happen, but what our data does reveal is that there’s huge potential for those with LEGO collecting dust to make some fast money.”

Many loft-diggers have already got wise to the golden bricks, with some unusual ‘hot-spots’ in the top ten - which in total have shifted 624,500 pieces of LEGO this year to date.

Two pack sizes of Doritos have been recalled by their manufacturer due to allergy concerns.

The Chilli Heatwave snacks have been pulled from shelves by parent company Pepsico, because they contain milk, which is not mentioned on the label.

This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents.

The affected product details are: Doritos Chilli Heatwave, pack size: 150g with a best-before date of 07/10/2017, batch codes: GBC209 166 and GBC209 167 (time code affected between 23:47 - 01:00) 7174

And, 90g Doritos Chilli Heatwave, with best-before date of 07/10/2017 and batch codes: GBC207 166 and GBC207 167 (time code affected between 23:47 - 01:00) 7187

No other PepsiCo products are known to be affected.

A company statement read:

“If you have bought the above product and have an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents, do not eat it. Instead please call PepsiCo’s consumer care line on 0800 274777 for a full refund.”

As we head into a bit of a video game lull until things start to heat up in September let’s take a look at some interesting bits of gaming news doing the rounds at the moment.

From a new character for Street Fighter V gamers to a PlayStation 5 announcement and a look ahead to what is shaping up to be one of the most interesting games of the decade Days Gone.

Street Fighter V gets all new character

Abigail, the biggest lad in all of Metro City, is the next character to join Street Fighter V as part of the Season 2 Character Pass.

Previously appearing in the classic Capcom beat ‘em up series Final Fight, Abigail joins the Street Fighter gang on the July 25, and brings with him a fearsome set of bulked biceps and a passion for cars.

His skill set is said to utilise his considerable belly with the ‘Hungabee’ V-Skill, charge up your heavy punch through the ‘Max Power’ V-Trigger, or drive your opponent over the finish line with Abigail’s Critical Art.

Gamers will also get his Metro Bay Area stage as well as his Story and Premium Battle costumes.

PS5 is confirmed but no date set... yet

There was good news and bad news for PlayStation fans recently.

Rumours began circulating that the PS5 would be released in 2018 to compete with the Xbox X - which is due out in November.

And while there was confirmation a PS5 is in the pipeline, Sony’s Shawn Layden suggested the wait could be much longer.

Layden said that it would “probably be some time” before the PS5 is released, which suggests that talk of a 2018 launch is premature.

Days Gone alternate trailer

At this year’s E3 Sony showed off a gameplay demo of its action-adventure survival horror, Days Gone.

There was another version of this demo shown behind closed-doors, showing off the game’s dynamic events, and Sony has now released this version for all and sundry to see for themselves.

And I recommend checking it out on YouTube because Days Gone - due out early 2018 - looks like a video game landscape changer.

Most of us can’t tell what’s wrong with a faked picture - underlining the threat to democracy by the spread of made up propaganda, a study shows.

A study of more than 700 people found four in ten couldn’t tell a fake picture from a real one.

Their success rate at detecting a phony image of a real-world scene was only 60 per cent, said scientists.

And even then those that did notice something wrong could only spot what it was 45% of the time.

The findings shed fresh light on the growing problem of fake news - seen during the recent UK and US elections.

Lead author Sophie Nightingale, a PhD student at Warwick University, said: “Our study found although people performed better than chance at detecting and locating image manipulations, they are far from perfect.

“This has serious implications because of the high-level of images - and possibly fake images - people are exposed to on a daily basis through social networking sites, the internet and the media.”

She said the phenomenon could endanger national security as well as democracy.

Ms Nightingale said: “The rise of photographic manipulation has consequences across almost all domains from law enforcement and national security through to scientific publication, politics, media and advertising.

“Currently however science knows very little about people’s ability to distinguish between original and fake images.

“The question of whether people can identify when images have been manipulated and what has been manipulated in the images of real world scenes remains unanswered.”

The study published in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications used a bank of 40 images created from 10 originals sourced from Google Images - six of which were changed in five different ways.

These included both plausible and implausible physical manipulations to create 30 altered pictures.

The 707 participants in the online test were shown 10 images at random that included each of the five manipulated types and five originals and were never shown the same one twice.

An average 60 percent were correctly identified as being manipulated when participants were asked “Do you think this photo has been digitally altered?” - just over the chance performance of 50%.

But of the people that answered “yes” only an average 45 percent of manipulations could be correctly located when a grid was placed over the image and participants were prompted to select the regions where a change had been made.

Co-author Dr Derrick Watson explained: “We found people were better at detecting physically implausible manipulations but not any better at locating these manipulations, compared to physically plausible manipulations.

“So even though people are able to detect something is wrong they can’t reliably identify what exactly is wrong with the image.

“Images have a powerful influence on our memories so if people can’t differentiate between real and fake details in photos, manipulations could frequently alter what we believe and remember.”

In a second experiment using an image set created by the researchers 659 people completed an online task that tested their ability to locate manipulations regardless of whether or not they said there was one present.

The results revealed ability to detect something wrong was similar - an average 65 percent of the time - to the first experiment.

But manipulations were accurately located in the image 39 percent more of the time than expected by chance.

This suggests people are better at the more direct task of locating manipulations than the more general one of detecting if a photo has been manipulated or not.

Dr Kimberley Wade, another of the researchers, said: “People’s poor ability to identify manipulated photos raises problems in the context of legal proceedings where photos may be used as evidence.

“Jurors and members of the court assume these images to be real, though a manipulated image could go undetected with devastating consequences.

“We need to work to find better ways to protect people from the negative effects of photo manipulation, and we’re now exploring a number of ways that might help people to better detect fakes.”

Last year a study found up to 80 percent of students in the US couldn’t tell the difference between sponsored content and a real news story.

Fake news refers to news from dubious sources, advertising content, or stories that are just totally made up - but which still go viral on Facebook and Twitter.

From fighting fires at the bottom of the table to fighting for silverware at the top.

That is the transformation in expectation that Mitch Eadie has undergone this summer as he targets success and personal improvement at Saints.

Last season, Eadie was a stand-out player for Bristol, who battled bravely against the drop but were eventually relegated from the Premiership.

The ambitious outfit, who look almost certain to win promotion at the first time of asking this season, always had the aim of cementing their top-flight status.

But in the end, it was just a bridge too far for Eadie and Co.

However, while Bristol dropped below England’s top tier, Eadie managed to keep himself afloat with a switch to Saints.

And though Jim Mallinder’s men have underperformed during the past two campaigns, finishing fifth and seventh in the league standings, standards are again set high this season.

Saints will be expected to get back in the top four and start competing for trophies again.

And those lofty aims sit well with back row forward Eadie, who is relishing the challenge alongside his new team-mates.

“It’s another level,” the 25-year-old said.

“There’s a lot to be expected from players and that’s the pressure you need to try to get better.

“It’s probably the best thing about the move for me.”

Eadie scored against Saints back in January, with Bristol pushing Mallinder’s men all the way before eventually losing 32-26 at the Gardens.

And the former Scotland Under-20s player has good memories from his most recent outing on Northampton turf.

“The place as a stadium is brilliant and so are the fans,” Eadie said.

“As soon as you come out onto the pitch, the supporters are there, it’s loud.

“You can see the supporters with their tops on and I was saying the other week that I only went to Tesco and I saw a few people with their Saints shirts on.

“It just shows the support the club’s got and hopefully it can be the same next season to be loud and kick us on.”

The support at Saints should make things easier for Eadie, who admits it was tough to say goodbye to a club that gave him so much.

“Last season at Bristol, we were kind of at the bottom of the table and trying to stay up, but there was an opportunity for me to play in the Premiership next season,” he said.

“For my rugby career, I had to move on.

“It was really hard to say goodbye to Bristol and move on, but I’m looking forward to making new memories up here and get the best out of myself as a player.”

And so to the future...

“We’ve only been in a couple of weeks so I’ve not really seen the full potential of everything here yet, but it seems quite well drilled and organised,” Eadie said.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing how we prepare for game time and how we get the best out of each other.”

Cobblers boss Justin Edinburgh has revealed the preferred choice of system he intends to go with for the forthcoming Sky Bet League One campaign.

Given the huge turnover in players over the summer, with 11 and counting having joined the club amid several departures, Edinburgh has built, on paper at least, a versatile squad capable of playing a variety of systems and formations - and perhaps the one which appeals most is 3-5-2.

Playing three at the back should, in theory, suit the players Edinburgh has at his disposal, especially the four full-backs who are all naturally attack-minded and like to regularly motor forward where they an provide an extra outlet in attack.

Any combination of Leon Barnett, Ash Taylor, Regan Poole and Aaron Pierre will make up the three central defenders while the versatility of Matt Crooks, who could play in defence or midfield, gives Edinburgh another option at the back should he wish to use him there.

That leaves the likes of Sam Foley, John-Joe O'Toole, Yaser Kasim and Matt Taylor, plus Crooks, to battle it out for midfield places behind a player in the number 10 role, which will most likely be occupied by Dean Bowditch, in addition two out-and-out forwards.

It was first trailed in Saturday's Maunsell Cup final against Kettering Town at Wellingborough's Dog & Duck Stadium, with varied results. There were glimpses of promise and potential fluency at times although, understandably, that was mixed with disjointed, ragged spells as the Cobblers eventually went down to defeat on penalties.

But despite some teething troubles, it seems Edinburgh's mind is made up and he plans to go with 3-5-2 on a permanent basis.

"On Saturday we went with three at the back and that's the way we're going to play," he explained. "I thought we moved the ball really well and we used that system very brightly first-half.

"I think with the players we have it suits us well and in the first-half on Saturday we worked with it well.

"The second-half, if you take the system out of the equation, it was a case of being unable to pass the ball. But it's something we'll look to push on with now.

"We need to work our way to a level where we go into the season confident and fluid. We've got a few more weeks to continue the hard work.

"There's a lot of new bodies who have come in and some still to come in so we're in a rush to try and bed them in but as a group now we know how we're going to play and the system we're going to play, so now it's down to personnel to make their claim for each position."

Meanwhile, the biggest worry to come out of Saturday's game was a seemingly serious injury sustained by Foley, who stayed down for a lengthy period of time having hurt his ankle late on.

"Obviously it was a big disappointment that it looks like we've picked up a big injury for Sam Foley which makes the afternoon even more frustrating," added Edinburgh.

"His ankle went under him and the bruising was coming out afterwards.

"It's too early to say but we always try to be optimistic and hopefully it's not too bad, but at the minute it's not looking too great."

Hundreds of supporters turned out at Sixfields for the event, with the smart new claret and white kit being revealed for the first time at lunchtime.

The shirt is mainly claret, but with six vertical white stripes going down from the base of the club crest to the bottom of the shirt.

The kit is completed with plain white shorts, and plain claret socks.

It follows on from the successful launch last month of the black and white away kit, which the team have been wearing in their pre-season games to date.

The new claret home kit is set to be worn for the first time in Tuesday night's friendly with Sky Bet Championship side Derby County at Sixfields.

The kit is available to buy now, and can be purchased online at ntfc.clubstore.co.uk/home-replica

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

MAY 25:

Ioan Mireut, aged 30, of Preston Court, Northampton, stole groceries including sausages, meat products and fruit worth £426.43 belonging to Sainsbury’s; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £20 and costs of £105. Failed to surrender to custody; conditional discharge for 12 months.

MAY 26:

Gheorghe Stoica, aged 23, of Earl Street, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £600, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Munyaradzi Zimowa, aged 27, of Meadow Close, Northampton, breach of a community order; no adjudication, dealt with original offence as follows. Assault; community order to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85 and costs of £70. Failed to surrender to custody; ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.

MAY 27

Jonathan Stein, aged 29, of Kingsthorpe Grove, Northampton, damaged a glass pane on a door; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £20, compensation of £100 and costs of £85.

MAY 30

Connor Malone, aged 24, of Dryleys Court, Northampton, stole a box of Galaxy chocolate; community order made. Stole a case of Galaxy cookies and a case of Dairy Milk worth £24 belonging to Aldi; community order made, ordered to pay compensation worth £24. Possession of cannabis; community order made. Stole laundry products worth £45 belonging to Select Convenience; community order made and ordered to pay compensation of £45. Failed to comply with a community order; no adjudication, dealt with original offence as follows. Stole baby milk, drink and a kitchen towel worth £33.97 belonging to Tesco; community order made. Stole toiletries worth £658.80 belonging to Wilkinsons; community order made. Stole items worth £101.98 belonging to Halfords; community order made.

MAY 31:

Aaron Cox, aged 34, of St Paul’s Court, Norfolk Terrace, Northampton, harassment; jailed for 42 days suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £115 and costs of £85.

Andrew Gammage, aged 50, of Riverside, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; suspended sentence of 140 days suspended for two years imposed, ordered to pay costs of £60.

Lukasz Kierpal, aged 35, of Junction Road, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; no adjudication, dealt with original offence as follows: Drink-driving with a breath test reading of 53mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 150 hours of unpaid worlk. Possession of class A and class B drugs; community order to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. Used threatening or abusive words or behaviour; community order to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

Scott Miller, aged 40, of The Briars, Northampton, assault; jailed for 56 days suspended for 18 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £115 and costs of £85. Assault; jailed for 56 days consecutive suspended for 17 months.

JUNE 1

Paul Spiers, aged 35, of Axe Head Road, Northampton, assault; pleaded guilty sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentence.

Ryan Thornhill, aged 19, of Gordon Street, Semilong, Northampton, broke into Teddy’s barber shop and stole electronic items worth £2,280; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85 and costs of £150.

JUNE 2

Marian Pavel, aged 42, of Lowick Court, Northampton, driving while using a mobile phone; fined £300, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with eight points. No insurance; fined £40.

Razvan Vasile, aged 38, of Arrow Head Road, Northampton, no insurance; fined £200, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. No test certificated; fined £66.

Shaun Roadnight, aged 37, of Crowthorp Road, Northampton, possession of a class C drug; conditional discharge for six months.

JUNE 5

Samuel Congreve, aged 20, of Worcester Way, Stefen Hill, Daventry, driving without due care and attention; fined £180, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Aaron Evans, aged 31, of Friars Crescent, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 80mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £392, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £39 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Tina Ferrio, aged 57, of St Michael’s Avenue, Northampton, sent an electronic message that was grossly offensive; conditional discharge of 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £20 and costs of £85.

Alexandru Frunzeano, aged 27, of Baker Street, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 67mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £323, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £32 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 18 months.

Michael Jarrold, aged 33, of Harlestone Road, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 68mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £120, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 18 months.

Michael Keable, aged 31, of Kingsley Road, Silverstone, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 57mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £205, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 15 months.

Anthony O’Beirne, aged 28, of Lark Rise, Woodfields, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 91mcgs of 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work; ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85 and costs of £95, banned from driving for 23 months.

Christopher Pym, aged 31, of Belfry Way, Borough Hill, Daventry, drink-driving; fined £120, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 18 months. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £40, no insurance; fined £80.

Charles Rollin, aged 48, of Mill Lane, Northampton , used threatening or abusive words or behaviour; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30, compensation of £50 and costs of £85. Possession of cannabis; conditional discharge for 12 months.

Aleisha Sampson, aged 37, of Entwood Drive, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 105mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 26 months.

Dean Sergent, aged 35, of Churchill Avenue, Northampton, stole razor blades worth £80 from Morrisons; conditional discharge for 12 months. Stole tracksuit bottoms worth £32.99 belonging to Sports Direct; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £20 and costs of £85.

Isaac Sweeney, aged 37, of Monmouth Road, Northampton, stole a quantity of Jack Daniels worth £125 belonging to Asda; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £20, compensation of £125 and costs of £45.

Dawid Leszek, aged 29, of Semilong Road, Northampton, no insurance; no separate penalty. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. Stole a car; jailed for three months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £115 and costs of £85.

Rosalind Casey, aged 44, of Stonebridge Court, Northampton, assaulted a police officer; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £20 and cost of £85.

Eugen Chiriac, aged 27, of Wellingborough Road, Northampton, driving while disqualified; jailed for eight weeks. No insurance; no separate penalty. Additional offence of driving while disqualified; jailed for 18 weeks,ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £115 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Dawid Leszek, aged 29, of Semilong Road, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; no adjudication, dealt with original offence as follows. Caused another person to fear violence; jailed for three months suspended for 18 months.

Joe Webber, aged 32, of Old Watling Street, Long Buckby Wharf, stole two strimmers worth £200 belonging to Harlestone Heath Garden Centre; jailed for 12 weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £116, compensation for £120 and costs of £85.

JUNE 6:

Daniel Moore, aged 24, of no fixed abode, drug-driving; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 14 months. Driving while disqualified; community order made. No insurance; no separate penalty. Had a lock knife in a public place without good reason. Had an imitation firearm, namely a cigarette lighter disguised as a Beretta pistol; community order made.

Marta Kostanska, aged 33, Manfield Road, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 42mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £300,ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 12 months. Failed to surrender to custody; fined £100.

Ahmad Ansari, aged 21, of Balfour Close, Northampton, no insurance; fined £346, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £34 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Messages claiming to be from WhatsApp are being sent by fraudsters intending to steal banking and personal information.

Action Fraud - the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime - has received reports of emails and texts being received by long-term users of the messaging app, claiming that their subscriptions have expired.

However, WhatsApp stopped charging users in 2016 following the company’s acquisition by Facebook, who took over after buying it for £11.4bn in 2016.

The claim your “subscription will be ending soon” and ‘bill’ for a fee of 0.99p is an attempt to gather banking information.

It follows other problems for WhatsApp customers - last year some users were being tricked into downloading a fake ‘gold’ version of WhatsApp which infected Android devices with malware.

Users are advised that if they receive one of these emails or text messages, not to click on any links. Instead, they should delete it and report it to Action Fraud at http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud. Anyone who does click on one of the links, should run antivirus software to ensure your device has not been infected with malware.

The UK could be set to bask in three months of hot weather as an ‘African blast’ of hot air heads north to Britain.

Forecasters say the UK is likely to enjoy higher than average temperatures between July and September with highs of as much as 36 degrees predicted for the three month period

The first few days of this week will be unsettled with some areas experiencing showers, but following this, highs of around 30C will be reached in some parts of the country.

The Met Office’s prediction for July to September says: “The chances of a very hot summer are increased compared to normal, although relatively low overall.

“There is a shift in likelihood towards warmer-than-average conditions.

“For July-September, above-average temperatures are more probable than below-average.

“The probability UK average temperatures fall into the warmest of our five categories is 30 per cent. The coldest category is 10 per cent.”

And Brian Gaze, forecaster at The Weather Outlook, said: “Highs of 36C are on the cards this summer, with warm air expected to blow in from Africa. After a superb start to summer, bursts of heat ahead have the potential to be hot, hot, hot.

“A plume of very warm air could arrive from midweek, with temperatures approaching or exceeding 30C in the south.”

Discount clothes retail giant Primark has recalled pairs of flip-flop over fears they contain a chemical linked to cancer.

Three pairs of flip flops sold in the store for almost six months this year have been recalled by the clothes store.

A Primark spokesman confirmed the flip flops contain chrysene, which is commonly used in dark-coloured dyes.

The following product codes are affected:

Kimball Numbers:

Khaki - 02387/07, 08, 09

Black - 02387/01, 02, 03

Blue - 02387/04, 05, 06

The product was on sale in stores from the 4th January 2017 to the 2nd June 2017.

A statement issued by the firm said: “It has come to our attention that the footwear product detailed above does not meet the Primark usual high standards for chemical compliance. We have found levels of a restricted substance in the product in excess of the 1.0 mg/kg requirement.

“With the safety of our customers and respect for the environment at the forefront of our minds we have taken the decision to recall this product and are therefore inviting you to return this item for a full refund.

“If you have purchased this product then please return it to any Primark store where you will be offered a full refund. You will not be required to provide proof of purchase.