Construction of a new McDonald's restaurant in the car park of a Northampton supermarket will begin in the next two weeks.

The first steps of building the two-story fast food outlet in the car park of Morrisons in Kettering Road will begin before February 1.

Northampton Borough Council gave the fast-food giant the green light in July 2018 despite 85 letters of objection from residents.

Nearby residents raised concerns the restaurant would put pressure on traffic and the ability of existing highways to cope.

However, McDonald's were told they could not open between midnight and 6am as part of the planning conditions, thwarting the franchise’s plan to open for 24 hours.

It is not known how long the construction is expected to last.

The policy forms a significant part of the £15million Stabilisation Plan of savings introduced last year, of which £7.2million has already been saved by the county council. But the £7.8million from the council tax base, which would be provided by the six district and borough councils across the county, remains unaccounted for.

Concerns have been raised privately by a number of the local councils as to the legal validity of the scheme, and whether the sums expected by the county council can be met. In public, Daventry District Council leader Chris Millar had criticised the ‘fantasy numbers’ involved with the scheme, saying there would be ‘some big gaps to find’.

Last week, scrutiny chairman Councillor Mick Scrimshaw called for a Plan B to be put in place if those sums did not materialise, and now cabinet member for finance Councillor Malcolm Longley says his finance team is already on the case.

Following a cabinet meeting on Tuesday afternoon (January 15) at County Hall, Councillor Longley told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “When the original council tax proposal was put forward in the stabilisation plan, we also insisted that there was a plan B. Whenever you put a program of this nature together you won’t necessarily get everything returning, and mitigations as well. And that’s what we’ve done.

“We now have four months until the end of the financial year and we have to make certain these things are delivered and we’ve made sure our alternative plans are in place as well as the council tax to make sure that we have it covered either way.”

But Councillor Longley refused to detail what the alternative plans proposed, whether this was financial cuts to frontline services or other efficiency savings from how the council is run, or whether reserves or the government capital dispensation could be used to plug the gap.

He said: “I’d rather not go into detail. All the officers are working very hard to make this happen. But we’ll make sure we deliver them before we crow about them.”

The first steps of building the two-story fast food outlet in the car park of Morrisons in Kettering Road will begin before February 1.

Northampton Borough Council gave the fast-food giant the green light in July 2018 despite 85 letters of objection from residents.

Nearby residents raised concerns the restaurant would put pressure on traffic and the ability of existing highways to cope.

However, McDonald's were told they could not open between midnight and 6am as part of the planning conditions, thwarting the franchise’s plan to open for 24 hours.

It is not known how long the construction is expected to last.

Friends of Northampton Castle have been campaigning since 2011 to create a heritage park near the Chalk Lane car park in an ambitious landscaping project.

They secured planning permission in 2018 - but now the group fear their work will be halted and delayed in the face of a complete overhaul in Northamptonshire's local government structure voted in August last year.

The county and borough council voted in August to dissolve themselves and form two unitary governments across Northamptonshire.

Now, the Friends say they are only one of many projects in the county that could be disrupted by the changes to local government.

Chairman of the Friends Dr Marie Dickie OBE said: "We are concerned that the very process of de-constructing local councils will result in a lack of focus such projects as ours.

"While the councils spend their time and energy on trying to manage these changes, there is likely to be even less interest shown in supporting the sense of identity and community pride which heritage projects such as ours can bring.

"In these circumstances, we cannot support the proposed reorganisation."

Early forecasts suggest that the county council is faced with making some £60million of savings in time for their budget in 2019-20.

Dr Dickie is concerned the reformation of the councils and challenges it could present to budgets could leaving community projects by the wayside.

The Friends voiced their concerns in a letter of response to an ongoing consultation over the unitary proposal.

The Friends' plan includes a new 'play maze' and heritage footpath based on the grounds and footprint of the historic medieval Northampton Castle.

On October 3 last year, driving instructor Adam Shatford of Parklands popped into Jazz Hairdressing to have an impromptu haircut after a student cancelled a lesson.

He did not have his usual hairdresser that day and instead stylist Erinna Lindfield filled in and met Adam for the first time.

After she started cutting his hair she noticed a dark patch of skin near his left ear, which she told him to get checked at the doctors straight away.

Adam called the doctors after leaving the Spinney Hill salon and was seen within two hours.

Just nine days after his appointment with his GP he was diagnosed with likely melanoma and underwent surgery on October 23 to remove the mole near his ear and a stage one melanoma on his forehead.

Both moles were confirmed as cancerous in the beginning of November and he was advised to undergo further surgery to remove lymph nodes at Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

Last week he was told the cancerous cells had not spread and medics had given him the all clear.

Adam said: "Erinna had never cut my hair before, another stylist did it. She said: 'has anyone ever checked that mole out? it costs nothing’.

"I left here and I phoned the doctor and within two hours a doctor had asked me to come in.

"If Erinna had never said 'you need to get it checked', I would never had phoned."

Adam, who has been a driving instructor for over 30 years and has taught more than 2,000 students, was told by doctors the melanomas were caused by sun damage.

He believes the cancer had grown over the years as a result of sitting in direct sunlight in the car.

"It was definitely from the sun - it affects people's pigments differently,” he said.

"If one person goes to get checked then [this story] is worthwhile."

Adam had been keeping an eye on the size and colour of his mole but the texture had become different and lumpy.

"I have been told the reason it's so dangerous is because you are not ill until it's progressed," he said.

"I'm very lucky. I could have easily nodded my head at Erinna but I thought I will phone and both surgeons and doctors paid tribute to Erinna.

"I felt 100 per cent fine until they operated. I usually ran four to five miles a day."

Stylist Erinna, who also cares for her daughter, has an interest in medicine and happened to know a little about moles.

She said: "The message I want to get across is: people should speak up, not just barbers, but any profession that works closely with people in general.

"I felt I had to advise him to see his doctor - I knew it was important and thankfully he did.

"I'm also the manageress at Jazz, so I can encourage all the staff to speak up a bit more and hopefully this article will influence more salons.

"Adam came in last week and said he had the all clear and I was so pleased. I'm over the moon.”

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

OCTOBER 10:

Philip Cooke, aged 51, of Chequers Lane, Northampton, driving at 57mph in a 50mph zone; fined £318, surcharge £31, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Lisa Greening, aged 46, of Clarke Road, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty, banned from driving for six months. Driving without due care and attention; fined £48, surcharge £30 and costs £85.

Michal Sabol, aged 35, of Lincoln Way,Daventry, driving at 35mph in a 30mph zone; fined £100, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for six months.

Bradley Bennett, aged 22, of Duston Wildes, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, banned from driving for six months.

Dean Garner, aged 35, of Northgate, Towcester, harassment; community order made, fined £320, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Barney Eason, aged 18, of Kinross Close, Spinney Hill, Northampton, assault; jailed for 18 weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work, surcharge £115, costs £85.

OCTOBER 11

George Sturley, aged 26, of Blackwells Yard, Yardley Hastings, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 43mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £122, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Craig Jobson, aged 43, of Melbourne Walk, Northampton, possession of a lump hammer in a public place, used or threatened violence, failed to surrender to custody; pleaded guilty, sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentence.

Kristaps Kruze, aged 23, of Teviot Close, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test 68mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £350, surcharge £35 and costs £85, banned from driving for 18 months.

Dane Clarke, aged 51, of Burleigh Road, Kingsthorpe Hollow, Northampton, begging in a public place while banned; community order made, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Thomas Kehoe, aged 29, of Paget House, Northampton, committed arson’ community order made, compensation £100, surcharge £85, costs £85. Assault; community order made, compensation £50.

Sindy Reilly, aged 49, of Fullingdale Road, Northampton, intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress; fined £270, compensation £50, surcharge £30, costs £150.

Robert Smith, aged 28, of Fitzroy Place, Northampton, no insurance; fined £120, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for six months. Driving without due care and attention; fined £80. Damaged fences and destroyed a child’s place house; compensation £117.

Denis Vacarea, aged 28, of Merry Hill, Northampton, stole three bottles of Jack Daniels worth £60; fined £200, surcharge £30, costs £85. Had items in connection with theft; fined £200.

Simon Masters, aged 43, of Ham Meadow Drive, Northampton, assaulted a police officer; community order made to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, compensation £100, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Robert Ralley, aged 30, of no fixed abode, used threatening or absuive words or behaviour; fined £40, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Paul Bishop, aged 34, of Golding Close, Daventry, stole flea treatment, fish food and flea sprays from Pets at Home; conditional discharge for 12 months.

George Jarvis, aged 21, of Danefield Road, Northampton, criminal damage; conditional discharge for 12 months.

Ian Wright, aged 57, of Radstone Road, Brackley, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £1,000, surcharge £100, costs £620, licence endorsed with six points.

OCTOBER 12

Campbell Deegan, aged 23, of Prentice Court, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; fined £130.

Sorin Ghergheluca, aged 46, of Wellingborough Road, Northampton, no insurance; fined £300. Driving without due care and attention; fined £200, surcharge £30 and costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Darren Carter, aged 41, of Axe Head Road, Northampton, stole items of food worth £235.37 belonging to Lidl supermarket, jailed for two weeks suspended for 12 months, surcharge £115.

Richard Bland, aged 52, of Bromford Close, Northampton, carrying a dangerous number of passengers; conditional discharge for nine months, surcharge £20, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Damien Culverhouse, aged 24, of no fixed abode, assault; pleaded guilty, sent to Crown Court for sentence.

OCTOBER 15

Daniel Annison, aged 26, of Vernon Road, Towcester, refused to stop a vehicle when requested to do so; fined £150, surcharge £30, costs £85,. Drink-driving with a breath test reading of 59mcgs of alochol in 100mls of breath; fined £150, banned from driving for 16 months.

Jonathon Gordon, aged 33, of Brickwell Court, Northampton, assault; jailed for 12 weeks, compensation £50.

Lynne Wintersgill, aged 41, of Howe Crescent, Daventry, stole dog treats and dog flea treatment; jailed for three weeks, compensation £17.30, surcharge £115.

Scott Foran, aged 37, of no fixed abode, damaged an outside light; fined £80, compensation £50, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Jack Dunne, aged 26, of Near Side, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 88mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £276, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for 22 months.

Ali O’Driscoll,aged 23, of Crane Walk, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 56mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; jailed for one week, banned from driving for 16 months. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. No insurance; no separate penalty.

Geoffrey Warr, aged 35, of Drywell Court, Northampton, owner of a dangerously out of control dog; fined £340, compensation £200, surcharge £34, costs £85.

Ali Zarei, aged 24, of Bedford Mansions, Northampton, possession of cannabis; fined £40, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Daniel Bryant, aged 36, of Marriott Street, Northampton, in breach of a sexual offences prevention order; community order made, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Solomon Ali, aged 35, of Connaught Stret, Northampton, no insurance; fined £440, surcharge £44, costs £85, banned from driving for six months.

OCTOBER 16

Vadim Danilov, aged 24, of Arbour View Court, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 43mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £461, surcharge £46, costs £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Carl Furr, aged 34, of St Leonards Road, Nortampton, harassment; community order made to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Benjamin Hill, aged 32, of Harefield Road, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; order to continue, costs £60.

Adam Sirett, aged 25, of King Street, Long Buckby, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 70mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fiend £338, surcharge £38, costs £85, banned from driving for 18 months.

Emma Cornell, aged 39, of Prestwold Way, Northampton, failed to provide a breath test; fined £388, surcharge £39, costs £620, licence endorsed with 10 points. Used threatening or abusive words or behaviour.

Brodie Dickson, aged 29, of no fixed abode, assault; jailed for four weeks.

More than half the young children in Northamptonshire were not vaccinated when flu season hit, according to Public Health England.

The latest figures show that just 47% of four to 10 year olds had received the flu vaccine at the end of November.

That proportion is in line with the average rate for England.

Of 62,748 primary school children in Northamptonshire, 33,452 had not been given the vaccine, which is delivered in school as a nasal spray.

Public Health England advises headteachers to make sure their pupils are protected before the winter months.

The flu vaccine programme runs from the beginning of September to the end of January, with PHE reporting uptake rates throughout the winter.

By the end of the previous winter, 61% of four to 10 year olds in Northamptonshire were covered, suggesting uptake could increase through December and January.

But with flu season starting in December it’s still important to make sure children are vaccinated as early as possible, according to the NHS.

Dr Richard Pebody, head of flu at PHE, said: “Flu can be nasty for little children. Some develop a very high fever or complications of flu, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, and may need hospital treatment.

“Children also tend to be super-spreaders of flu, so if they get it, they are likely to infect more vulnerable older family members.

“The best form of protection against flu is to get the vaccine if you are eligible, and to practise good respiratory and hand hygiene.”

Dr David Elliman, immunisation expert at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said that uptake of the flu vaccine is always lower than other routine jabs.

He added: “But even with a modest uptake you see a reduction of flu in the general community. Any uptake is better than nothing.”

Last winter was the worst flu season in a decade in England, causing 3,175 hospital admissions and 320 deaths.

Northampton’s winter shelter (run by Northampton Borough Council in partnership with the Hope Centre, Midland Heart Housing Association and NAASH) provides somewhere safe, warm and dry for rough sleepers to go during the coldest nights of the year.

The winter shelter will operate from the Hope Centre in Oasis House between 9.00pm and 7.00am from Thursday, 17 January until at least the morning of Monday, 21 January.

It will be open to men and women who are sleeping rough in Northampton and have registered for the scheme.

Councillor Stephen Hibbert, cabinet member for housing and wellbeing, said: “Sleeping rough is very dangerous at any time of year and our street outreach workers do everything they can to encourage people who are sleeping rough to access our year-round night shelter.

“Some refuse to engage, or take longer to engage, so we operate a winter shelter on the coldest nights of the year. Everything has been in place since October.

“The winter shelter provides people who are sleeping rough in Northampton with somewhere safe and comfortable to stay, hot drinks and food, and access to the local advice and support services that can help them to come off the streets.

“We’re extremely grateful to everyone who has volunteered to support the smooth running of the winter shelter. We are hoping that it can emulate the success of Northampton’s Emergency Nightshelter which is also supported by a fantastic team of volunteers and has so far helped nearly 200 people who were sleeping rough, or at imminent risk of having to sleep rough, to move on successfully into settled housing”.

During this time, the weather forecast will continue to be monitored and, on Saturday, a decision will be made on whether or not the shelter should continue beyond Monday morning.

More than 50 people responded to Northampton Borough Council’s appeal last week for volunteers to help its team leaders and support workers to run the winter shelter.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer at the winter shelter should visit www.northampton.gov.uk/swep and complete the online volunteering form.

More than one in five A&E patients at Northampton General Hospital trust waited four hours or longer to be admitted, transferred or discharged in December, figures show.

While this was an improvement on December 2017, health bosses warned the worst of this winter could still be to come.

There were 8,918 emergency attendances at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust in December.

Of those, 1,871 patients waited more than four hours to be admitted, transferred or discharged.

The NHS’s target is for 95% of patients to be dealt with in four hours, but at Northampton General Hospital trust, it was just 79%.

This was better than December 2017, when 77% of patients were seen within four hours.

Across England, the number of patients waiting more than four hours reduced from 292,860 in December 2017 to 270,171 last December – despite overall attendances increasing.

Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “There is more demand on the NHS, but that is something those of us on the frontline have been warning of for some time, and it cannot become an acceptable rationale for poor performance.

“My sincere hope is that the so-far mild weather has not lulled our leaders into a false sense of security, and that just because things are better than 12 months ago, this does not make it good, as key targets in preparing for winter were not achieved.”

An NHS spokesman said: “Thanks to the hard work of NHS staff, monthly figures published this morning show the health service performed better for A&E services this December, than December 2017, despite successfully caring for 3.9% more people within the current four-hour target.

“We are now in what can be the most pressured time of year – flu, other winter bugs and adverse weather conditions can all increase, so the situation is being closely monitored.”

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth criticised the “staggeringly bad” NHS England figures, saying they were a “shocking indictment of nine years of Tory cuts, failure to recruit staff and a botched NHS reorganisation”.

“Patients are waiting longer in pain and distress, with a real risk that their health could deteriorate further,” he said.

“Patients deserve better.”

NHS leaders recently said they were considering scrapping the 95% four hour A&E waiting time target, to give serious injuries and illnesses more priority.

A burglar stole car keys and a wallet from a home in a Daventry district village before making off in a stolen vehicle.

The burglary happened in Hamilton Lane, Great Brington, on Monday, November 26, at about 2.45am.

The stolen car was later found abandoned and a stolen bank card was also used fraudulently at a number of shops in Northampton.

Officers would like to speak to the man pictured as he may have information that will help their inquiries into the alleged incidents.

The man, or anyone who recognises him, is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

A driver punched a car window and broke a wing mirror in a fit of road rage while at a set of temporary traffic lights on the A43 near Corby.

At about 6.45pm on Monday, January 7, the man got out of his silver Subaru at the lights near the Weldon roundabout and approached the car behind.

He shouted and threatened the driver and punched a window before grabbing and breaking one of the wing mirrors, causing substantial damage.

Witnesses to the incident, or anyone with information, should call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning ahead of a sudden cold snap tonight.

The yellow category warning will be in place from 10pm tonight (Wednesday) until 11am tomorrow (Thursday) across Northamptonshire.

Forecasters are warning of ice patches developing with wintry showers as temperatures plummet following a mild few days.

People are being warned to take care on pavements and roads, many of which could be untreated.

Weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued for much of the UK.

The Northampton roads that will no longer be gritted as a priority during Winter 2018
Severe weather shelter in Northampton WILL open for the homeless for four nights
Two days of snow forecast for Northamptonshire next week

Four masked men, armed with weapons, threatened homeowners before making off with a small amount of valuables in Northampton.

The aggravated burglary happened shortly after 7pm yesterday (Tuesday, January 15), in Woodside Avenue in Boothville, Northamptonshire Police today confirmed.

The four offenders, who were masked, gained entry through the back door, and used a hammer and mallet to threaten the victims into handing over some jewellery.

One of the victims suffered minor injuries.

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said: "The offenders were wearing gloves and balaclavas.

"One of them wore beige trousers, with the others wearing dark coloured combat style trousers. They all wore dark coloured jackets."

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

But there's no doubt that these cute underwater shots - taken by Water Babies Bucks & Beds at The Gateway School in Tiffield, DW Sports at St James Retail Park, the Marriott Hotel, Delapre, and Moulton College - are a brilliant bonus.

The council revealed last year that its fleet would be reducing the number of roads it will grit from October 2018 and taking longer to attend to them.

Some roads that would have been treated when temperatures are forecast to fall to 0.5 degrees Celsius have been downgraded in priority.

These roads will now only be treated when sub-zero conditions are set to last 48 hours or more.

And about 500 grit bins across the county - 30 in Northampton- that were filled by the council during the big freeze earlier last year will be either removed or left to the community to replenish.

The roads in and around Northampton that will no longer be treated as a priority will be:

Queenswood Avenue
Yardley Drive
Reynard Way
Obelisk Rise
Port Road
Park Drive
South Oval
East Oval
Welland Walk
Severn Drive
Avon Drive
Witham Walk
West Oval
Merthyr Road
Dallington Road
Baring Road
Dallington Green
Dallington Park Road
Chiltern Avenue
Chiltern Way
Cotswold Avenue
Limehurst Road
Eastfield Road
Northfield Road
Firsview Drive
High Street
Ashbrow Road
Thorn Hill
Ringway
Ladybridge Drive
Acre Lane
Link Road
Greenshills Road
Whitehills Way
Whitehills Crescent
Crestwood Road
Holmecross Road
Birds Hill Road
Russet Drive
Fishponds Road
Fieldmill Road
Penfold Lane
Cherry Lodge Road
Blackthorn Road
Goldings Road
Rectory Farm Road
Olden Road
Ecton Brook Road
Overmead Road
Fir Tree Walk
Charnwood Avenue
The Headlands
Birchfield Road East
Birchfield Road
Broadway
Collingwood Road
Abington Avenue
Stimpson Avenue
Clare Street
Earl Street
Duke Street
Bailiff Street
Balmoral Road
St Davids Road
Nursery Lane
Yelvertoft Road
Hastings Road
Cranford Road
Aintree Road
Goodwood Avenue
Oulton Rise
Spinney Hill Road
Churchill Avenue
Keswick Drive
Quinton Road
Curtlee Hill
Wootton Hope Drive
The Warren
Hardingstone Lane
Butts Road
Penvale Road
Hill Farm Rise
Queen Eleanor Road
Farmhill Road
Barley Hill Road
Pine Ridge
High Street, Upton
Scribers Drive, Upton
Telford Street, Upton
Telford Way, Upton
Station Road, Great Billing
High Street, Great Billing
The Green, Hardingstone
High Street, Hardingstone
Wake Way, Grange Park
Bridge Meadow Way, Grange Park
Quintonside, Grange Park

Locations in Northampton where grit bins will not be filled by the county council:

Ardington Road / Billing Road, Abington

Beech Avenue / Wellingborough Road, Abington

Purser Road / Adnitt Road, Abington

Ardington Road / Wellingborough Road, Abington

Cliftonville Court, Abington

Hillside Way (2 bins), Abington Vale

Ridgeway / Weston Way, Abington Vale

Bougainvillea Drive / Magnolia Close, Abington Vale

Maclean Close (to side of no. 10), Abington Vale

Herne Hill Court, Camp Hill

Parsons Meade (2 bins), Camp Hill

Harksome Hill (near no. 21), Camp Hill

Lodge Avenue, Collingtree

Pinetrees (opposite no. 37)

Pleydell Gardens near George Nutt Court, Delapre

Shale End , Duston

Hill Farm Rise / Hawks Nest, East Hunsbury

Cottage Gardens (opposite no. 34), Great Billing

Lime Farm Way / High Street, Great Houghton

IIex Close (near garages). Hardingstone

South Oval (near shops), Kings Heath

Fylingdale (end of road), Kingsthorpe

Bunting Road / Balfour Road, kingsthorpe Hollow

Barley Hill Road, Southfields

Castle Street / Phoenix Street, Spring Boroughs

St James Mill Road (by railway bridge), St James

Sharman Road, St James

Streambank Road (opposite no.10), Thorplands

North Hayes Court, Thorplands

Curtlee Hill /Villa Way, Wootton

Emergency services have been called today to deal with an incident at Adderley Park, in the east of Birmingham.

London North Western Railway tweeted: 'Due to the emergency services dealing with an incident between #BirminghamNewStreet and #Northampton all lines are blocked.

'Train services running through these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised.'

For Chiltern Railway users, rail tickets are now valid on the following rail routes: Birmingham Moor Street - Solihull - Leamington Spa - Banbury - London Marylebone.

For CrossCountry, service users' tickets will be accepted between Leamington Spa, Coventry and Nuneaton.

The court results for drivers caught drink driving on Sunday, December 2 were as follows:

Marius Mozac, 25, of Clover Drive, Rushden, was given a 16-month disqualification, £85 costs, £85 victim surcharge and 12-month community order.

Vadim Danilov, 24, of Arbour View Court, Northampton, was given a 36-month disqualification, eight-month suspended prison sentence, £85 costs and 160 hours unpaid work.

Alexandro Aleman, 28 High Street, Rushden, was given an 18-month disqualification, £85 victim surcharge and 12-month community order.

Mark Enever, 58, of NFA, was given a 12-month disqualification, £300 fine, £85 costs and £30 victim surcharge.

The court results for drivers caught drink driving on Wednesday, December 5:

Melanie Baylis, 42, of Cross Lane, Braunston, was given a 36-month disqualification, £120 fine, £85 costs and £30 victim surcharge.

The court results for drivers caught drink driving on Saturday, December 8:

John Sanderson, 27, of Smestow Street, Wolverhampton, was given an 18-month disqualification, £250 fine, £85 costs and £30 victim surcharge.

Arian Proctor, 36, of Arnull Crescent, Daventry, was given a 24-month disqualification, £85 costs, £85 victim surcharge,12-month community order and unpaid work requirement.

Susan Moulton, 45, of Main Road, Gilberdyke, East Riding, was given a 28-month disqualification, 12-month community order, £85 costs and £85 victim surcharge.

John Partington, 33, of Osmund Drive, Northampton, was given a 30 month disqualification, £85 costs, £85 victim surcharge, 12 month community order and unpaid work requirement.

Home hunters in Flore can find out how a part-exchange scheme could unlock the door to a dream property at a special housebuilder event.

The Home Exchange Weekend is taking place at Bovis Homes’ Glassthorpe Grange location, on the High Street, in Flore, on January 19–20.

Guests can enjoy prosecco and canapes, view the properties that Bovis Homes has to offer, and learn about the benefits of part-exchanging their home.

Oliver Dorrill, Bovis Homes sales advisor at Glassthorpe Grange, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for house-hunters wanting to buy a new-build home in Flore to find out more about Bovis Homes’ purchasing scheme, Home Exchange.

“Movers really can benefit from using our part-exchange option and our weekend event also provides a chance to experience at first-hand our popular range of new-builds at Glassthorpe Grange.”

Bovis Homes’ Home Exchange scheme means the housebuilder will purchase the customer’s current property, which means they can avoid all those fees and time-consuming, stress-building house chains.

To part-exchange your home, a customer’s current property must be valued at no more than 75 per cent of the new Bovis Home they wish to purchase. Bovis Homes will arrange for the buyer’s property to be valued, then make them an offer based on the valuation.

Paul Bennison, regional marketing manager at Bovis Homes, added: “With Home Exchange, house buyers can eliminate the uncertainty and stress associated with selling their home.

“Bovis Homes’ stunning range of homes has been designed with modern lifestyles in mind. They are spacious, stylish and well-proportioned.”

Home Exchange is subject to specific terms and conditions and buyers can ask Bovis Homes sales advisors for further information.

A similar event will be taking place at Bovis’ site at Silverstone Leys this weekend too.

For more information on the event, about the house types and the purchasing schemes available at Flore and Silverstone, visit www.bovishomes.co.uk

Wellington Street in Lower Mounts was temporarily closed this afternoon after reports of a 'man in the road', Northamptonshire Police confirmed.

Two police cars and two crewed ambulances attended the scene.

A spokeswoman for the East Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We received a call at 1.48pm today to Lower Mounts, Northampton.

"The caller reported a person had collapsed.

"We sent two crewed ambulances and a paramedic in an ambulance car.

"We transported one patient to Northampton General Hospital."

Serious delays have been reported between Northampton and Birmingham New Street after one person has been killed and another seriously injured.

Emergency services were been called today at 1.16pm to deal with an incident at Adderley Park, in the east of Birmingham.

READ MORE: Train lines blocked from Northampton to Birmingham following incident
A spokesman for British Transport Police said: "Officers attended Adderley Park rail station in Bordesley Green Road, Birmingham, at 1.16pm today following an incident where a person was sadly struck and killed by a train.

"Paramedics are also at the scene.

"A second person is also reported to have been struck by the train and suffered serious injuries.

"Enquiries into the incident are ongoing."