CCTV images of a man and a woman, who police wish to speak with in connection with the theft of a mobile phone, have been released.

The theft happened after the victim placed his mobile phone in the waiting area of the NatWest Bank in Weston Favell Shopping Centre, Northampton. He then went to the cashier desk, and while there, the mobile phone was stolen.

The theft happened sometime between 9am and 9.30am on Wednesday, September 21.

Officers are looking to identify the man and woman pictured who may be able to assist the investigation.

Anyone with information can contact Northamptonshire police on 101. Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Police body camera footage helps to secure the conviction of a Northampton man for domestic violence despite the victim opting not to give evidence in court.

David Daubrah, 28, of Abington Street was found guilty of assault by beating and admitted police assault when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 6 September.

Daubrah assaulted the victim in Newark at 5pm on Sunday 19 June, 2016, which gave her a black eye and causing pain in her jaw and neck.

Temporary Detective Inspector, Clare Dean, said: The officers involved in this case acted with utmost professionalism and their actions under challenging circumstances helped secure Daubrah’s conviction.

“The outcome also highlights the benefits of using body-worn cameras, particularly in cases such as this when the victim of the crime does not want to give evidence in court.”

PC John Chappell was one of the first officers on the scene, along with PC Andrew Shaw and PC Emma Weatherhill.

He was then kicked several times in the legs by Daubrah, who also spat in his face before being arrested. PC Chappell had informed Daubrah he was being recorded by a body camera.

PC Shaw then spoke to the victim who confirmed Daubrah was responsible for her injuries and PC Weatherhill witnessed Daubrah’s aggressive demeanour and took photos of the victim’s injuries.

Despite Daubrah denying the offences and the victim opting not to give evidence in court, the offender was found guilty of assault by beating by a jury, who took into account the three officers’ clear and consistent accounts of what had happened when they arrived on the scene, photos to support their evidence, a witness account and Daubrah’s history of violence.

Officers also took into account that Daubrah’s statement was not credible because body camera footage recorded him saying the victim had walked into a door, while in police interview he said she was hit by a tree.

Daubrah was released on conditional bail to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 6.

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Fire crews were called to Kettering Town FC’s old ground this afternoon to put out a fire in the changing rooms.

The neighbouring New York Thunderbowl in Rockingham Road was evacuated as a precaution while four crews from Kettering and Corby put out the fire.

They were called at about 4.30pm this afternoon (Tuesday, October 4).

Api Ratuniyarawa says it is ‘an honour’ to be part of the Saints squad.

The Fiji lock moved to Northampton from French club Agen at the end of last month.

And he made his first appearance in the green, black and gold in the Wanderers’ 45-10 Aviva A League win against Wasps A on Monday night.

Ratuniyarawa has been revelling in training alongside some world stars at Saints.

And he said: “It’s been an honour to come and play with them.

“They are international players, very good players and I like playing with Courtney Lawes, Louis Picamoles and the England captain (Dylan Hartley).

“It will really help me in my game and everyone works hard here.

“I followed most of the Saints games on television and YouTube, looking at games from last season and the beginning of this season.

“I was impressed with how they play and it will be good for me to be part of this team.”

Ratuniyarawa had been on the Saints radar for some time before he finally managed to agree an early release from his Agen contract.

And he said: “We were trying to sort out my release from France and it takes time for me to get my release to come over here.

“I am happy I’m here now and I’m looking forward to the challenge here.

“I’ve been settling in well, the boys are really welcoming and I’ve played with Campese for Fiji. We’re good mates.

“I know the Samoan boys as well, so they’re good lads and they’ve been very helpful.

“I spoke to Campese about the club and how they operated before I moved and I got a good idea of what to look forward to.

“It’s been what I expected in terms of training and now it’s time to learn all of the plays and it’s been good so far.”

David Ripley has hailed ‘Mr Reliable’ David Murhpy after the wicketkeeper agreed to extend his Northants contract by a further year.

Murphy enjoyed a respectable season, taking 33 catches in 11 County Championship Division Two matches and chipping in with 335 runs.

The 27-year-old is a product of the Academy at the County Ground and was part of both the 2013 and 2016-winning T20 squads.

And head coach Ripley has nothing but praise for the experienced campaigner.

“I am delighted to have ‘Mr Reliable’ back on board for another season,” Ripley said.

“Murph is very popular with everybody at the club, players, staff and supporters and is a top professional.”

Murphy is delighted to be sticking around.

And he said: “I am very pleased to be continuing my career at Northamptonshire.

“I have played here since I was 16 and the place means a lot to me.

“The club has enjoyed some incredible success over the last few years and I’m very glad to be a part of it.”

Meanwhile, Northants batsman Ben Duckett made an appearance for England in their tour match against BCB Select XI on Tuesday.

Duckett, batting at three, hit 29 from 37 balls as England chased down the victory target of 310 to win by four wickets.

The eerie atmosphere inside an almost entirely deserted Ricoh Arena spoke volumes about the apathetic attitude of many towards this wholly uninspiring competition, and that was further reflected in Northampton’s rather fittingly limp exit.

It resembled more of a pre-season friendly than a competitive encounter between two relatively local rivals, the distinct disillusionment with his terribly reformatted competition all too evident on another bizarre evening that couldn’t even a dramatic start couldn’t liven up.

It says a lot about the seriousness of a competition when the authorities feel the need to force managers into picking a relatively strong team or risk being fined, and even then clubs find a way around it.

For Northampton, there were nine changes from Saturday’s team and the understandably disjointed line-up were second best for much of a lacklustre affair against a close to full strength Coventry side.

Aside from a brief second-half flurry, the Cobblers went down to defeat without much of a fight, thus sealing their fate and crushing thousands of Checkatrade Trophy dreams.

Amazingly, though, they still have to go through the farce of hosting West Ham United U23s for the final group next month despite the fact neither team can qualify. Talk about a hard sell.

One wonders what the powers that be were thinking when they came up with a group stage format. Did they not foresee the fact that there will inevitably be dead rubbers? Where clubs will have to spend time, money and effort staging a game that is utterly irrelevant?

The idea of encouraging youngsters to play men’s football competitively is all well and good but not when it comes at the detriment of football league clubs, and this competition only serves to clog up the fixture list and degrade those outside the Premier League.

The problem is only further exacerbated by a combination of EFL rules, which dictate who managers can and can’t pick, and the new restrictions on loan deals.

The decision to abolish short-term loans is a particularly bewildering one because it has only resulted in clubs like Northampton stockpiling players, and mainly young players at that. In no way can that be beneficial for their development – which was the very point of shaking up the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in the first place.

The whole thing is counterproductive.

Take a trio of regulars from last season’s title-winning squad for example.

Rod McDonald, Lawson D’Ath and Joel Byrom have played a grand total of 370 minutes of football between them this term. How on earth is that good for player development? Yet there is nothing they can do and nowhere they can go.

Of course they could stake their claim for more regular game-time in the three Checkatrade Group matches... only for the EFL to decide that clubs should not be allowed to make full use of their resources.

The whole situation is a mess, and nothing highlighted that more than a 95 per cent empty Ricoh Arena.

At least we did witness a potential future star on show as fleet-footed teenager Jodi Jones pulled the strings and wreaked havoc throughout the first-half, his sharp movement and quick footwork too hot for the Northampton defence to handle.

He might well have had a first-half hat-trick on another day but his seventh-minute goal was added to by Daniel Agyei as Coventry led 2-1 at half-time.

Ruben Lameiras’ superb second-half lob then left Northampton’s Checkatrade Trophy dreams hanging by a thread, and indeed that would be enough to end their stay in the competition, much to the and relief delight of their own fans.

That in itself says everything you need to know. What a sad state of affairs.

How they rated...

David Cornell - Might have done better for the opener, needed a stronger wrist to palm the shot away. Got fortunate with another fumble too but handling was otherwise OK... 6

Aaron Phillips - The dangerous Jones gave him problems but he grew into the game and eventually found his feet to remind everyone he’s a more than capable back up for Moloney... 7

Lewin Nyatanga - Should have done better to close down Agyei when the Coventry man found too much space to score. Shaky first-half but did look more at ease in the second... 6

Rod McDonald - Rusty on his first appearance of the season and both Jones and Agyei took full advantage when waltzing through to score. Like Nyatanga, became more steady as the game wore on... 6

David Buchanan - The only ever-present left this season as once again he played the full 90 minutes while others were given the night off, though will be disappointed by how Lameiras got the wrong side for the third... 6

Emmanuel Sonupe - Full debut and looked a little lost in an anonymous 45 minutes. Replaced at half-time... 5

John-Joe O’Toole - Found himself too deep and too far away from the opposition goal to really make an impact... 6

Jak McCourt - No doubting his attitude as he threw himself around but was too careless in possession... 6

Kenji Gorre - Bright and lively as he picked up good positions and always tried to make something happen. Carried his side’s biggest threat... 7 CHRON STAR MAN

JJ Hooper - Did well to set up Richards and work himself into other promising positions but needs to get his head up more and work on his end product... 7

Marc Richards - Positive night for the skipper who scored his 50th goal for the club and got through over an hour unscathed which will help his bid for a regular starting berth... 7

Substitutes

Harry Beautyman - 6

Sam Hoskins - 6

Lawson D’Ath - 6

A planning inquiry is ongoing into plans to build more than 100 homes on land in Wellingborough.

Hampton Brook Ltd submitted an outline planning application for land adjacent to 199, Northampton Road, to be developed for residential use.

But the proposal for up to 102 houses was turned down by Wellingborough Council last year on various grounds, including the proposed development would lead to the irretrievable loss of environmentally important open space and an important

amenity area.

Hampton Brook Ltd chose to appeal the council’s decision and the planning inquiry has been taking place at Swanspool House.

It started last Tuesday and will continue this week.

The inquiry will see each side presenting its case verbally before an inpector and the witnesses for each side can be cross-examined by the opposing parties.

Issues discussed on Thursday included how much affordable housing there is in Wellingborough and whether the council will meet its targets for this, the economic benefits of the proposed development and the potential loss of green space if the scheme went ahead.

The closing submissions are due to be heard later this week and then the planning inspector will go away to consider the appeal and make her decision.

Members of the public can attend the inquiry.

For further information about times, click here

A 20-year-old budding interior designer from Wellingborough is competing in the first Miss England semi-final heat and hoping to win the 2017 crown.

Jemma Johnstone is one of 14 contestants taking part in the heat.

She is hoping to win as many votes as possible before the deadline on Friday, October 28.

Miss England director Angie Beasley said: “The girls are invited to raise awareness and funds for the Miss World Charity ‘Beauty with a Purpose’. The judging panel will decide who is the most photogenic and has promoted themselves and the charity the most, including gaining votes through the public vote.

“At least one winner will then be selected for the Miss England Semi final at Kelham Hall in Nottinghamshire in June 2017.

“The competition is about being beautiful inside and out, we are not just looking for a pretty face.

Former Moulton School student Jemma is currently studying to become an interior designer and has already worked on a number of homes including her parents’ and grandmother’s.

She said: “I got a passion for decorating when I used to watch programmes like Changing Rooms when I was younger and it carried on from there!

“I recently converted two rooms of my grandmother’s house into one room.

“I do most of the work myself, I’m always covered in paint.”

Jemma needs your support to help win the Miss England Semi Final heat title.

You can vote for Jemma by texting MISS SEMI05 to 63333. Text votes costs 50p.

Or alternatively, vote by calling 0901 307 1218 and then enter the two digit code (05) of the contestant when prompted. Phone votes costs 52p plus standard network rate.

The voting line closes at midday on Friday, October 28.

Weetabix has released a range of limited edition ‘first harvest’ packs to mark the first of its yellow box cereals to contain crop from this year’s harvest.

The firm says its exclusive range of first harvest packs represents the very best of British wheat farming in 2016, with all wheat for its classic Yellow Box cereal sourced from within 50 miles of its Burton Latimer factory.

Despite not reaching the record levels set last year, given the low sunlight levels in June, early samples suggest a relatively solid year for wheat quality, with an estimated 14.8 million tonnes to be harvested this season.

And natural protein levels in the wheat crop have been found to be at their highest levels for a decade.

Weetabix strategic sourcing manager Hitesh Bhatia said: “Our ultimate goal is to supply British consumers with the highest quality and most sustainable product that can be sourced in the UK.

“Every single one of the 365 grains found in a Weetabix biscuit is packed with essential protein and wholegrain goodness.

“Not only that, it’s bound by the fantastic relationship we have with our wheat merchants and our local farmers, who we continue to work closely with to improve conditions within the wheat growing industry every year.”

Now in its sixth year, Weetabix’s industry leading protocol goes beyond the requirements of the Red Tractor Assurance Scheme and Entry Level Environmental Stewardship scheme to further reduce food miles and fertilizer usage.

The protocol covers a series of commitments to guarantee the quality of the wholegrain wheat and to ensure the protection of the local environment.

Farmer Robert Barnes, whose farm in Bedfordshire supplies wheat to Weetabix, said: “We’ve been growing wheat for Weetabix for the past decade and it’s fantastic to think that our product will once again be served at kitchen tables all over the country on a daily basis.

“As stipulated by Weetabix’s protocol, we endeavour to produce wheat to the highest quality, while meeting our own very strict standards for sustainability, and despite disappointing weather conditions in June, we have managed to produce another batch of the finest quality grain.”

Here’s the latest drone footage as work continues on the multi-million pound Rushden Lakes scheme.

John Bancroft has been using a drone to film the site just off the A45 since work started, with this latest footage being taken early on Saturday morning.

It shows how the major retail and leisure development is taking shape ahead of the first phase opening next Spring.

This latest footage shows the progress being made on the main structures, which will house many of the shops, as well as the car parking areas which can be clearly seen from the air.

The video also shows work progressing on the area near to the waterside.

As well as being available on Youtube, Mr Bancroft’s drone footage has been shown on a screen in the Rushden Waitrose store which is just across the A45 from the former Skew Bridge site.

The footage also includes some great views looking across Rushden and the surrounding area.

Once finished, the 244-acre site will boast names such as H&M, Primark, New Look, River Island, Joules, L’Occitane, Jigsaw, Phase Eight, Clarks, Tiger and Costa Coffee as well as numerous restaurants.

The first phase of the £140 million development is due to open next Spring, with attention then turning to the second phase which includes the cinema.

The leisure and tourism destination is expected to create about 2,500 jobs.

Cobblers made a meek exit from the much-derided Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday evening when they were deservedly beaten 3-1 by Coventry City in front of an almost entirely empty Ricoh Arena.

It was another uninspiring performance from Northampton as Coventry showed more hunger to win the game, but few tears will be shed at the club over their limp exit given the apathetic attitude towards this competition, although you wouldn't have guessed that given the chaotic start to the game.

Remarkably, it was 1-1 inside a breathless opening 90 seconds as both teams scored with their very first attack.

Coventry kicked off and 19 seconds later they had the lead as Daniel Agyei strolled through some static Northampton defending and slotted home, but immediately the visitors hit back when Marc Richards netted his 50th goal for the club.

That wasn't to be the end of the scoring inside the opening 10 minutes, though, with the fleet-footed Jodi Jones next to capitalise on poor defending to slot Coventry back in front.

A calmer 35 minutes followed as the Sky Blues assumed control and the home side secured a deserved victory in the second-half through Ruben Lameiras's wonderful finish.

With Wycombe winning 3-0 against West Ham U23s in the other South Group D game, the defeat means Town can no longer progress and next month's final group match at Sixfields will be a dead rubber.

Attention can at least turn to more important matters for Rob Page and his side, who next take on table-topping Scunthorpe United on Saturday.

As one of nine changes to Saturday's team, there was a first appearance of the season for the lesser-spotted Rod McDonald, who partnered Lewin Nyatanga in defence, and with Zander Diamond, Alex Revell and Matty Taylor all given the night off, JJ Hooper and skipper Richards started up front.

There was also a place on the bench for 18-year-old academy player Joe Iaciofano.

With Emmanuel Sonupe handed his full debut on the right side of midfield, Cobblers set up 4-4-2 but they made the worst possible start when Agyei strolled through a non-existent defence and shot beyond David Cornell, who could only help the ball into the bottom corner.

Just 19 seconds had been played and already Town found themselves behind but, remarkably, they were level barely a minute later.

Straight from the restart the visitors went up the other end where Hooper's left-wing cross found Richards who converted from close-range for the second goal of the evening inside just 90 seconds.

The end-to-end start continued when Kenji Gorre shot straight at Lee Burge moments later, and a third goal wasn't long in coming.

It went the way of the Sky Blues when some more questionable Northampton defending allowed Jones to get free inside the penalty area and he finished expertly past Cornell, putting Coventry back in front with less than eight minutes on the clock.

And it could have been 2-2 within three further minutes when Hooper was left in acres of space but his curled a right-footed effort a fraction wide, while the dangerous Jones was then denied by Cornell at the other end.

Finally, after a breathless first 20 minutes, the game settled down and chances became less frequent and less threatening as Aaron Phillips and then Lewis Page both went close from range.

The more the first-half went on the more Coventry looked at ease and they deservedly remained in front at half-time before almost extending their lead early in the second period as Cornell denied Jones and Vladimir Gadzhev from range.

Rob Page had introduced Harry Beautyman for Sonupe at the break, allowing Cobblers to change their shape to 4-2-3-1 and that seemed to help the visitors wrestle more of a foothold in the match.

Hooper was thwarted by Burge from distance and the City keeper was called into action again when producing a fine flying save to tip over Beautyman's half volley.

But just as it seemed Northampton were getting closer to levelling, they were hit by the sucker-punch as Lameiras, who had come on barely 90 seconds earlier, superbly lofted Cornell after getting behind the away defence.

That all but confirmed Town's exit from a competition few wanted to be involved in anyway, and now only a dead rubber game against West Ham U23s remains next month.

Match facts

Coventry: Burge, Sterry, Willis (c), Turnbull, Page (Ricketts 68), Gadzhev (Lameiras 65), McCann, Bigirimana, Sordell, Jones, Agyei (Tudgay 81)

Subs not used: Addai, Harries, Stevenson, Dev. Kelly-Evans

Cobblers: Cornell, Phillips, Nyatanga, McDonald, Buchanan, Sonupe (Beautyman 45) (D'Ath 81), McCourt, O'Toole, Gorre, Hooper, Richards (c) (Hoskins 68)

Subs not used: Smith, Moloney, Byrom, Iaciofano

Referee: Olie Yates

Attendance: 2,085

Cobblers fans: 153

Rob Page will take the positives from Tuesday's 3-1 defeat to Coventry City and quickly move on as he turns his attention to more important matters with this weekend's trip to Sky Bet League One leaders Scunthorpe United already at the forefront of his mind.

The defeat at a virtually deserted Ricoh Arena means Cobblers crash out of the Checkatrade Trophy, but Page knows all too well that there are far more important matters coming up.

He said: "It's always disappointing to lose a game of football and we're disappointed with the goals we conceded, but we'll dust ourselves down and now we have a great game to look forward to.

"We got off to the worst possible start to concede straight from the kick-off and then we gave ourselves a chance to get back into it, but they go back 2-1 up.

"In the second-half I thought we worked our way into the game and we dealt with the three in the middle of the park a lot better and we dealt with Jones much better.

"We grew into the game but a moment of magic from the substitute makes it 3-1 and then it's a mountain to climb."

Marc Richards scored Northampton's only goal as Page made nine changes to Saturday's team, with Matty Taylor, Brendan Moloney, Zander Diamond and Alex Revell all given the night off.

That gave other players an opportunity to impress, with Page adding: "I thought JJ (Hooper) when he went out wide and then up top always looked a threat.

"The keeper made a great save from him so he did okay tonight, and I thought Aaron Phillips did really well at right-back with his one-on-one defending.

"But we had a couple of injuries from the weekend with people like Revs who picked up a dead calf and I can't risk it.

"Zander's played every minute of every game and I could have maybe played Brendan (Moloney) tonight but I wasn't prepared to take that gamble, so it was an opportunity to give other players minutes on the pitch.

"Rico got through an hour, his Achilles is fine and he gets a goal and he has an hour for his fitness, so there are positives and we'll take them and move into an important game on Saturday.

"We knew the importance of Saturday's game so we wanted to give other players a go."

One concern for the Cobblers boss will be Harry Beautyman who limped off in the closing stages of Tuesday's defeat having only come on at half-time.

Page added: "He's taken a knock behind his knee but I wouldn't like to assume a the minute.

"He's got the physio with him so hopefully it's nothing too bad but we had to take him off as a precaution more than anything with Saturday in mind."

A Northamptonshire County Council social worker has been suspended for a year after failing to keep accurate records for 64 children in care.

A panel of the Health and Care Professions Council’s (HCPC) Conduct and Competence Committee heard that Lee Higginbottom was responsible for a number of failings while working as an Independent Review and Conference Officer.

The panel heard he did not keep accurate records for approximately 87 Statutory Looked After Children Reviews, relating to 64 children.

Mr Higginbottom also failed to keep his managers proactively informed about the significant backlog of his work, with reports of a “disconnect” between what they were told and “reality”.

The panel ruled to suspend the name of Lee Robert Patrick Higginbottom from the HCPC Register for a period of 12 months on the grounds of misconduct.

Panel Chair Polly Clarke said: “The panel concluded that a suspension order of this duration demonstrates how seriously the we regard Mr Higginbottom’s failings in fulfilling statutory duties which were fundamental to his role and vital to service users.

“It also concluded that such an order would provide the appropriate level of deterrent to other social workers.”

Mr Higginbottom was neither present nor represented at the hearing.

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Traffic wardens in Northampton dish out most tickets on the road outside the town’s accident and emergency department and on a loop around the biggest church in the town centre, figures reveal.

A Freedom of Information request by the Chronicle & Echo has revealed that between August 2015 and August 2016, Cliftonville saw the most tickets for illegally parked vehicles issued in the whole of the borough.

The town centre road, home to Northampton General hospital’s accident and emergency department, is largely covered by double yellow lines, yet cars are parked along them during all times of the day.

Many of those hold a Blue Badge and can do so legally, but a whopping 1,893 tickets were handed out by wardens during that time, beating Abington Street into second place.

Though the town’s main shopping street has only been de-pedestrianised since December 2014 and features a free parking period - 1,498 drivers were fined on the tiny stretch between 2015 and 2016.

Though not technically an individual street - the circular road looping around All Saints Church is undoubtedly the parking fine hotspot of Northampton however.

Mercers Row saw 964 handed out, Woodhill 737, and George Row 608, meaning the short loop saw 2,309 tickets in total.

Taxi driver Malik Ajaz says wardens are right to clamp down on illegal parking in the area as the double yellow-lined area opposite Nando’s is almost always filled with cars.

“During the daytime, buses come round the corner there and they can’t get by because of the way people have parked, it’s choc-a-block," he said.

“It causes no end of traffic jams.”

Fellow Hackney Carriage driver Eddie Corbet, who regularly pitches up on the Mercers Row taxi rank, said drivers are also known to accidentally place their cars within the hatched lines of the taxi rank itself.

“The wardens do a great job around here,” he said.

“We have got to do our job and they help us to do that.”

On the other hand, last week, the rector of All Saints Church, Father Oliver Coss, told the Chron that he felt traffic wardens were being too militant by ticketing congregation members parked on the church portico during mass.

Parking tickets are often seen as the cash cow of any local authority.

In Northamptonshire penalty charges are £70 or £35 if paid within 14 days and £50 or £25 paid within 14 days depending on the parking contravention.

However, the county council claims to have made a loss through its parking enforcement up until the past two financial years.

A spokesman for the council, said: “The areas in question are the most ticketed streets in Northampton and the wider county because these are busy town centre locations. Tickets, or penalty charge notices, are only issued if a vehicle is parked incorrectly.

“Cliftonville has very tight restrictions as it is close to the hospital and incorrect parking can cause problems with access for ambulances and buses.

“Abington Street and Guildhall Road have recently been redesigned and have had new parking restrictions introduced.

“Parking services ran at a loss in Northamptonshire for several years until the past two financial years, when a surplus was made.

“This can be largely attributed to a re-design of the service, including renegotiating a contract with service provider NSL in 2012 as well as the closure of the ‘parking shop’ in the same year.

“Any surplus can be used to pay for deficits in the service over the previous four years or highways projects related to parking services, such as new signage and line markings.”

The top ten streets where parking tickets were issued between August 2015 and August 2016 were:

1)Cliftonville, 1,893

2)Abington Street, 1,498

3)Guildhall Road, 1,321

4)Wellingborough Road, 1,027

5)Mercers Row, 964

6)St Giles Street, 886

7)Bridge Street, 839

8)Woodhill, 737

9)Derngate, 648

10)George Row, 608

For a fuller list, see here: http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/revealed-is-your-northampton-street-a-parking-ticket-hotspot-1-7612281

Northamptonshire County Council is looking after the fourth highest number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children of local authorities in the UK.

A total of 4,210 children claiming asylum in the UK were reported as being in the care of local authorities as of March 31 2016, including 140 in Northants.

This was up 54 per cent on the previous year, according to new figures from the Department for Education (DfE).

The highest numbers were reported in areas where there are routes into the UK. Under government laws the local authority in which unaccompanied asylum seeking children arrive in the UK have a responsibility for their care until the youngsters reach the age of 18

Two-thirds of all unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were located in London and the South East, while a further 11 per cent were in the East of England.

A total of 865 children, roughly one in five of the total, were in Kent - the largest number for any local authority.

Croydon (430), Surrey (150) and Northamptonshire (140) reported the next highest figures.

The DfE said the rise in asylum-seeking children coming to the UK was the main factor behind an overall increase in the number of children starting to be looked after.

There were 70,440 looked-after children in England as of March 31 2016 - an increase of one per cent compared with March 31 2015 and five per cent compared with 2012.

The Chronicle & Echo reported last year that it costs Northamptonshire County Counci £4 million a year to look after the asylum-seeking children.

Cabinet member for vulnerable children at the county council, Councillor Heather Smith, (Con, Oundle) said the lack of foster carers in Northamptonshire also means the authority is having to pay carers in other areas to take the children in at grossly inflated costs.

She said: “The Government gives us some funding, but if we had plenty of foster beds in the county, that money would cover our costs.

“Because we are in a situation where we don’t have enough foster carers, we have to buy beds through agencies, which sends the price up.

“It’s putting a huge amount of additional pressure on us.

“But I have no issues with the children coming under our care. Many are 14, 15-year-olds who have travelled to England on their own and they need our care.”

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Cobblers boss Rob Page and midfielder Matt Taylor have been nominated for the Sky Bet League One awards for September.

Page has been nominated in the manager of the month category, and is up against Bury boss Dave Flitcroft, Keith Hill of Rochdale, and a very familiar face in Sheffield United's Chris Wilder.

Page, who only took over at Sixfields in the summer, has made the list after a successful September for the Cobblers that saw them win four out of five matches, scoring 13 goals in the process.

The wins came over Milton Keynes Dons (3-2), Walsall (2-0), Southend United (4-0) and Swindon Town (3-1), while the one defeat was a 3-1 reverse at Chesterfield.

Of his rivals, Bury won five out of five under Flitcroft, former Cobblers boss Wilder steered the Blades to four wins and a draw, and Hill guided Dale to three wins, a draw and a defeat.

Central midfielder Taylor is up against Bradford City goalkeeper Colin Doyle, Scunthorpe United winger Josh Morris and Bury striker James Vaughan.

Taylor caught the eye in September with his general play and three goals, two of which were top quality free-kicks in the wins over Milton Keynes and Southend.

Bradford's Doyle has impressed between the sticks while Morris, who won this award in August, has continued his brilliant form with five more goals in September and Vaughan has notched four times for the Shakers.

The judging panel for the manager award is former Ipswich Town and Scotland manager George Burley, Sky Sports’ EFL expert Don Goodman, EFL marketing director Drew Barrand, League Managers’ Association director Olaf Dixon and Sky Bet football trading manager Paul Lowery.

The panel deciding on the player award is Goodman, Dixon and Lowery.

The winners will be announced at 7am on Friday.

David Jackson reviews K and the Gang at the Craufurd Arms

Anyone at the Craufurd Arms on Saturday night will understand the difficulty of writing this review.

While national newspapers may have a different policy on expletives, it’s just not something you see on the printed (or online) pages of regional newspapers – which has made this tough.

From here on in, we’ll stick with ‘K’, or to give the headliner his full moniker, ‘K and the Gang’ and deal with song titles and their subjects as and when they crop up.

(And no, it wasn’t Kool and the Gang. That wouldn’t have been a problem.)

K is out on his farewell tour - which we can’t really name either.

However, start with Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’ and go from there - it’s not too difficult to work out.

The self-proclaimed “minor internet star” released his latest album, Blue R.O.F.L, earlier this year and is playing his final gigs across the country before calling it a day.

For the past decade and a bit, K has been responsible for some of the funniest, crudest and wrongest pop songs in existence, achieving cult status along the way.

At the Craufurd Arms on Saturday, K described his act as a ‘synth pop Jeremy Vine’, which, for those unfamiliar, isn’t too far off.

Leaving good taste and decency at the door, K’s two part set was one of the funniest musical performances you’ll ever to see.

Basildon’s greatest export arrived to a virtually sold out venue armed with simply a microphone, an iPod and a hand puppet.

K’s set included songs about people using flashy cars as penis extensions, second-hand bras, the loneliness of being along on tour while staying in Travelodge hotels and an obsession with his paperboy.

He performed both hits which made the UK singles chart. Neither can be named, but one will become your new one word expletive of choice.

For Seedy Affair, K invited a female audience member on stage to sing to - an experience she went onto describe as one of the best three and a half minutes of her life.

There was a song about Michael Eavis and a song to the music of Katy’s Perry’s hit I Kissed A Girl about an incident on a building site.

Another suggested Jesus’ death had more in common with Michael Hutchence’s than religious texts would have you believe. Again, moving swiftly on.

By now you probably get the gist. No topic too taboo and insanely catchy pop hooks.

Offensive, crude sing-a-longs have never sounded so good.

For his finale, K was joined by manager and support act Mike Gibbons on guitar for one of K’s more recent, bigger hits, The Wrong Ian Watkins – a song highlighting plight of ‘H’ from the pop band Steps, whose image was incorrectly used by some of the media at the time of the jailing of the Welsh child abuser.

With only a handful of shows left, who knows if we’ll see K again.

With the number of reunion tours nowadays, K joked it might happen and hinted at a tour name.

We can’t repeat that either.

A man was knocked unconscious and had his iPhone 5 and Gucci watch stolen in a robbery in Corby town centre.

Some time between 2.30am and 3am on Saturday, October 1, in Corporation Street, the victim was approached by another man who asked him for a lighter.

The man then punched the victim in the face, knocking him unconscious, before stealing his iPhone, watch and personal items.

Witnesses to the incident, anyone with information or anyone who may have been offered a Gucci watch for sale – similar to the one pictured – are asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

A man has been jailed for six years after admitting to 101 offences of burglary over a two-month period.

Brian Plumb, 41, of Wellingborough committed the offences between June and August this year at properties in Northampton, Wellingborough and Kettering.

He was arrested while committing an offence at a house in Wellingborough on August 30.

After hearing glass being smashed and seeing Plumb climb through a window, members of the public called police and surrounded the address while officers arrived.

Once on the scene, officers entered the house and found Plumb hiding in the loft, he was arrested and initially charged with five counts of burglary.

However, through further investigative work and from visiting Mr Plumb while he was in prison awaiting his next court date, officers were able to establish that he was responsible for many more offences committed over the summer.

Plum appeared at Northampton Crown Court on September 28, where he admitted committing 101 offences, including further incidents which had not been reported to police.

He was sentenced to six years and eight months in custody.

Detective Inspector Helen Knight, from CID, said: “Brian Plumb is a career criminal who vowed to commit an offence for every day that he had served in a previous prison sentence and it’s clear he was serious about that vow.

“He has expressed remorse for his actions and sympathy for his victims.

“Unfortunately, none of the stolen property has been recovered.

“Sentencing him Judge Lucking QC stated she had never seen such an extensive list of admitted offences by an individual, she also praised the work of the officers who worked on the case, as well as the actions of members of the public who helped to capture Plumb.”

Music from both England and France will be the theme of the Harborough Singers forthcoming concert on Saturday October 8 at Holy Trinity Church, Rothwell.

The programme will include two Royal Wedding favourites. Parry’s I Was Glad, an anthem composed for the Coronation of Edward V11 and the processional music chosen by Kate Middleton for the long walk up the Westminster Abbey aisle on the arm of her father on her way to meet her Prince, along with Widor’s Toccata.

The Toccata was first chosen as music for a Royal Wedding in 1961, when the Duchess of Kent, an accomplished musician, chose it for her wedding to the Duke of Kent in York Minster.

Since then, it has become a firm Royal favourite. Prince William and Kate Middleton chose it for their procession down the aisle on their way to meet a cheering crowd.

A surging, uplifting organ piece, it will be played at Rothwell by the accomplished Andrew King, fellow of the Royal College of Organists, on Holy Trinity’s newly restored 1897 Wordsworth Organ.

To set off these Royal gems, conductor David Beavan has selected a programme of choral classics spanning over 100 years, from the late 19th century to the present day.

Well-known English works by Howells and Stanford, Parry and Finzi will contrast with romantic French pieces from Faure, Saint-Saens and Durufle, as well with further organ music by Louis Vierne, to create an uplifting evening of beautiful music. Or perhaps that should be ‘belle musique’.

Tickets are complimentary, with a retiring collection. Concert starts at 7.30pm.