A 58-mile stretch of the Grand Union Canal, which links London to Birmingham, runs through Northamptonshire. To celebrate, the Canal & River Trust has put together a list of the Top 10 canal destinations in Northamptonshire. To celebrate, the Canal and River Trust has put together a list of the Top 10 canal destinations in the county ahead of the Easter break this month.

The latest ‘Town Hall Rich List’ from the TaxPayers’ Alliance showed that the 19 employees were paid a whopping £2.8million between them in 2017/18.

This was the same financial year which included the departure of the then chief executive Dr Paul Blantern and culminated in the council effectively declaring itself bankrupt with a section 114 notice that banned new expenditure. It was the first notice of its kind in the UK for two decades.

The report from the TaxPayers' Alliance shows that Dr Blantern earned £277,000 for the financial year, making him the 19th highest paid council employee in the entire country. He was also the top earner in the East Midlands region.

Dr Blantern left the authority in October 2017, with his ‘Next Generation’ model of outsourcing services heavily criticised for playing its part in orchestrating the council’s financial crisis. Later that year the council’s then chief finance officer Mark McLaughlin said the authority ‘knowingly adopted unachievable savings’ in 2017-18. It was recently determined by the county council's auditors that the final deficit for 2017/18 stood at £41.5million, which was brought into the following financial year.

At the time of his resignation, it was reported at that Dr Blantern had left with a £95,000 pay off, but the latest figures from the ‘Rich List’ indicate that he was given £142,000 as ‘compensation’ in the financial year. The county council confirmed that the £142,000 figure included the £95,000 settlement, and the remainder of the sum was made up of his notice period entitlement. This was then added to his £117,000 basic salary and £18,000 pension contribution, to make a total of £277,000.

In 2017/18, the county council had the highest number of employees who were paid over £100,000 in the East Midlands region, with 19 recipients getting the generous salary.

Among them was an undisclosed individual earning £262,500. Ten other individuals did not have their identity, or job title, disclosed during the research, although current salaries for 2018/19 are openly listed for officers on the council's website.

Job titles that were revealed in the high earner table for 17/18 included the executive director for children, families and education, who took home a £138,000 salary, £3,000 in expenses and £23,000 in pension contributions for an overall total of £164,000.

And the executive director for adults, community and wellbeing took home an overall sum of £161,000, while the chief fire officer received £141,000 in total.

There was, however, a decrease in the number of employees receiving north of £100,000, falling from 23 to 19.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said: “Staff salaries reflect responsibilities associated with the posts, many of which require highly-qualified, professional staff, while being mindful of the necessity of providing value for money.

“Salaries included in the research also include a number of posts with LGSS, our shared services operation, with salaries shared with Cambridgeshire and Milton Keynes councils.

“We are open about what our senior officers are paid and this information is easily available on our website.”

The council also pointed out that when comparing to other areas in the East Midlands, Northamptonshire was the only county which also didn’t contain a separate unitary authority for the town or city, such as Leicester and Nottingham.

Although the figures are for a financial period of two years ago, it will still leave a bitter taste in the mouths of some council employees, who were told this year that the council would have to wait until it could ‘afford’ to give them a pay rise.

And this week it was revealed that the new director of children’s services, Sally Hodges, was being paid £1,100 a day with an annual salary of £258,000, which is £63,457 more per year than the council’s new chief executive Theresa Grant.

John O'Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “The average council tax bill has gone up by more than £900 over the last twenty years and spending has gone through the roof.

“Disappointingly, many local authorities are now responding to financial reality through further tax rises and reducing services rather than scaling back top pay. Despite many in the public sector facing a much-needed pay freeze to help bring the public finances under control, many town hall bosses are continuing to pocket huge remuneration packages, with staggering pay-outs for those leaving their jobs.

"There are talented people in the public sector who are trying to deliver more for less, but the sheer scale of these packages raise serious questions about efficiency and priorities."

When so much can change in a person's life with the news of a serious illness, it can feel like an old way of life has been lost.

But now a Northampton hospice is offering a new service to help people with life-limiting illnesses find their independence again.

Yesterday (April 8) marked the launch of the Wellbeing Service at the Cynthia Spencer's Hospice Charity, off Kettering Road.

Through classes, guidance and meet-ups with others in the same situation, the hospice's team want to show patients how they can manage their diagnosis and hold on to their quality of life for as long as possible.

"When someone is diagnosed they need to be aware of what things could happen to them. A GP can't give advice on how you will live your life day-to-day.

"We've launched this service to help people maintain their independence as much as possible and live as normal a life as possible."

The service offers classes on how to manage the impact of an illness to exercise groups to social meet-ups. Fatigue and breathing management can show a patient how to use their energy more effectively, while seated Tai Chi and Gym Buddies can rebuild mobility.

"If the service wasn't here I feel I would be stuck at home," says Bev Hughes, from Wootton, who has been visiting Cynthia Spencer for seven months. "I don't know what I would do without it.

"I like to keep as fit as possible but since my diagnosis means I just can't use a regular gym.

"The therapy room means I can keep up that active life I enjoy. It's so important to me."

But maybe patients just want a light lunch and an afternoon quiz with some friends - there's that too.

Mick Barker, 73, has been visiting Cynthia Spencer for three years. He said: "Sometimes it's just nice to speak to someone who's in the same boat as you. You'll understand what you're both going through.

"I've been trying seated Tai Chi. I used to think it was what ninjas do, and I probably wouldn't take it seriously if it wasn't for the service. But with the service, it encourages me to actually do it instead of just thinking about it and having another cup of tea."

The Wellbeing Service is not behind a barrier - anyone over 18 in the whole county who has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness can ask their GP to refer them to Cynthia Spencer.

And as of the launch, it is the only service of it's kind in the Northamptonshire.

The Wellbeing Service is free to patients and has been funded by the Cynthia Spencer Hospice Charity. Visit their website for more details.

The launch of the Wellbeing Service coincided with the re-opening of the hospice's Woodland Walk, which has been extended and completed with furniture after a 12-week renovation project.

The Barratts are back with a new single, Lights Out In London, and are headlining the Roadmender this weekend.

Fresh from playing in Germany at the Mano Musikfestival, they will be joined in the main room at the Northampton venue by Krankhead, Fox Chapel and Covasettes.

Speaking about the new record, singer James Faulkner said: “We often finish the set with the song. It seems to have been one of the main tracks people ask about and we love to play it so it’s exciting to finally have it out.

“It’s a song about the uncertainties of being a young person in Britain today, no matter where you’re from.

“Gentrification in the metropolis, isolation in seaside towns, we’re faced with constantly darkening prospects, and not just politically.

“With the amount of music venues closing down, we’re losing all these spaces where people can not only stick two fingers up to it all, but be connected and feel as if they belong.”

Faulkner is joined in The Barratts by Brandon Essom, Kyle Homer, Will Smith and Evan Bridgstock.

Talking about the sound of the record, Faulkner said: “We think of this track as a key part of the sound people associate with The Barratts.

“It’s also an introduction to our sound for people who haven’t heard our stuff before.

“Last year we came back after 2016’s Open Wounds & Windows EP with Satellites and The Garrison, and Lights Out in London is chapter three.”

The band recently joined The Keepers and Duncan Bisatt in Marburg at the Mano Musikfestival, the German leg of Northampton’s Twinfest.

Faulkner said: “Germany was amazing, we’re still reeling from it.

“Great music, a beautiful town and the people are so welcoming.

“We played to some amazing crowds as well. We’re so lucky to have been chosen.

“Missing the flight home wasn’t the most upsetting day of our lives, put it that way.”

Following the release of this single, the band plans to release more singles before putting together another EP.

Admission into the Roadmender on Saturday, April 13 is £5 before fees.

Electronic music producer Sigala will warm up the crowd for the disco legends at the Northampton Saints ground on June 30.

The pop supremo, whose debut single Easy Love hit the UK chart number one in 2018, boasts seven platinum singles, eight million worldwide sales, ten million monthly listeners on Spotify and over a billion streams.

And a DJ set of Sigala’s summer-influenced hits will be the 'perfect opening' ahead of the headline live performance, according to the Saints' chief executive.

“Sigala is a fantastic producer and DJ, and is the perfect choice for a summer’s evening ahead of Nile Rodgers and Chic’s headline set,” said Mark Darbon.

“The combination of both acts will ensure everyone will enjoy a night to remember at the home of Northampton Saints.”

Sigala’s debut number one was followed by further hits including ‘Sweet Lovin’ with Bryn Christopher and ‘Lullaby’ featuring Paloma Faith.

The show will see Sigala and Nile reunite after working together on the 2016 song ‘Give Me Your Love’, featuring vocals from John Newman.

Rodgers also co-wrote Sigala’s 2018 track ‘Just Got Paid’ featuring Ella Eyre, Meghan Trainor and French Montana.

Headlining the event, the multiple Grammy-winning Nile Rodgers & Chic will perform disco anthems such as ‘Le Freak’, ‘Good Times’, and ‘Everybody Dance’ – alongside tracks from their 2018 album ‘It’s About Time’.

Ticket prices start from £40 for adults and include pitch standing, seating and accessible tickets. Paid car parking is also available at the venue.

Tickets for both shows are now available via northamptonsaints.co.uk and musicplussport.com.

Hospitality packages are also available in the Franklin’s Gardens boxes, Director’s Lounge, Champions Suite, and Captain’s Club – for more information email sales@northamptonsaints.co.uk.

The event will wrap up a weekend of music at Franklin’s Gardens, with Madness and Lightning Seeds headlining another concert on Friday June, 28.

The A45 between Weedon and the M1 for Northampton has been closed this morning (Tuesday).

A 'police incident' has forced the closure of the road in both directions stretching along the bypass from Weedon to the M1 junction 16.

Highways England, who are supporting police at the scene, tweeted: "#A45 between #WeedonBec and #M1 now closed both directions due to a @NorthantsPolice incident. Please plan your journey around this."

The road was originally closed westbound following the incident at 6.30am. A full closure is now in place.

There is congestion on surrounding routes including the A5 and through the villages of Flore and Upper Heyford.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

FEBRUARY 4

Kieran Freeth, aged 21, of Arnull Crescent, Daventry, no insurance; fined £220, costs £85, banned from driving for 24 months.

Vasile Gheorghe, aged 30, of Station Road, Great Billing, no insurance; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, licence endorsed with eight points.

Mohamed Hussein, aged 24, of Chestnut Terrace, Northampton, no insurance; fined £230, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for six months.

Craig Lloyd, aged 26, of Marburg Street, Northampton, driving at 72mph in a 40mph zone; fined £660, surcharge £66, banned from driving for six months.

Nicolae Postica, aged 27, of Gold Street, Northampton, driving using a mobile phone; fined £660, surcharge £66, costs £85, banned from driving for six months.

Gediminas Radavicius, aged 26, of Austin Street, Northampton, not displaying L plates; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for six months.

Krzyszdof Baczynski, aged 35, of no fixed abode, stole a quantity of food from Asda; jailed for four weeks. Had a knife in a public place; jailed for 20 weeks.

Arthur McDonagh, aged 51, of Flaxwell Court, Northampton, obstructed a police officer; conditional discharge for 12 months, surcharge £15, costs £85.

Mary McDonagh, aged 46, of Flaxwell Court, Northampton, obstructed a police officer; conditional discharge for 12 months, surcharge £15, costs £85.

Adam Hare, aged 29, of Barnet Close, Northampton, assault; fined £810, surcharge £81, costs £300.

Natalia Sofie, of Victoria Road, Northampton, dropped a cigarette in the town centre; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £125.

FEBRUARY 5

David Cooke, aged 40, of Hardy Drive, Northampton, failed to comply with a supervision order; fined £40, costs £60.

Derrick Gordon, aged 53, of Kingsley Road, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; fined £117, costs £60.

Robert Hall, aged 52, of Rothersthorpe Road, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; jailed for 10 days.

Ghenadie Bivol, aged 25, of Collyweston Road, Northampton, drink-driving; fined £400, surcharge £40, costs £85, banned from driving for 15 months.

James Shelton, aged 28, of Hervey Street, Northampton, used threatening words or behaviour; fined £250, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Jelena Stojkovic, aged 41, of no fixed abode, used threatening words or behaviour; community order made to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. Assaulted a police officer; community order made, compensation £100, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Cameron Biddescombe, aged 25, of Grey Street, Northampton, used threatening or abusive words or behaviour; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, surcharge £85, costs £300.

Jonathan Stein, aged 30, of Towcester Road, Greens Norton, made threats to another person; fined £85, surcharge £30, cost £85.

Geoff Bateman, aged 63, drink-driving; fined £124, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Colum Ward, aged 21, of Mounts Court, Northampton, assault; community order made to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Anthony Hunter, aged 39, of Gifford Court, Duston, failed to comply with a community order; costs £60.

Edmond Moldovan, aged 36, of Symington Street, Northampton, drink-driving; fined £480, surcharge £48, costs £85, banned from driving for 18 months.

Michael Bushnell, aged 23, of Fraser Close, Daventry, possession of cannabis; fined £200, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Serge Tchatchoua, aged 34, of Humber Close, Northampton, damaged a car; fined £300, compensation £200, surcharge £30, costs £420.

William Grant-Salmon, aged 33, of Oaklands Drive, Northampton, driving at 35mph in a 30mph zone; fined £230, surcharge £30, costs £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Christina Dovkants, aged 30, of Hanemill Court, Bellinge, no insurance; fined £650, surcharge £65, costs £85, banned from driving for 14 days.

Joseph Glew, aged 20, of Swann Dale, Daventry, driving without due care and attention; fined £440, surcharge £44, costs £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Jack McCabe, aged 31, of Palmerston Road, Northampton, driving while using a mobile phone; fined £220, surcharge £30, costs £85, banned from driving for six months.

Domatas Mazvila, aged 25, of Cowper Street, Northampton, assault; compensation £200, surcharge £115, costs £85.

FEBRUARY 7

Stefan Tanase, aged 35, of Church Green, Northampton, stole six laptops; jailed for 26 weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, compensation £11,868.

Jamie Owens, aged 30, of Sandhurst Close, Northampton, damaged pint glasses at a bar; jailed for 12 weeks suspended for 18 months, surcharge £115, costs £85.

Alan Smith-White, aged 43, of Beckets View, Northampton, stole a ladies watch worth £349 belonging to Michael Jones Jewellers; jailed for four weeks, compensation £349.

Benjamin Hallam, aged 27, of Duke Street, Northampton, possession of a class B drug; fined £80, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Christopher Mundin, aged 35, of Guildhall Road, Northampton, used threatening or insulting words or behaviour; fined £150, surcharge £30, costs £85.

Christopher Panter, aged 27, of Berkeley House, Northampton, used threatening or abusive words or behaviour; conditional discharge for 12 months, surcharge £20, costs £85.

Niketa Reeve, aged 28, of Grafton Road, Roade, assault; conditional discharge for 12 months, surcharge £20, costs £260.

FEBRUARY 8

Joel Davis, aged 25, c/o The Roundway, Daventry, possession of cannabis; conditional discharge for 12 months, surcharge £20, costs £85.

Andrew Bluck, aged 35, of Baring Road, Northampton, making off without paying for fuel; fined £313, compensation £50, surcharge £31, costs £85.

Aaron McDougal, aged 18, of Kingsley Road, Northampton, damaged a car; community order made, fined £71, compensation £150, surcharge £85, costs £85.

Lukasz Kasberuk, aged 35, of Campbell Street, Northampton, assault; community order made to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work, compensation £30.

Earlier today (April 9) the department store has rejected a £200million offer from Sports Direct and is now on the brink of falling under the control of its lenders.

It means the future of 25,000 jobs and 165 stores in the UK - including the one in The Drapery in Northampton town centre - is uncertain.

Debenhams has been contacted for a comment.

It comes after speculation in October that the Northampton store would be on a list of stores set for closure, but any decision was put off while the company worked to manage its debts.

Sports Direct's CEO Mike Ashley reportedly offered a £150m lifeline deal to the company on Monday in exchange for becoming CEO, but this was rejected.

Today, the department store turned down a new £200m deal by the billionaire, who also already owns 29 per cent of Debenhams shares.

It would be the latest in a line of high street casualties for Northampton after losing House of Fraser, BHS, Marks and Spencers and ahead of the closure Dorothy Perkins.

A cheque for an amazing £42,909.81 was handed over to Cynthia Spencer Hospice raised from the Strictly Northampton 2018 dance show.

Andrzej and Jo Mialkowski, from Step by Step Dance School, who organise ‘Strictly Northampton’, presented the cheque to John Helm, fundraising manager at Cynthia Spencer Hospice, at a special dance awards event in Wootton Community and Sports Centre on Friday night.

This vast sum was raised by contestants of Strictly Northampton 2018 and from donations from the audience who text voted on the night of the show.

John Helm, Cynthia Spencer Hospice fundraising manager, revealed at the dance event, that the money would help fund new Wellbeing services launched on Monday.

He said:” On Monday we will be launching our new Wellbeing service, which helps people with life limiting illnesses to live their life as fully as possible.

"We are increasing our day services from two to five days and the money raised from Strictly Northampton will be helping fund this initiative. Our goal is to improve the quality of people’s lives with our rehabilitative palliative care.

"New workshops have been planned around breathlessness, sleeplessness, pain relief and mobility, which will include seated Thai Chi workshops, gym buddies and a new walking group. We want to attract new patients to our services.

"We wouldn’t be able to extend our services without events like Strictly Northampton and the phenomenal amount of money everyone has raised.”

He was also delighted that Cynthia Spencer Hospice was nominated as the chosen charity for next year’s Strictly Northampton.

Event organiser Andrzej Mialkowski said he was absolutely thrilled with the success of last year’s show.

He said: “This was an amazing show which received fantastic feedback and beat our previous fundraising total. Every year we work hard to put on a good show that the audience will enjoy and we pulled it off again. We beat our fundraising target of £40,000 and this was a result of massive effort from everybody who worked tirelessly on the event.”

“More than £40,000 raised – we can’t wait to see what our 2019 show has in store!” he added.

Strictly Northampton 2019 will be launched on May 19, 2019.

Northampton had more than double the number of fly-tipping reports compared to every other area in the East Midlands last year, according to new figures.

The figures were released as part of a report into fly-tipping incidents on agricultural land in the region by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

For obvious reasons, Northampton did not have any reports of this nature.

However, the report also included the overall number of fly-tipping reports in 2018 for the East Midlands and Northampton had a figure of 18,393.

This compared to 7,374 in Nottingham and 5,640 in Derby. Elsewhere in Northamptonshire, Corby had 1,614 reports, East Northamptonshire 537, Kettering 1,035, Wellingborough 679 and South Northamptonshire 351.

Across East Midlands as a whole, fly-tipping reports totalled 68,470.

The agricultural reports were significantly lower at 249 across the region. Kettering had the highest at seven, Corby had three and South Northamptonshire, one.

But Will Kendrick, of Farmers and Mercantile Insurance Brokers (FMIB), said that true scale of flytipping on East Midlands farmland is not reflected in the figures, as the DEFRA statistics excludes the majority of private-land incidents.

Farmers who fall prey to this crime are having to shoulder the burden, responsible for meeting the cost of clearing rubbish from their land themselves – at an average cost of £1,000 per incident. They are also liable if the dumped rubbish damages the countryside.

Kendrick, who is based in the Northamptonshire office, said: “Flytipping is a blight on our countryside, but dumped waste is not only visually impactful and a nuisance – it can be a source of pollution and cause harm to humans, animals and the environment.

“This year’s DEFRA figures show that it is not only everyday household waste that gets dumped by flytippers – thousands of incidents involve asbestos, clinical waste and chemical and fuel waste.

“So, farmers do not only have to fork out for clean-up costs but also have to worry about the danger it poses to themselves, their workers, their animals and their land.

“These flytippers, both thoughtless individuals and unscrupulous ‘waste businesses’, don’t care that their irresponsible actions could lead to farmers being prosecuted under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

“Innocent farmers have the choice of footing the clean-up bill or facing significant fines for not dealing with someone else’s mess.”

The A45 Flore Bypass between Weedon and the M1 for Northampton was closed in both directions this morning (Tuesday) following a 'police incident' at around 6.30am.

It is understood there was a crash involving up to three cars and lorry and at least one person has been seriously injured.

Highways confirmed that police reopned the road just after midday.

More than £726million in tax from Premier League players would have disappeared from the UK’s coffers if Brexit had hit after the vote on June 23, 2016 and the league had to manage without EU players.

The study, The Brexit Effect by Free Super Tips, reveals the impact clubs would face if freedom of movement was restricted, forcing the clubs to stop buying players from EU member states.

The research looks at wages, transfers and results without EU players and what this would mean to the UK economy in this scenario.

Chelsea are the Premier League’s biggest contributors to the economy with largest wages for EU players - the club’s EU-based squad have been taxed £99.2million since the start of the 2016/17 season. The Blues are followed by Manchester United in second with £74.9million, Manchester City with £70.7million, Arsenal (£53.1million) and Southampton (£48.5million).

Although the majority of the most-taxed EU players come from the top six clubs, this 2018-19 season throws up a few interesting findings with Everton’s tax bill the highest for EU squad members.

The Toffee’s EU players are set to be taxed £37.3million followed by Chelsea with £32.1million going to the taxman, Brighton £30million, Manchester City £29.4million and Newcastle United in £12.2million.

Read more: Data reveals 32,800 new voters in West Yorkshire since Brexit vote

Brexit’s impact would also be heavily felt in the transfer market with Premier League clubs spending more than £2.1billion on players from EU countries over the last three seasons.

Once again, it’s Chelsea who will feel the greatest impact from a hard Brexit with the Blues banking £290.5million, with City the second-highest spending club having an extra £280.5million, followed by Man United (£235million), Everton (£158.4million) and Arsenal (£155.9million).

Mirroring the financial findings, the data shows that Chelsea are the most reliant on EU players with 78 per cent of Premier League minutes played by EU members of the squad.

Wolves’ reliance on Portuguese players reveals the type of task they would have at rebuilding their squad if freedom of movement was restricted with EU players involved in 68 per cent of the games, followed by Huddersfield whose EU players featured in 55 per cent of matches, Arsenal (49 per cent) and Manchester United (49 per cent).

And the most Brexit-proof teams, or teams with the least minutes played by EU players, sees Burnley with only 14 per cent of EU players used, while Neil Warnock’s pro-Brexit stance saw Cardiff EU squad play 17 per cent of games, followed by Liverpool (20 per cent), Crystal Palace (27 per cent) and West Ham (30 per cent).

Under Brexit conditions, this season would see Liverpool increase their advantage, gaining a clear lead in the league, with the Merseysiders three points ahead of Manchester City and a huge swing in goal difference with the Reds 10 goals ahead of their title rivals.

With only a few games remaining, predictions based on the current clubs’ records, Liverpool and City would finish level on 94 points with only the Reds’ superior goal difference helping them secure this season’s title.

Elsewhere in the league, the top four remains the same as the current league standings, however Leicester would be major beneficiaries of Brexit with the club moving from their current 10th place to 5th with a final points tally of 64. The rest of the top 10 would see Everton in 6th on 64 points followed by West Ham (7th on 61 points), Crystal Palace (8th on 57 points), Watford (9th on 57 points) and Manchester United (10th on 52 points).

At the bottom of the table Wolves’ reliance on Portuguese players means that Wolves would be relegated with the club dropping from 7th to 18th with 34 points and an -11-goal difference swing, with Huddersfield in 19th and Fulham 20th place, both finishing on 17 points.

The incident happened some time between 2.40pm and 3pm on Sunday, April 7, in Church Gardens, Sheep Street

The victim was approached by a "group of seven or eight males", believed to be teenagers.

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: "The offenders, who wore face coverings, pushed, punched and kicked the teen. One of the offenders also took out a small knife.

"They then made off with the victim's bike.

"The first offender is described as black and about 6ft. He was wearing a full grey Nike tracksuit with white and blue trainers.

"He had braided hair that was tied back, and the bottom half of his face was covered.

"The second offender is described as black, about 15-years-old, 5ft 4in tall, slim and muscular .

"He was wearing a black puffer jacket, black tracksuit bottoms and black trainers."

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

Northamptonshire Community Foundation and Always a Chance join forces to deliver £1,500 to help prevent violent crime.

Always a Chance was set up in memory of James Cooper and James Kouzaris, who were tragically shot and killed in Florida on April 16, 2011.

The group has a longstanding relationship with Northamptonshire Community Foundation, and recognises the invaluable work it does in supporting the local community, working closely with them to raise funds to both prevent violent crime and support its victims.

The fund is keen to support groups who work with young people to reduce their risk of becoming a victim or perpetrator of crime. This includes projects working with young people who are not in education or employment and specialist agencies providing emotional and practical help and support in the community.

In keeping with the ethos of the charity, Always a Chance have chosen to award £1,500 to Northampton based, non-profit organisation, Community Courtyard to support their ‘Yard Talks’ project – a podcast providing disadvantaged young people with a voice and a platform to explore their daily issues and a place for them to connect with their community.

Bianca Todd, CEO of Community Courtyard, said: “We are working to change the composition of the communities our young people are a part of. This grant will allow us to reach out and connect to young people, providing young people with a voice to explore the issues that are an important part of their everyday identity.”

Community Courtyard delivers social education projects which are based around grassroots community engagement, specifically targeting young people, ex-offenders and their families.

They offer a number of street-based projects which tackle anti-social behaviour and address issues around community cohesion. In addition, they offer alternative education sessions, a range of workshops, pop-up cafés and a variety of music-based activities to engage with disaffected young people and communities.

Peter and Hazel Kouzaris, of Always a Chance, said: “All of us at Always a Chance are delighted to support Community Courtyard. They provide an invaluable service to vulnerable young people in Northampton and its surrounding communities. We applaud the selfless sacrifice made by a small but growing group of individuals who understand many of the issues that face some of our young people today in these times of austerity.”

To find out more about Always a Chance, visit www.alwaysachance.org.uk. Community Courtyard’s website can be found at https://communitycourtyard.org.

In association with Northamptonshire Community Foundation. To find out more about the fantastic work of NCF visit www.ncf.uk.com or call 01604 230033.

Opposition councillors say that Northamptonshire County Council needs to think about the message it is sending to its workers when they are denied a pay rise while senior officers are earning high salaries.

It was revealed this morning that 19 employees were earning more than £100,000 at the county council in 2017/18, the highest in the East Midlands region and the joint 10th highest in the country.

The figures, compiled by the TaxPayers’ Alliance, come from the same financial year in which the council ended with a £41.5million deficit, paid off its chief executive £142,000 and became the first authority in two decades to issue a section 114 notice banning all non-essential spending.

But Labour’s finance spokesman, Councillor Mick Scrimshaw, doesn’t feel like lessons have been learned in the resulting months.

It was revealed this week that the new children’s director Sally Hodges was earning £1,100 a day, working out at an annual salary of £258,000.

Councillor Scrimshaw said: “We had 19 employees earning more than £2million between them in 2017/18. I’m sorry, but there are some big figures in that and I would question whether the public sector should be paying those kinds of figures.

“I understand we have to get good quality people but I don’t think people in the public sector should be earning that kind of money. If they want that kind of salary then go and work in banks or finance. Their motivation surely should be providing public services.

“I’m very worried that NCC, which is financially having to tighten its belt, is paying these kinds of sums. Since then we have the new chief executive and new director of children’s services, who is earning an absolute fortune.

“Then we’re seeing £18,000 pension contributions to some individuals when some people don’t even earn that as a salary.

“The lessons are not being learned. We are supposed to be tightening our belt, and even following the lifting of the section 114 notice recently, every little bit of expenditure has to be signed off. But we are still paying these massive salaries, and that can’t be right.

“It’s something that’s happening across all councils, so that when NCC has to look for a new officer or executive, they have to fight against those kinds of salaries elsewhere and their argument is that it’s the going rate for the best.

“There’s a systematic culture issue across local government. This is public money and it’s at a time when children’s social workers can’t be recruited because of the pay and conditions.

“What sort of message does it send from the people at the top of the organisation to the workers that they rely on below them. It’s the wrong message. The whole system seems to be crazy.”

Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Chris Stanbra agreed that the county had to think about the message it was sending to staff, who were recently told that the authority would give them a rise but only if they could ‘afford it’.

He said: “It’s certainly unsustainable for councils to pay out these sums, and you question why they need so many people to earn these kinds of salaries. The council has to compete in the marketplace for these kind of people, but I think that the number of people earning it is more than is needed in lots of cases. Northamptonshire should be looking at its senior management structure.

“There’s a big challenge for the head of children’s services to show that she is worth the money she is being paid, and I wish her luck in that.

“But it sends completely the wrong message. It says that it’s one rule for the staff, and another for the senior officers. It’s completely wrong, it’s been badly handled by the management and political leadership, and they need to think about that message they are sending.”

The figures from 2017/18 showed that the then chief executive Dr Paul Blantern, who left half way through the financial year in October 2017, pocketed more than £277,000 from the authority - making him the 19th highest paid council employee in the country at the time.

It was also revealed that he received £142,000 as a farewell payment, which included a £95,000 settlement that was revealed just two months after his departure through a Freedom of Information request.

But Dr Blantern’s legacy has been criticised, with his ‘Next Generation’ model of outsourcing services being attributed as a contributory factor for the county council sliding towards financial oblivion.

Councillor Scrimshaw added: “The £95,000 settlement was the secret handshake that we weren’t supposed to know about, but was uncovered through an FoI.

“If we go back to when Dr Blantern was in that post, I can clearly remember the then leader Jim Harker saying how innovative Northamptonshire was being and that they were leading the way with the Next Generation model.

“They couldn’t understand why other councils weren’t doing it, and I think we’ve found out why. Clearly he should not have been one of the top paid people in the country, because his answer to the financial predicament was a wrong answer.”

The county council has said that staff salaries ‘reflect responsibilities associated with the posts’, many of which require ‘highly-qualified, professional staff’.

Earlier today, the high street chain fell under the control of its lenders after rejecting a £200million lifeline offer from Sports Direct.

It means all of its 165 stores will continue trading as normal for now - but this has not allayed fears that outlets will be shut and jobs will be lost in the near future.

And London Evening Standard has reported around 50 outlets could be shut under a company restructuring.

Meanwhile, gift cards, outstanding orders and returns will still be honoured, but this is never guaranteed to last when a company enters administration.

Terry Duddy, Debenhams’ Chairman, said: “...this transaction will allow Debenhams to continue trading as normal, access the funding we need, and proceed with executing our turnaround plans.

"We remain focused on protecting as many stores and jobs as possible, consistent with establishing a sustainable store portfolio in line with our previous guidance.

“In the meantime, our customers, colleagues, pension holders, suppliers and landlords can be reassured that Debenhams will now be able to move forward on a stable footing. I would like to thank them all for their recent and continuing support.”

It comes after speculation in October that the Northampton store in the Drapery would be on a list of stores set for closure, but any decision was put off while the company worked to manage its debts.

This morning, the company turned down a £200million offer by Sports Direct's Mike Ashley, on the condition he became CEO.

After administrators were called in, ownership of the chain was immediately bought under a newly-incorporated company controlled by Debenham's lenders earlier today.

Before coming to study at the University of Northampton in 2017, Demi Bradford had only played the occasional game in pubs and was, by her own admission, ‘pretty rubbish’ at pool.

But that all changed when she joined the Students’ Union Pool Society and her prowess for the sport began to shine through.

“I knew I could play pool, but was never anywhere near a decent standard,” said Demi, who comes from Royston, Hertfordshire.

“When I came to the University I heard about the pool society and signed up and have really enjoyed it.

“I now train up to three or four days a week, with sessions lasting as long as five to eight hours, and all the practice has seen my improve dramatically.”

Two years of solid practice has now paid off for Demi, who is set to represent England’s university women’s pool team at an international tournament in Dublin later this month.

Her big break for England came in February, when she made it to the quarterfinals of a national university pool tournament, losing just two out of 30 team games.

Her performance caught the eye of the Universities Pool Council – the governing body for university pool – and she was invited to an England trials event in Derby. Demi was one of two players selected at the trials to represent the country.

She said: “I’m really looking forward to playing for England and it’s a real honour for me – I can’t wait.”

Demi is now hoping her success will inspire other female students at the University to take up pool.

She said: “There’s two or three of us in the society and it would be great to have more. Pool might be seen, traditionally as a make pastime, but it’s something everyone can enjoy.

“It’s not just about hitting balls around a table, pool is mind game, where you have to put so much thought into your shots. If you’re bored or you’re stressed it’s the perfect game, as you can totally immerse yourself in it and it takes your mind off any worries you might have.”

Demi has received financial backing from the University’s Chancellor’s Fund to cover the costs of her trials and trip to Ireland.

Emirates is looking for candidates to join its multinational workforce during a recruitment open day on Sunday, April 14 at the Collingtree Hilton Hotel, Watering Lane.

The airline is seeking women and men to fill the new positions, which it says have been created because of the recent addition of new routes on the Emirates network.

Anyone interested must arrive at the Hilton for 9am.

Divisional Vice President UK for Emirates, Richard Jewsbury, said: “Our cabin crew are open-minded, helpful, friendly and service-oriented and that’s what we need from candidates in order to deliver Emirates’ award-winning onboard experience to customers.

"This open day is a great opportunity for people to get their career off to a flying start. Applicants just need to drop in to the open day with an up-to-date CV in English and a recent photograph.

“Candidates will need to come prepared to spend the full day at the venue if required. Shortlisted candidates will be informed of timings for further assessments and interviews.

“It is an exciting time for us as Emirates continues to grow and we encourage interested applicants to attend and meet some of our cabin crew recruitment team who will be happy to answer any questions about the role and life in Dubai.”

Cabin crew are offered an employment package, which includes a tax-free income, free shared accommodation in Dubai, free transport to and from work, medical and dental cover as well as exclusive discounts on shopping and leisure activities in Dubai.

It also offers concessional travel benefits for cabin crew as well as their families and friends.

Applicants must be at least 21 and have an arm reach of 212cm when standing on tiptoes.

Although not mandatory, candidates are encouraged to complete an online application on the Emirates Group careers website prior to attending the Open Day.

Further information about the requirements for the selection process can be found here

The elderly motorist turned right and crossed three lanes of the busy motorway before driving towards oncoming traffic.

When the male driver realised his mistake he tried to reverse back along the fast lane before pulling forward again.

The driver eventually manages to reverse back up the road before driving the wrong way down the sliproad.

The video shows the hapless motorist join the southbound carriageway of the M1 at Milton Keynes, at 1pm earlier this month.

Lorry driver Mark Thomas, 54, captured the terrifying moment on his dashcam as he drove from Tilbury Docks in Essex.

The divorced dad-of-one, of Shrewsbury, Shrops, said: “I was really shaken up by it, he could have killed someone, I couldn’t believe it.

“I was driving in the middle lane and noticed in the distance was not quite right.

“I was doing around 60mph when I saw the car coming up on the fast lane, and slowed down to 40mph in an instant.

“I just slowed right down and put on the hazard warning lights.

“I could see a young bloke in the white van next to me brake hard and he was really straining on the seatbelt.

“The man in the silver car looked like he was 65 to 70 and was very confused.

“He might not have understood the signs. I wondered if he might be a foreigner.

“When he was reversing on the fast lane I was shouting out the window at him to turn around, in fact I went hoarse from shouting.

"He tried reversing back down the carriageway a couple of times until he weaved his way back down the fast lane and goes the wrong way down the slip road.

"It was lucky it was a clear day because if it had been foggy that would have been it. The road was busy with cars and lorries like mine and he could have caused carnange.

“I have been a trucker for 32 years and this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this.

“I sent the dashcam to the police and they say someone has already reported it, I don’t know what’s happened to the driver."

The A45 Flore Bypass between Weedon and the M1 for Northampton was closed in both directions this morning (Tuesday) following a 'police incident' at around 6.30am.

Fire crews from three different stations were called to deal with the crash, which saw two people released from their vehicles by hydraulic cutting equipment.

A tweet by Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue reported that trauma kits were also used, and five people in total were taken to hospital.

Meanwhile, the road was reopened just after midday after it was closed in both directions for nearly six hours.