A man “with a deep voice” grabbed a teenage girl by the hair and made lewd comments to her while she was walking past a car park in Towcester.

The incident happened between 12.30am and 1am on Saturday.

The 16-year-old girl was walking past a car in the car park at the junction of Vernon Road and Watling Street when the passenger in the car reached out, grabbed her hair and made “a suggestive comment”.

As she ran away past the bus stop next to the car park she was also grabbed by the waist by another unknown person.

The man in the car is described as a man with a deep voice.

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

A woman had her handbag stolen and was pushed over in a robbery in Northampton.

The 53-year-old victim was walking along Exeter Place just after 7.30am on Tuesday, March 12, when a man ran up to her from behind and grabbed her handbag. When she turned around, he pushed her to the floor.

The offender is described as white, 5ft 11in, with mousy brown hair, wearing blue jeans and a blue cotton jacket. He was also wearing a black balaclava at the time of the robbery, which he was seen removing afterwards by the woman.

Witnesses, or anyone with information, can call Northamptonshire Police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

The “supremely courageous and inspiring” actions of a Northamptonshire soldier who died as he put himself in the line of fire to protect his comrades in Afghanistan have been disclosed in the citation for his posthumous Victoria Cross.

Lance Corporal James Ashworth, aged 23, will receive the medal in recognition of his “extraordinary courage” while serving with the 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards in Helmand province last year.

The Victoria Cross, the country’s highest award for gallantry, has been awarded just 10 times to UK soldiers since the Second World War.

The posthumous award to L/Cpl Ashworth, from Corby, is just the second from the 12-year conflict in Afghanistan.

L/Cpl Ashworth was killed as he stormed an insurgent position in the Nahr-e-Saraj district of Helmand in June 2012.

L/Cpl Ashworth’s mother Kerry, father Duane, a former Grenadier, and brother Coran, 22, a serving soldier, were present at Buller Barracks, Aldershot Army base, Hampshire, where the citation for the Victoria Cross was read aloud.

It states: “Despite the ferocity of the insurgent’s resistance, Ashworth refused to be beaten.

“His total disregard for his own safety in ensuring that the last grenade was posted accurately was the gallant last action of a soldier who had willingly placed himself in the line of fire on numerous occasions earlier in the attack.

“This supremely courageous and inspiring action deserves the highest recognition.”

The Ministry of Defence has described how L/Cpl Ashworth and his platoon were ordered into Nahr-e-Saraj on June 13 to engage an insurgent sniper team.

A spokesman explained how they came under fire as soon as they landed, prompting L/Cpl Ashworth to lead his team in a 300-metre charge to the enemy position in a local village.

Two insurgents were killed in this initial attack but a follow-up assault by Afghan police stalled when a patrolman was shot and killed as the enemy fled.

The spokesman said: “With no regard for his own safety, L/Cpl Ashworth again led from the front of his team, advancing on an insurgent compound and using grenades to drive the final remaining enemy to an outbuilding.

“The insurgent was now being supported by fire from several positions, with the enemy desperate to protect their sharpshooter team.

“The immediate priority for L/Cpl Ashworth’s team was now to neutralise the final sharpshooter and extract as soon as possible.

“Seeking to break the stalemate using his final grenade, L/Cpl Ashworth dropped to the floor and crawled behind a knee-high wall that ran parallel to the front of the outbuilding.

“With just enough cover to conceal his prostrate form, he inched forward on his belly.

“Bullets flew over his head as he edged forward and the enemy continued to engage the rest of his team.

“When he was within five metres of the insurgent’s position L/Cpl Ashworth was desperate to make his last grenade count.

“He deliberately crawled out from behind the wall, exposing himself to fire to get a better angle for his throw.

“L/Cpl Ashworth was now in full view of the enemy just metres away, with rounds hitting the floor just centimetres around him.

“He was preparing to throw the grenade when he was tragically hit by enemy fire.”

The inscription For Valour was personally chosen by Queen Victoria. To date, only 1,360 VCs have been awarded and L/Cpl Ashworth’s will be the 1,361st.

A “mouthy and abusive” man with a history of violence assaulted a woman in front of a young child, a court heard.

Gary Finch got “right up in the face” of the woman after a row over “two cans of beer”.

He shoved her twice, causing the child to start crying and run away.

And when they tried to call the police, he snatched the phone and threw it away, smashing it.

Finch, aged 23, of Park Drive, Kings Heath, Northampton admitted one charge of assault by beating, but was spared jail.

Northampton Magistrates’ Court heard Finch initially pleaded not guilty to the charge and a trial date was set, but he later changed his plea to guilty.

Unemployed Finch has a previous conviction for battery against a woman, and his counsel accepted the offence passed the custody threshold.

But District Judge Tim Daber took a more lenient approach to Finch’s punishment.

He was sentenced to a two-year community order and will be made to complete both a violence and alcohol treatment programme.

Police have named the Northamptonshire man who died after being involved in a car crash in Rushden.

Ashley Circuit, aged 23, of Farnham Drive, Rushden, died at the scene of the incident on the A6, Bedford Road, near to the junction with Avenue Road, yesterday at around 8pm.

A blue Volkswagen Bora, which was heading out of Rushden, and a silver Peugeot 206, which was travelling in the opposite direction, collided.

Mr Circuit, who was a passenger in the VW Bora, suffered fatal injuries.

The driver of the Peugeot, a 26-year-old woman from the county, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Walsgrave Hospital.

The driver of the VW Bora, a 23-year-old man from Northamptonshire, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and is now in custody.

Anyone with information or who witnessed this incident is asked to call the Drivewatch hotline on 0800 174615.

A father is believed to have suffered burns to his shoulder after he helped rescue his disabled son from a house fire in a Northampton estate.

A number of properties in Arbour View Court, Thorplands, were evacuated at 8.30pm last night after a blaze started in a two-storey house.

It is believed that the fire started in an upstairs room of the property and the father rescued his three children, two of whom have cerebral palsy, before firefighters arrived.

Neighbours said the father and his three children were taken to hospital suffering with burns and smoke inhalation.

Firefighters have confirmed the family managed to escape the house before emergency services arrived.

Glen Valentine, who lives in Arbour View Court, said: “We got evacuated at about 8.30pm There was three fire engines, two ambulances and police cars.

“Smoke was billowing out but it was lucky that the wind was taking it away from the other properties.

“The father ended up getting burnt trying to get his children out of the house.”

Police have said a fire investigation is continuing and a cause of the blaze is not yet known.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “At approximately 8.25pm on March 18, the Fire & Rescue Service, police and ambulance Service attended a house fire at Arbour View Court, Thorplands, Northampton.

“Three fire appliances from Moulton and The Mounts attended the incident.

“Upon arrival at the address the first floor of the house was well alight. The four occupants, one man and three children, had managed to escape from the house prior to the arrival of the emergency services.

“All four occupants were taken to hospital suffering injuries from effects of the fire. The extent of the injuries is yet to be confirmed.

“An investigation into the cause of the fire is being carried out by a combined Police and Fire Investigation team.”

Cannabis ‘scratch and sniff’ cards are to be delivered to households across Northamptonshire as part of a battle against drug factories in the county.

The scheme, which is being run by Crimestoppers, comes after Northamptonshire was ranked alongside Manchester, London and West and South Yorkshire as a hotspot area for cannabis factories by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

Across the county, more than 300 cannabis farms were shut down between 2010 and 2012.

This week Crimestoppers will begin distributing “scratch and sniff” cards in a bid educate and inform residents about the signs to spot and detect cannabis farms by recognising the specific smell of growing cannabis.

The cards contain an element that replicates the smell of cannabis in its growing state.

Over the last two years police forces across the country have seized more than one million cannabis plants, with an estimated value of more than £200 million. Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, the charity has helped to seize illegal drugs with a street value of more than £292 million.

Around half of all information that is passed to Crimestoppers every year is about drugs offences.

Founder and Chairman of Crimestoppers, Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC, said: “Cannabis farms grow more than just drugs. Those who are cultivating cannabis tend to be involved in other areas of crime and are often involved in related gang crime and other violent crimes involving firearms.

“These individuals use violence and intimidation to carry out these crimes and endanger the lives of those around them. We want to help put an end to this and the funding that cultivation provides to serious organised crimes like human trafficking and gun crime.”

Crimestoppers director of operations, Roger Critchell said: “We are distributing “scratch and sniff” cards because not many people know how to recognise the signs of cannabis cultivation happening in their neighbourhood, many are also not familiar with the established links between this crime and serious organised crime.

“Cannabis farms make everyone a victim. Is organised crime running a cannabis farm in your neighbourhood? Give us information anonymously on 0800 555 111 to help play your part in keeping our streets safe.”

The Association of Chief Police Officers lead for drugs, Andy Bliss, said: “Closing down cannabis farms and arresting the criminals who run and organise them is a key focus in drugs policing.

“This is because we recognise that these farms are often run by organised criminals but also because they bring crime and anti-social behaviour into local communities causing real harm and leaving people feeling unsafe.

“We also know that many people don’t realise that the empty, run down house or flat on their street with people coming and going late at night may actually be a commercial cannabis farm. It’s not just the stereotype of the remote rural set or disused industrial estate unit.

“The Crimestoppers campaign will help members of the public to recognise the signs and smell of a cannabis farm. The police will use the intelligence generated by the campaign to help build on recent successes in tackling this issue.”

A “manipulative and obsessive” paedophile exploited the extreme poverty of a family in the Philippines to get children to perform sex acts for him on camera, a court has heard.

Vile Timothy Ford, aged 52, from Northamptonshire, was yesterday jailed after he admitted 23 offences, including paying for sexual services from a child and arranging or facilitating the prostitution of a child.

Northampton Crown Court heard how Ford preyed on a poor family in the Philippines and made contact with their parents via the internet.

He then wired cash to the parents in exchange for “sex shows” involving their children, thought to be boys as young as six.

Prosecuting, Mary Loram, said police initially raided Ford’s home in June 2011, seizing two laptops, a PC and DVDs.

They found files containing videos of children performing sex acts on themselves and abusing other children.

In some of the files Ford’s voice could be heard as he spoke to the children via Skype and talked to the parents about making payments, thought to be about £10 a time, for the sick “shows”.

Mrs Loram said Ford had also told other paedophiles in the UK and in America about the family. His conversations prompted the FBI to investigate.

Police found evidence other paedophiles had contacted the family.

Ford even bought a share of a property in the Philippines, where he planned to open an internet cafe with accommodation to be rented out “by the hour” upstairs.

During one exchange online Ford joked about setting up a travel agents called “Paedophile Vacations”.

Police also raided his home, in Burghley Street, Kettering, in May last year and found another collection of sick videos, build up while he was on bail.

The court heard Ford had previous convictions for sexual offences involving children dating back to 1992, when he was convicted of distributing indent images of children.

He was also jailed in 2001 for making indecent images of children.

Judge Rupert Mayo rejected a letter, written by Ford, saying he now recognised he needed “help” for his problems.

Instead, Judge Mayo blasted him, telling Ford he “enthusiastically promoted” the exploitation of children in the south east Asian country.

He told Ford: “In my judgement you are manipulative, obsessive and blinkered in your interests with prepubescent boys.”

Judge Mayo said he believed Ford would have ended up abusing children himself “if given a free hand”.

He added: “There is no doubt in my mind that you pose a significant risk to members of the public.”

Ford was jailed for eight and a half years, with a extended sentence of six years.

He will only be released from his sentence when he is no longer deemed to be a danger and will then spend an extended period on licence, and possible recall to prison, until 2028.

Police Commissioner Adam Simmonds has announced his three temporary assistant commissioners have all been given £65,000-a-year permanent jobs.

Mr Simmonds this morning announced Iain Britton is to become the permanent Assistant Commissioner for Justice.

Kathryn Buckle becomes Assistant Commissioner for Governance and Peter Heaton becomes Assistant Commissioner for Public Involvement.

All three were given the jobs on a temporary basis following his election in November last year.

The trio take up their posts on April 1.

They will be based at the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner at Northamptonshire Police HQ at Wootton Hall.

The appointment of Ms Buckle, who acted as Mr Simmonds’ election agent, and Mr Heaton, who worked as his press agent during last year’s election, have already been met with criticism by opposition parties.

The leader of the Liberal Democrat Opposition at County Hall, and member of the Police and Crime panel, County Councillor Brendan Glynane today labelled the appointments as “pure cronyism”.

He said “It really is unbelievable.

“The Conservative Police Commissioner has given his campaign staff permanent taxpayer funded jobs at £65k-a-year. Given the outcry when he doled out the positions on an interim basis you’d have thought he would have learnt. This is pure cronyism.”

He added: “We have Conservative party political activists, with no record of involvement with the police, sitting in an office on £65k a year.

“The Conservatives have made the wrong choice yet again, choosing cronyism and jobs for the boys and girls over making our streets safer.”

Ambulances will be stationed at 13 points across the south of Northamptonshire if new proposals to shake up ambulance stations go ahead.

East Midlands Ambulance has published the plans ahead of the board meeting on Monday March 25, where a final decision will be taken.

It shows that the Northampton North station is set to be upgraded to a ‘hub’ complete with a workshop and Brackley station will also be an upgraded station minus the workshop.

Deployment standby points will also be in Hardingstone, Towcester, Daventry, New Duston, Great Billing, Potterspury, Watford, Great Doddington, Northampton town centre and two more elsewhere in Northampton; one in the north west of he two and another in the south west.

The exact roads where they will be based will only be decided once final plans are approved.

Kettering will have a hub station, with 11 more standby points across the north of Northamptonshire.

The plans come after a three-month public and staff consultation last year on the ‘Being the Best’ plans, which EMAS said would help improve response times to emergency 999 calls.

Phil Milligan, EMAS chief executive, said: “The aim of our Being the Best change programme has always been to improve response times to emergency 999 calls and to improve the working lives of our frontline staff.

“I am pleased our staff, and the people and organisations who have an interest in the service we provide have taken the time to be involved, to have their say and help to shape our plans.

“In the true spirit of consultation, that is what has happened. We’ve listened to the responses received during the consultation and we’ve developed and shaped our plans using that feedback.

“Our service has got to change if we are to improve. The decision we make on Monday 25 March has to be right for our patients and right for our staff. I am confident that we will get it right for the people of the East Midlands.”

Police have welcomed the sentence of a “voracious” paedophile who preyed on impoverished Filipino families via the internet.

Timothy Ford, aged 52, was yesterday sentenced to eight and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to 23 charges of various sexual offences.

He must serve a minimum of two thirds of his sentence before he can apply for parole.

Ford must then satisfy the parole board that he is no longer a danger to the public and would then have to serve an extended six years on license.

Detective Constable Eleri Neale, said: “I am satisfied with today’s sentence, which comes at the end of a long and protracted investigation into the illegal activities of Timothy Ford.

“The depth and breadth of his actions, demonstrated by the 23 serious charges he pleaded guilty to, clearly reveal that this man is a predatory child sex offender.

“Ford had the means to carry out a plan which was to use a property in the Philippines as a base for criminals to sexually abuse children. He is a voracious sex offender who has showed no remorse for his actions.”

Ford, of Burghley Street, Kettering, admitted paying a family in the Philippines in exchange for “sex shows” involving the families children, who were boys as young as six.

“The investigation of any child sexual abuse case isn’t an easy job but, for the victims, the effects stay with them for a lifetime.

“That is why it is imperative that everyone understands they have a responsibility to report any fears or concerns they have about child abuse to the Police.

“The force works closely with partner agencies to investigate child sexual abuse and anybody involved in this kind of activity should wait for a knock at their door; the only people more relentless than sex offenders are those that investigate them.

“There is help and advice available from the Stop It Now website for anyone concerned about possible abuse. Log on to www.stopitnow.org.uk for further information.”

Four homes in a Northamptonshire village had windows smashed as vandals lobbed stones and rocks during an apparent rampage, police have said.

The vandalism happened some time between 5.30pm on March 5 and 8am on March 6 in Glebe Road, Station Road and Church Way, all in the village of Cogenhoe.

Sergeant Mark Holland from the local Safer Community Team said: “These crimes appear to be acts of vandalism and have caused distress to the victims.

“We will be making every effort to identify those responsible.

“We are working with the local Neighbourhood Watch group and we will be increasing patrols in the area over coming weeks.

“As always, we encourage residents to contact us if they have information about any suspicious activity in the area, or by calling 999 if a crime is in progress.”

Northampton MP Michael Ellis today told the Commons it was “ludicrous” that around 400 NHS managers were paid more than the Prime Minister.

Michael Ellis, the Conservative MP for Northampton North, said the figure, revealed to him in a written parliamentary answer, justified the Government’s decision to cut the number of managers in the health service.

He said that while he did not doubt the managers who earn more than David Cameron’s annual salary of £142,500 had significant responsibilities, they were no greater than the Prime Minister faced in running the country.

In a written parliamentary question to Health Minister Daniel Poulter, the Tory MP asked how many NHS managers were paid more than Mr Cameron.

Mr Poulter replied that between October 2011 and September 2012 statistics showed that “approximately 400 managers received payments in excess of £142,500”.

Meanwhile, the headcount of senior managers in the NHS in September 2012 stood at 11,500.

Mr Ellis said: “In my view this justifies the Government reducing the number of managers in the NHS by 5,000 and employing 5,000 more doctors.

“But how many more doctors and nurses could have been employed if these managers had been paid less than the Prime Minister?

“I accept that a person in a position of responsibility will need to be properly remunerated. But for 400 managers to be paid more than the Prime Minister who has responsibility for running the country is ludicrous.”

The latest figures are down on previous years. In 2009/10, at least 650 NHS managers received more than Mr Cameron’s salary.

A woman who was killed in a road accident in the south of the county early yesterday was from West Hunsbury in Northampton.

Northamptonshire Police today named the victim, who was involved in the fatal collision on the B4525 Welsh Lane, near Helmdon, as Sarah Roe, aged 32, from Lister Drive.

She died at the scene of the collision which happened at about 7am on Monday

The blue Fiat Punto was travelling along the B4525 towards Banbury when it was involved in a single vehicle collision and came to a stop on the side of the road.

A blue Honda Accord, which was travelling in the same direction, then collided with the Fiat Punto being driven by Sarah Roe.

The driver of the Honda suffered minor injuries.

Anyone with information or who witnessed this incident is asked to call the Drivewatch hotline on 0800 174615.

A teenage horse rider from Northampton says her potentially fatal spinal condition has been cured by an exercise routine.

Anya Hills, aged 19, was told by doctors two years ago she had a condition called scoliosis and she needed a risky 10-hour operation to fuse her spine straight from top to bottom or risk becoming gradually disabled.

Anya said: “Scoliosis destroyed my world. I have always been so passionate about horse riding, but when I started feeling tired and getting pain down my back, it was really hard to stay motivated.

“I struggled to keep up with all my lessons and I lost loads of confidence.”

In extreme cases, scoliosis can lead to fatal heart and lung problems if untreated, but operations are complex and involve the spine being fused before vertical metal rods are inserted either side

Anya’s family looked on the internet for alternatives and found the private Scoliosis SOS clinic, whose treatments involve muscle strengthening exercises, but not surgery.

Anya said: “I’m ecstatic that I’ve been able to avoid surgery. Having surgery would have stopped me from being who I want to be and would have damaged my ability to ride.

“These exercises are easy and I have just adapted them so that they fit in with everyday life.”

Current scoliosis treatment in the UK is to wait until the curve becomes so severe that surgery is the only option.

The condition affects more than four per cent of the national population.

In Anya’s case it was spotted relatively early when her mother noticed a shoulder blade was protruding on one side.

She also started getting tired far quicker than normal and was struggling to sit up properly when riding.

A toddler who was pulled from a lake at Billing Aquadrome has been moved to another hospital for further care, police have said.

The girl, aged two, was given emergency care by staff at the Northampton holiday park after she is believed to have fallen into water last Sunday afternoon.

She is now in a stable condition, but requires further specialist care and has been moved to Leicester Royal Infirmary. She was discovered in the water around 15 minutes after going missing.

Police are treating the incident as a tragic accident.

A spokesman for Pure Leisure Group, said: “Everyone is deeply saddened and our thoughts go out to her parents and family. I have to praise the team at the park for their quick thinking in locking the site down immediately and launching a full search for the little girl.”

Time-lapse video of Northampton’s Fishmarket being demolished has been revealed by Northampton Borough Council.

The final sections of the building were demolished last week, making way for the town’s new bus interchange.

The video shows the building being demolished in less than 60 seconds from a camera which was mounted in the nearby Mayorhold Car park.

The Fishmarket was built in 1939 and had its heyday between the 1950s and 1970s when there were more than 50 stalls trading.

It closed in 2006 after the number of stalls fell drastically and the council revealed it was spending £73,000 a year just to keep the building open.

It then had a new lease of life as an art gallery and was visited by Prince Charles in 2007.

Plans for the bus station were first revealed in April last year.

They show it will be a modern,angular,glass structure with a self-cleaning glass roof.

On the site will be 12 bus bays and in the new bus station will be ticket facilities, toilets,a cafe and shops.

Seven bus bays will also be located in The Drapery and two more in BradshawStreet.

As part of the development, two dilapidated shops next to the old Fishmarket will be restored.

The majority of funding for the development,£4 million,has come from the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation.

Northampton Borough Council has also given £3 million to the project and the county council has contributed £600,000.

Officials at Northamptonshire County Council have “accepted unreservedly” the findings of a damning Ofsted report which has labelled the county’s child protection services inadequate.

The highly critical report was published at 9.30am today.

It has called on the county council to implement a number of immediate changes to services, including taking moves to make sure no children are “detained in police custody following charge without good reason”.

Discussing the way vulnerable children in the county are looked after by the authorities, the report said: “Children and young people in Northamptonshire are not effectively protected from harm.

“There are systematic weaknesses and inconsistent and ineffective practices that contribute to children and young people at risk of harm not consistently being recognised or helped.

“Agencies do not focus sufficiently on the potential risks faced by children and young people to ensure that further harm is prevented.”

It added: “There is now a legacy of children and young people who have been exposed to chronic, and periodically acute, harmful experiences, some of which are unlikely to have been either assessed or addressed.”

The chief executive of the council, Paul Blantern, said the authority fully accepted the findings of the investigation.

He said: “There are two major themes emerging from the inspection process. The first is that we and our partners need to improve the way we identify and assess children’s vulnerability so we can reduce the risk of children and young people suffering harm and abuse.

“The second is that we need to make sure we listen to and see things much more from the child’s perspective.

“Children and young people are not being appropriately involved in existing processes and as a result, their feelings and experiences are too infrequently taken into account.”

In response to the report, the council has launched an immediate ‘recovery programme’.

After initially revealing last month that Ofsted had found child protection was inadequate across all the major agencies in Northamptonshire, the Chron later revealed that the man who turned around the London council at the centre of the Baby P scandal had been brought in to head up the Local Children’s Safeguarding Board Northamptonshire (LSCBN) following the exit last November of the previous incumbent, Janet Galley.

Since then calls have also been made for the resignation of county councillor Andrew Grant (Con, Brackley East), the politician whose brief was children’s services up until the end of 2012 when his role was then changed.

Civil servants across Northamptonshire are staging a 24-hour strike to coincide with Budget day in a row over pay, pensions and working conditions.

The strikes have meant the Northampton driving test centre has been closed for the day, meaning 44 driving tests in the town have been cancelled.

In Kettering, 17 out of the 31 scheduled car tests are expected to go ahead as planned.

A DSA spokesperson said: “We expect over 80 per cent of tests scheduled for today to go ahead as planned, but we are very sorry for any candidates whose tests have been cancelled.

“We are doing everything we can to make sure that as many tests as possible go ahead.

“We are rebooking any cancelled tests for the earliest possible date, at no extra charge to the candidate.”

Members of the The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) formed a picket line outside of Northampton Crown Court earlier this morning.

Martyn Collins, branch secretary for the Ministry of Justice in Northamptonshire, is one of those on strike.

He said: “We are fighting multiple attacks on lots of different fronts and lots of different levels.

“I think the Budget today will be proof that more and more cuts are going to be made.

“People will not be able to afford to live. It’s plainly wrong.

“We are asking the government to come back and talk to us but they will not listen. That’s why this event has had to happen.

“We are hoping this may change things and that the government may talk to us.”

The Northampton Magistrates’ Court office will be closed today due to strike action but cases will go ahead as planned.

It is as yet unclear as to whether Northamptonshire’s driving test centres have been affected.

The PCS said up to 250,000 of its members across the UK will join the walkout, which will also hit museums, galleries, jobcentres, tax offices, border patrols at ports and airports, and courts.

The union has also called a half-day strike on April 5 as part of a three month long campaign of action.

Unite members at the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) will also be on strike today over pay.

Unemployment in Northampton has risen for the third month in a row, with 500 more people out of work compared with at Christmas.

There were 5,934 people claiming jobseeker’s allowance in the town in February, compared with 5,429 in December and 5,721 in January, according to new figures from the Office of National Statistics.

The latest figure is equivalent to 4.2 per cent of the population claiming, which is higher than the East Midlands average of 3.8 per cent, and the national average of 3.9 per cent.

The third consecutive rise comes after three consecutive months of falls, between August and October last year.

Compared with 12 months ago, the figure is broadly similar, with 5,991 people out of work.

Nationally, the Government has said the latest statistics show there are more people working in the private sector than at any time since records began, after a 700,000 increase over the last year.

The figures also show unemployment has risen by 7,000 over the last quarter. But this is down by 16,000 compared with the same period last year.

Mark Hoban, minister for employment, said: “There are still tough challenges ahead which is why we’re working hard to give jobseekers all the help and support they need to realise their aspiration of finding a job.”