Two friends had their mobile phones stolen by a gang while they were sitting in the Racecourse park in Northampton in the early hours of the morning.

The two had left the town centre sometime between 2am and 4am on Saturday April 26 and decided to sit on a bench in the park, listening to music on their mobile phones.

They were then approached by a gang of three men, who demanded that they hand over the phones.

The robbery happened in a playground close to the Colwyn Road area of the Racecourse.

Two of the men where white and aged between 25 and 30. They both wore black hooded tops with the hoods up and dark tracksuit bottoms.

Witnesses, or anyone with any information about this incident, can call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

All 600 employees at Northampton Borough Council have been informed of potential changes to their pay and conditions which could result in some working longer hours for no extra money.

A letter was sent to workers from chief executive David Kennedy yesterday, Wednesday, informing them of five proposals which are aimed at saving £365,000 in 2014/15 and possibly up to £1.5 million in future years.

The proposals include freezing pay increases for the 2014/15 year; increasing the working week to 38,39 or 40 hours a week; and reducing the number of vacant posts from April 2015.

Another proposal is to introduce a new performance appraisal and rating mechanism to start in 2014/15 with a pay progression scheme to “reward individual high performance.”

The council is also proposing to introduce a new sick pay scheme from autumn 2014, which will mean employees get no pay for the first three days of absence and a flat rate of sickness benefit of 12 weeks full and 12 weeks half pay rather than six months full and six months half pay.

The final proposal is to introduce local pay negotiations, as opposed to national negotiations, from 2015/16 onwards.

In the letter Mr Kennedy stated: “No decisions have yet been made – it could be that all or some of the proposals, in their current or a varied form, are the ones that are taken further.

“These are unprecedented times for the council and we have difficult budget choices to make. We need to consider that these options are a way to protect both jobs and services.

“A combination such as this would achieve the required budget savings against employment costs for 2014/15 and address the ongoing requirement to make cost savings to help partly balance the budget for future years.”

Mr Kennedy said directors would hold employee briefing sessions throughout May. A decision on the proposals is expected to be made in June.

A trade union spokeswoman said employees were “generally not happy” with the proposals that would see them “working more for less money”.

Tonia Williams, regional Unison organiser, said: “This is not headlined as a pay cut but that is essentially what it is. There is no agreement with the trade unions on any of these proposals.

“We would certainly not recommend coming out of national terms and conditions.”

Ms Williams said the unions would be waiting until the council decided on what proposals it wanted to introduce before deciding whether to ballot members for strike action.

Northamptonshire County Council introduced changes to staff pay and conditions last year.

A patient at St Andrew’s Hospital in Northampton has been fined £100 after assaulting a nurse and a therapist.

Mental health patient Lee Szabo punched one woman and kicked the other during a day of supervised leave last June, in a bid to escape the hospital and “return to his family”.

He was caught by security when he ran out of breath before clearing the hospital grounds.

Mr Szabo has since been moved to a unit 
near his family in Manchester.

Staff at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) are involved in a new development that will transform the way radiology images and reports are used, helping to improve patient care.

NGH is part of a consortium of seven NHS trusts across the East Midlands (EMRAD) who are working together to purchase a new radiology system.  The proposed system will be able to store and transmit images and reports seamlessly around the region, supporting timely and high quality clinical care regardless of geographical location.

The systems will support 24/7 services and provide a sustainable long-term model for radiology services in the region.

Christina Malcolmson, NGH deputy director of ICT, said: “We are really excited to be investing in the future of radiology here at Northampton General. Through the EMRAD consortium, we are using our buying power, as well as our clinical, technical and management know-how to get the best possible system for our patients.”

The procurement process has been running for several months and is reaching the critical final stages, with a preferred supplier expected to be confirmed by the summer. 

Staff at all seven trusts will have the chance to see both of the shortlisted companies demonstrate their systems at the end of April. Based on detailed assessments and the views of staff, a preferred supplier is expected to be confirmed by the summer.

Dr Richard Jones, consultant radiologist at NGH, is working to ensure we select the best system as part of EMRAD, and is positive about the benefits a new system could provide. He said: “Radiology systems have developed hugely in recent years.  The ability to review radiology images and reports is now a crucial part of many clinical pathways, and increasingly these pathways involve multiple hospital locations, 24/7. 

“The clinically-driven EMRAD collaboration means that we will be able to solve some of the long-standing problems that currently get in the way of delivering the best possible care to our patients.

Police are reminding people to be on the lookout for illegal raves this bank holiday weekend.

The force relies on information from the public when dealing with raves, either to be made aware one is happening, or to be informed of suspicious activity that could indicate one is being planned.

Raves can be disruptive in terms of noise and nuisance and can be more difficult to clear once they are established, so it is vital people let police know if they concerned about any suspicious activity.

Superintendent Andy Cox, Head of the County Operational Command Unit, said: “We can nip illegal raves in the bud and stop them from taking place if we have reliable information about something which is likely to be taking place.

“We will have extra police officers on duty throughout the weekend ready to respond to any information we receive about a rave taking place.

“We are often alerted to raves by local people calling us to complain about a sudden increase in traffic and anti-social behaviour as people arrive at a venue, which we would encourage people to do.

“I would also urge the public to be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary in their community, no matter how trivial it may seem.

“In many cases those people who are looking to set-up a rave will visit the proposed site a couple of days before the event and I would urge anyone who spots any suspicious activity in their village, along a country road or around farmland to please let us know.”

Please call the police if you notice the following in a rural area:-

- Posters or messages advertising a rave

- Cropped bolts on a gate

- People in cars or vans stopping to look into a field or climbing over a fence into a field

- Flattened or disturbed hedgerows

- Anyone acting suspiciously

Members of the public can report suspicious activity via ‘Do it online’ button at www.northants.police.uk or by calling 101.

A motocross rider was airlifted to hospital after a fall at a track near Catthorpe.

The 29-year-old man suffered pelvic and shoulder injuries in the fall, which happened yesterday (Wednesday).

Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) were called to the incident to provide advanced critical care and a rapid transfer to the nearest major trauma centre.

DLRAA received the call at around 11.03am and landed at the track 15 minutes later.

A spokesman for DLRAA said: “The patient was assessed and treated for his injuries at the scene. He was given pain relief before being immobilised and airlifted to University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire.

The crew landed at the hospital at 12.10pm.”

A 51-year-old pedestrian was injured during a collision with a car in Kettering last night (Wednesday).

The collision in Montague Road happened at about 7.10pm, near the junction with Bath Road, when a blue Volvo XC90, driven by a 65-year-old man from Rothwell, was in collision with a pedestrian.

The pedestrian, a 51-year-old woman from Kettering, was taken to University Hospital Coventry where she is being treated for head and pelvic injuries.

A 65-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and has been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Witnesses to this incident, or anyone who has any information, is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615.

A smartcard specialist based in Northampton has announced that it will grow its workforce by 30 per cent in 2014.

Novacroft, the company behind London’s Oyster card, has announced that it will create a wide range of new job opportunities across its two Northamptonshire sites in Brixworth and Moulton Park this year as it embarks on the next phase of its development.

After the unveiling in January of four new companies - Novacroft, DeploySmart, LoadMore and UCan-Do-It - the Novacroft Group is now looking to recruit people in fields ranging from software development to contact centre management.

Combining its 2014 recruitment plans with last year’s 57 per cebt rise in employee numbers means that Novacroft will double in size within 24 months, a period in which it has developed innovative solutions for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOGOC), West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority and the Greater London Authority.

Novacroft accredited Investor in People and its commitment to employee engagement and development was cited as a key factor when it was recently named Northamptonshire Business of the Year.

Debra Charles, Novacroft founder and chief executive, said: “As a business we are committed to helping our public sector clients get more for less and I am convinced that providing a stimulating, supportive and fun place to work helps our people work together to give their best and get the best for our clients.”

Advice is being given out to residents ahead of firefighter strikes over the next few days.

Northamptonshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service is reminding residents how to reduce the risk of fire in the home.

The advice comes following the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) announcement that they intend to take further industrial action as a result of the on-going national dispute with the government.

Industrial action is announced for:

- Friday May 2 – 12pm to 5pm

- Saturday May 3 – 2pm to 2am

- Sunday May 4 – 10am to 3pm

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has contingency plans in place to ensure disruption to kept to a minimum. Planning has been underway for several months, both within the service and in partnership with neighbouring authorities, to ensure it can continue to respond to emergencies during this time.

Residents are also reminded that there are a few simple steps they can follow to reduce the risk of fire in the home:

1. Protect your home with working smoke alarms, install smoke alarms on every floor and test them on the 1st of every month.

2. Take extra care in the kitchen as over 50% of accidental house fires start in the kitchen.

3. Check your electrics, check and maintain your appliances, cables and plugs.

4. If you smoke, make sure you ‘Put them out, Right out.’

5. Make sure you all sleep safe - have a bedtime routine of unplugging and switching off before closing doors on your way to bed.

6. Plan a safe escape and make sure everyone in your home knows how to get out in an emergency.

7. If you plan to enjoy the weekend away from home, please ensure that your property is secure, doors locked, windows closed ( locked if possible) and your cooking applainces are switched off.

8. Finally, if you are planning DIY this weekend, think safety, think about the right tools for the job and think about what is the right protective equipment, as sadly many fatal and serious injury related accidents occur in the home.

Head of Prevention and Community Protection Mark Ainge said: “This is good advice for everyone to follow at all times.

“We have contingency plans in place and will be continuing to respond to emergencies, but this is a testing time for fire and rescue services across the country so anything that can be done to reduce the risk of fire is definitely a good idea.

“Resources may be stretched so we would also like to remind people that as always, only call 999 in an emergency.”

For more advice about how to reduce the risks of fire, people can visit www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/fire.

They can also follow the Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service Twitter account @northantsfire and Like the Facebook page www.facebook.com/northantsfire.

A robbery at a bookmakers in Northampton was foiled after a shop worker activated the alarm.

Two men wearing balaclavas entered the Semilong Racing in Semilong Road at about 7.30pm on Wednesday, April 30.

Once inside, they demanded the man behind the counter fill a bag with cash.

But he activated the premise alarm and the men fled empty handed in the direction of Gordon Street.

Both men are described as slim and about 6ft. They both wore dark clothes.

Witnesses, or anyone with any information about this incident, can call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

A First World War Roll of Honour has been donated to the collection at Stoke Bruerne’s Canal Museum.

Canal & River Trust’s Chief Executive Richard Parry presented the museum with the First World War Roll of Honour, originally produced by The Grand Junction Canal Company, to mark the completion of extensive refurbishment works at the Canal Museum.

It reopened for the 2014 season on Wednesday.

This will be the first time that the Roll of Honour, recently discovered by Canal & River Trust employees at the charity’s Brentford Office, will be put on public display. The new exhibit has been donated to the collection to coincide with the centenary of the First World War.

A grant from the Arts Council England’s Renaissance strategic support fund and the Friends of the Canal Museum has made the £61,000 refurbishment project possible – with directional eco-lighting and new floors and ceilings being installed to better showcase the museum’s collection.

Peter Knott, area director at Arts Council England, said: “To preserve our heritage for future generations it’s really important that we continue to fund our museums. Canals have played an important role in the industrial history of the Midlands so I’m pleased that we’ve been able to invest in the refurbishment of the Canal Museum through the Renaissance strategic support fund. It’s also great news that the recently discovered Roll of Honour will take pride of place in the museum in time for the centenary celebrations.”

The museum refurbishment was a major project for Canal & River Trust’s collections team who had to arrange for 947 objects from Stoke Bruerne to be taken out, safely stored and then carefully returned to the museum as part of the major building and lighting project.

Every object was recorded, carefully packed and its new location noted to ensure none of the objects were damaged or lost. The collections team also took the opportunity to audit each object to check for signs of deterioration.

The museum’s committed and skilled volunteer team clocked up more than 800 volunteer hours taking out and replacing the collection.  

Wendy Capelle, acting head of Museums & Attractions at the Canal & River Trust, said: “Thanks to funding from Arts Council England and the Friends of the Canal Museum we have been able to significantly improve the visitor experience. Our refurbishment will help to showcase items of significant historical importance to the waterways and enable visitors to see our collection in the best possible light,”

At the official reopening, Mr Perry said: “I am delighted to be reopening the Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne. I have seen for myself the vital role it plays both in the local community and in its national role as an important collection of waterways artefacts.”

Housed on two floors of a historic corn mill in the picturesque village of Stoke Bruerne in Northamptonshire the Canal Museum follows the story of Britain’s canals, from the great engineers and navvies who created them to the boat families, leggers and lock keepers who lived and worked on them.

A 36-year-old man from Kettering has been arrested after officers found a large amount of white powder - believed to be cocaine – during a search.

The man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug by the Alcohol Harm Reduction Team yesterday (Thursday).

He has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Ivan Toney masks have started appearing in various locations across Northampton ahead of tomorrow’s big Cobblers match.

The Chron printed an Ivan Toney mask in yesterday’s (Thursday) edition of the newspaper for Cobblers fans to cut out and take to the big game at Sixfields on Saturday against Oxford.

The 18-year-old, who grew up in Northampton and went to Weston Favell School, tweeted @ChronandEcho to say: “lol is all I can say”

Fans have already started to cut out their Chron mask ready for the game.

On Twitter Danny Dickson @Mr_Dickson91 said: “Just out having a beer an @ivantoney24 shows up.....”

Bombal @bombenj said: “@ivantoney24 has earned his place in our pub”

Connor Mckeown @ConnorTeyn said: “@ivantoney24 DO DO DO THE IVAN TONEY”

On Facebook relative Jazmin Toney said: “Loooool!!! Definitely wearing mine Saturday!”

Coye Franklin added: “Good lad ivan big future ahead m8 keep doing ur family and this town proud.”

There is still time to pick up a mask - featured on page 212 of the current edition of the Chron.

**Please tweet us @ChronandEcho with your Ivan Toney mask pictures or post them on our Facebook wall at www.facebook.com/northamptonchron or email them to northampton.chron@jpress.co.uk**

TV viewers across Northamptonshire are being reminded to tune in to BritCam this Sunday evening.

BritCam is the new 10-part documentary series giving a rare insight into the work of those on the frontline, including Northamptonshire Police officers who will feature in the next three episodes.

Part of this is footage from officers’ body cameras, so gives a unique perspective on their jobs. It is accompanied by interviews with the officers, and is described as “dramatic and high-octane with moments of funny everyday nuance and heartfelt emotion”.

Northamptonshire was chosen because the force is acknowledged as a pioneer in its development of body cameras, which are now seen as a vital part of an officer’s equipment.

The programme airs on Pick (available on Freeview channel 11, Sky 152, Freesat 144 and Virgin Media 180) at 9pm.

For more details visit BritCam: http://www.sky.com/tv/show/britcam

A Vietnamese restaurant in Northampton is offering a free drink to Cobblers fans if Ivan Toney scores on Saturday and the Cobblers stay up.

The 18-year-old striker is a regular at Dang’s, in Wellingborough Road, which is run by his aunt, Hao Dang.

Miss Dang said: “All the family are extremely proud of Ivan and it’s fantastic that he’s broken into the team at such an important stage of the season.

“If he scores on Saturday and the Cobblers stay up, we will give all our diners who show their match ticket a free drink to celebrate.”

Dang’s is the only restaurant in Northampton to have been listed in the Michelin guide for five successive years and Toney, 18, is a regular visitor.

He said: “I love Hao’s chicken curry.

“Hopefully that’s the food that can help me score the goals to keep us up. We got half the job done last weekend and now we need to finish it.”

A family whose mother died before she was able to go on a holiday has been given a refund on a travel firm voucher with help from the Chronicle & Echo.

Diana Lyon, aged 71, had been recovering from cancer late last year when her son, Peter, bought her a £100 voucher towards a future holiday with Northampton firm, Cloud Nine.

But Mrs Lyon passed away before she and husband Roger could redeem their gift.

Assuming the firm would be happy to give the money back, Peter said he was taken aback to be told no refunds were given under any circumstances. He said: “I can’t believe that a firm which prides itself on customer service could appear so unfeeling.

“My dad is hardly likely to go on holiday with them any time soon as his wife has just died. How did they expect us to use the voucher now?

“The money was more useful to mum’s family in paying for her funeral than in Cloud Nine’s bank account.”

Mrs Lyon, a former librarian who lived in Duston, had been on several holidays with her husband through Cloud Nine in the past few years.

Peter said: “The part of it that really gets us is that they spent so much money with Cloud Nine and they didn’t want to give up £100 to acknowledge that.”

Cloud Nine director Julie Bull, who had previously written a formal letter to Mr Lyon rejecting his request, relented after being contacted by the Chronicle & Echo. She said: “I have sympathy with Mrs Lyon’s family but we specialise in trips for the over-50s so deaths happen more than people may think. I would say it happens more than a hundred times a year and those families don’t get refunds.

“However, I’m prepared to make an exception in this case.”

A meeting will be held today (Tuesday) to discuss the planning of a development that will include 1000 new homes on the edge of Northampton.

The Hardingstone Sustainable Urban Extension (SUE) also includes plans for a 1,320 sqm retail centre, a pub, a primary school, a medical centre and a community centre just outside of Hardingstone in Northamptonshire.

The development, which will be accessible via Landimore Road and Newport Pagnell Road, falls within part of Northampton Borough Council’s five year housing supply target, part of the central government’s aim to improve regional economic development and employment opportunities.

However, the plan has been met with opposition from residents who have joined the Hardingstone Action Group.

In a protest last year, they raised their concerns about the strain the development would put on the local infrastructure and the amount of countryside that would be lost.

On their online blog, the group states that: “Hardingstone has provided new houses where it can, in small developments that the village can absorb.

“However now it could fall victim to a massive expansion, cutting it off from the countryside and doubling its size.

“We don’t think the roads would cope, we don’t think the schools would cope, and we don’t think Hardingstone could keep its village and community spirit.”

The public meeting to discuss the development will be held at Northampton’s Guildhall at 6pm tonight and the application, along with other items on the meeting’s agenda, can be viewed here: http://www.northamptonboroughcouncil.com/councillors/documents/s43682/2013-0338.pdf

Plans to open a free school on the site of the police headquarters in Northampton have been labelled “appalling, dangerous and damaging”.

Liberal Democrat county councillor for Delapre and Rushmere division, has hit out at proposals revealed by Police and Crime Commissioner Adam Simmonds as part of his plans to relocate the police headquarters from Wootton Hall.

Speaking at a recent Police and Crime Panel meeting, Mr Simmonds stated that he was pressing ahead with the sale of the ageing Wootton Hall site, which houses around 200 police staff, and that his preferred option to replace the premises would be a school. A trust has been set up to oversee the project of building a free school on the site. Trustees include Northampton South MP Brian Binley and former education chief of Northamptonshire County Council Andrew Sortwell.

But Councillor Glynane said: “Building a school here seems to be based entirely on the fact that the Tory Police Commissioner, one of the originators of the plan, controls Wootton Hall.

“There are areas of the town, especially those with planned residential developments, that will require new schools. Here though, Adam Simmonds and the school trust will actually undermine the excellent schools we already have in the area, harming the education provision for the children of Delapre and the surrounding areas.”

Liberal Democrats are also concerned that the site would be unsafe for the students, as it opens directly onto a dual carriageway, he said.

“It’s certainly not an ideal location for a large concentration of children,” Councillor Glynane added.

“This is a half-cocked, appalling idea from a police commissioner that should be concentrating on keeping Northamptonshire safe – not trying to build a legacy by attacking local schools and damaging the life chances of children.”

A woman had her mobile phone stolen during a robbery in Victoria Promenade, Northampton.

A 42-year-old woman was walking towards the St Johns Car Park, about 20 yards from the Bedford Road junction, when she was approached from behind by a boy on a black BMX bike.

She was about to make a call on her mobile phone, but the offender snatched it from her and cycled off on his bike, accompanied by a second boy who was about the same age and height.

The main offender is described as white, aged 16, 5ft 8in, with a medium build and short spiky light-brown hair. He was wearing a grey hoodie.

The incident happened between 5.15pm and 5.35pm on Tuesday April 29.

Witnesses to this incident, or anyone with information, should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 - alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A 53-year-old man sustained abdominal and pelvic injuries following an industrial accident in Bugbrooke.

The man was crushed between a forklift truck and a panel on Friday afternoon.

Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance was called to the incident by East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) at around 2.15pm. They landed at the scene 15 minutes later.

A spokesman for WNAA said: “The patient was complaining of lower abdominal pain and pelvic pain. He was stabilised and given advanced pain relief before being immobilised and airlifted to University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire for further treatment. The patient’s current condition is unknown.”