The Conservatives will bring back one of their most successful election poster campaigns as they claim Jeremy Corbyn would inflict a tax “bombshell” on families today. It will launch a new poster with the slogan “Corbyn: No Bombs for our Army, One big bombshell for your family”.

The poster harks back to the Conservatives’ “Labour’s Tax Bombshell” poster that was a mainstay of its 1992 General Election campaign.

Along with its “Double Whammy” poster, it was credited with helping the Conservatives to a surprise win that year.

Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davies said: “Jeremy Corbyn’s nonsensical and irresponsible ideas pose a grave risk to the future of Britain’s economy and the finances of every family in the country. His many, ill-thought through promises simply don’t stack up and could not be paid for.

“The damage this bombshell would do to the country’s finances if Corbyn’s coalition of chaos were given the keys to Downing Street would be disastrous.”

A Labour Party spokesman said: “This is yet more nonsense from a Tory campaign that’s all slogan and no substance. It’s the latest desperate attempt to distance themselves from their failures and to distract from the fact that they’ve not ruled out hitting those on lower and middle incomes with further tax increases.

“Their false claims about Labour’s plans in this campaign haven’t been worth the paper they’ve been printed on; they’ve fallen apart before the ink has dried on their latest press release. This will no doubt be no different with more claims that can’t be backed up and misrepresentations of the truth.

“Labour’s policies are fully-costed and properly paid for. Our plans will be set out in our manifesto.”

Two men have been charged with robbery following an incident at McDonald’s in Corby early yesterday (Tuesday) morning.

Police were called to McDonald’s in Phoenix Parkway at about 12.25am yesterday to reports of an alleged robbery having taken place.

Conor Sherwood, 22, of Ruben’s Walk, Corby, and William Smith, 33, of Llewellyn Walk, Corby, have both been charged with robbery and will be appearing at Northampton Magistrates Court this morning.

Northampton's dog lovers are being warned about the dangers of buying from puppy farms.

Insurance group Gocompare.com say the country's desire for puppies has created a market for deceitful breeders to operate and thrive.

They also claim that 48% of people in Northampton and its surrounding areas do not know what a puppy farm is and could be unknowingly supporting organised crime by buying puppies from illegitimate sellers.

A spokesman from Gocompare said: "Puppy farming is a cruel practice where dogs are bred solely for profit with little or no concern for the health and well-being of the puppies or their parents.

"With no requirements to register puppies, it can be difficult to regulate and almost impossible to standardise the market

"Research shows one in five people who buy a puppy online or through a newspaper ad will spend £500 - £1,000 on vet bills in the first six months of the puppy's life."

They are now warning people thinking of buying a dog to look for the signs of a farmed puppy.

The Gocompare spokesman said: "When buying a dog, ask to see the mother. If the seller is reluctant or makes excuses why she isn't there, the chances are it's a puppy farm pup.

"Find out the age of the mother and how many litters she's had. Responsible dog breeders won't breed a dog during her first season and allow a break between seasons. For example, if a dog is five and had four litters, alarm bells should ring.

"If the mother is there, watch how she interacts with the puppy. Puppy dealers may have a 'show' mother, one that's in better condition than the actual mother, to trick unsuspecting buyers. Recent mothers are more likely to be affectionate towards the puppies.

"Never meet in a neutral location, like parks or car parks. Always ask to view the puppy where the puppy is being kept. And never buy a puppy without seeing it first. Nearly half of puppies bought online or in newspaper ads, without being seen first, fall sick.

"Ask how old the puppy is. Puppies shouldn't leave their mother before eight weeks. Anyone selling a puppy under eight weeks is seriously jeopardising the health of that puppy. Puppies also can't be vaccinated before eight weeks, so someone advertising a vaccinated puppy under eight weeks old is a red flag.

"Never buy from a pet shop. Approximately 1.5 million dogs were sold via pet shops in 2014. These dogs were most likely bred by puppy farmers.

"If you think you are dealing with a puppy farm, walk away. It might be difficult to walk away from a puppy in need but the first step to stopping puppy farming is by not funding them. Report the farm to your local authority, the RSPCA, or even call the police if you witness cruelty or abuse."

Lisa Richards, senior scientific officer at the RSPCA, said: “The awful conditions that puppies from unscrupulous breeders and dealers experience, can lead to both serious health conditions and long-term behavioural problems. So the puppy you thought would make a great family pet could go on to be seriously ill or afraid of new experiences, people or other animals, and could go on to behave aggressively later on in life.

“If there are any warning signs, if the breeder or dealer is evasive or if you’re unsure always walk away. It might feel like you’re rescuing the puppy, but sadly you’re just making space for another one. So walk away and report it to the RSCPA and the local authority.”

For more information on puppy farming visit www.gocompare.com/puppy-farming

Mr Clarke, who was one of 121 Labour MPs to rebel against the Government’s plans for war in the Middle East back in 2003, stood for the Greens in 2015 in the Northampton North seat.

But the outspoken politician will not be contesting it again this year as he is only six months into his job as a public services teacher at Northampton College.

"We've got some really excellent candidates coming forward in the Green Party at the moment," he said. "We have got some young candidates.

"The last thing I want to be doing six months into a new job is to fight a General Election."

Mr Clarke, 53, has not ruled out standing for the Greens at the borough council in two years' time.

The snap election this year has left the party in Northamptonshire needing to launch an internet crowdfunding appeal in order to reach the £500 needed to fight the June 8 poll.

But the candidates say they can put a number of environmental issues on the agenda.

Kingsthorpe man Steve Miller will stand for the party in Northampton North and has recently been a prominent campaigner for better air quality in the town.

“The air pollution problem in Northampton is not going to go away soon,” said Steve. “The Conservative party has had to be taken to the High Court to take the problem seriously, and it’s seriously affecting the health of people in the town while they delay. As MP for Northampton North, I would make the air pollution issue my priority from day one, and immediately start pressing the Government for a clear and wide-ranging strategy.”

Junior doctor Scott Mabbutt will be the Green Party candidate for Northampton South.

The Kettering General Hospital employee lives in Northampton and said: "I have spent my adult life caring for sick people in our county. I feel that my job gives me a unique insight into the problems facing our society and how they have been exacerbated by the current government.”

"The Green Party will also fight against the Conservative’s agenda of a ‘Hard’ Brexit and will campaign for a ratification referendum on the final deal."

Officers are appealing for witnesses after a digger and a wall were damaged at a building site by a gang of teens in Northampton last night (Tuesday, May 2).

Offenders gained entry to the site in Baldwin Close, Boothville between 6.45pm and 7.15pm and smashed a window on the digger before pushing over a small brick wall.

"The offenders are described as four white teenage boys, aged 14 to 16.

"One wore a black hooded top and tracksuit bottoms while the other three wore a mix of grey and black tracksuits," a police spokeswoman said.

We would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who may have any information regarding it.

Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 111 555.

A Northampton running club received a standing ovation at the Milton Keynes half marathon for pushing a member's wheelchair the entire race.

David Solomon was an active jogger with the Northampton Road Runners for 15 years and has run 30 marathons in his time - until he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in October 2015.

But his friends at the club would not let David feel left out, and they now take him out with them for training and take it turns to push their former treasurer.

Now, on May 1, the group pushed David the entire Milton Keynes half marathon and have raised an estimated £2,500.

David's wide Paula, 46, from Kingsthorpe, said: "We had a fantastic day and David loved it. It was such a positive day.

"The 15 of us took it in turns to push David while carrying our banners and charity buckets. It took us three-and-a-quarter hours but the time is irrelevant.

"When we ran through the stadium towards the finish line we got the biggest round of applause I've ever heard."

Paula and her team have now raised around £2,500 for Northampton's Cynthia Spencer Hospice Charity.

Karen Townsend, who will also be in the fifteen-member squad pushing David, said: "David was a very fit and active man. When we went running, he would always go back to run with the slower members and make sure they were okay. He was the treasurer for years and he always ran his marathons dressed at Agnus Brown from Mrs Brown's Boys.

"He's an amazing person and he's doing the best he can to put himself out there."

Visit Paula's Virgin MoneyGiving fundraising page here.

Seven fire stations and 40 firefighters were called to Martins Yard, off Spencer Bridge Road, Northampton, to fight a blaze that broke out in a diesel train's engine bay.

The train was reportedly carrying around 300 passengers who were on a day trip to Windsor from Holyhead and are now stranded 'with no prospect of moving anytime soon'.

John Stower, from Chester, is onboard the West Coast Rail Tours train. He said: "We were near Nuneaton when we had to stop. The conductors said there was a fault, but then we got moving again and they said it was fixed.

"Then someone noticed quite a lot of smoke pouring from the train."

All train lines between Northampton and Rugby have been blocked as the fire brigade deal with the incident, London Midland has confirmed in a tweet.

London Midland tweeted: "Road transport has been arranged from Rugby, Northampton and Milton Keynes.

"We apologise for any inconvenience."

Mr Stower said: "We've been stuck on board for over two hours now. We've been given free tea and everyone is having a laugh about it. It's just one of those things.

"I think we'll just go home after this."

Passengers can use their London Midland train tickets on Virgin services from London Euston to Birmingham with the company providing road transport between Rugby, Northampton and Milton Keynes. ALso, East midlands trains are accepting London Midland tickets on services between Wellingborough and London.

The accident took place on the A508 on Harborough Road southbound between Lynton Avenue and Mill Lane.

Updates to follow.

Joshua Walfall, 20, of Swale Drive, Kings Heath, appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court yesterday (May 2), where he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the dog, named Shadow.

The court heard that Shadow, a bull terrier-type breed, had been living in the small, dirty bathroom in the Swale Drive flat for at least a month when his body was found.

Walfall had stopped living in the flat at the start of December but said he was going back two times a week to feed him.

But Shadow’s emaciated body was discovered when Walfall visited the flat with council workers on January 5 this year. A post-mortem examination confirmed that he had died from starvation.

RSPCA inspector Michelle Hare said: “When I interviewed Walfall, he said he had stopped living in the flat at the start of December as it was too cold. However, he had left Shadow there and he said he was going back to feed him, but the dog was underweight and emaciated so he clearly was not getting enough food.

“It is so sad to think that this dog was locked in this small toilet for a month, with no stimulation, no fresh air, barely any room to move and no contact with another human or animal - on top of the fact that he was slowly starving to death. It would have been a miserable existence for him.

“When you have an animal you are legally responsible to ensure that they are not suffering and that their needs are being met. Walfall failed his dog and as a result the dog died a horrible death. It is simply not acceptable to treat an animal like this.”

As well as the four-year disqualification order, magistrates also extended an existing six-month community order imposed on Walfall for a separate offence by 15 days and ordered him to pay £150 costs and an £85 victim surcharge.

Police are appealing for information after a man was allegedly assaulted in Rothwell.

The incident took place at some time between 10pm and 11.20pm on Friday, April 28.

The victim left the Red Lion Pub and later in Littlewood Street discovered he had facial injuries.

Anyone with information can contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Cheryl Donna Schofield could not appear at her conduct and competence meeting before the Nursing and Midwifery Council on April 26 in Edinburgh, where the panel decided she was unfit to practise.

A report from by the panel said: "Miss Schofield had neglected a very vulnerable child on two occasions and has been given several opportunities [...] to remediate her practice.

"The panel, therefore, directs the Registrar to strike off Miss Schofield’s name from the NMC register."

In December 2013, while working on the Paddington children's ward in Northampton General Hospital, Miss Schofield fell asleep while on duty.

Then, in April 2014, while caring for a young patient at his home overnight, Miss Schofield again fell sleep and did not ensure that his breathing equipment was switched on or check that his cot sides were up.

Miss Schofield emailed the panel in May 2016 to express her regret and acknowledged it was 'completely wrong' and that her actions could have 'drastic consequences on the patient, especially the person that I was looking after."

However, without any more contact or involvement from Miss Schofield since this email, the panel ruled that there remained a risk of repetition and that her fitness to practise remained impaired.

The panel said: "Beyond attempting to reassure the panel that her misconduct will not be repeated, [Miss Schofield] has not provided any evidence of steps taken by her to address or remedy her misconduct.

"This panel concluded that there remains a serious risk of harm to patients."

Miss Schofield was struck off the register and will not be able to reapply for five years.

Now parents are calling for Northampton Borough Council to stop using Cedar Road Primary School, stating their children have lost four days of education in two years.

The mums say there should be a mobile polling station or another viable voting location due to the cost, stress and financial loss it causes parents.

Sophie Griffiths has a daughter in reception and a two-year-old. She said: “It’s been closed four days since last May, it’s a big loss of education.

"The SATS are coming up in the next week - this week is a three day week - it puts pressure on children in year six and teachers. I would like to see the council explore a mobile polling station.

"We want to put pressure on the council to make this a reality, we would like to see this change for the future, and be supportive of local families, don't penalise them. I have vested interests in this school for the next 10 years."

The parents argue that there is a decline in voter footfall due to a high number of postal voters and only a “handful” of people turned out to cast their vote at the police and crime commissioner elections last year.

A spokesperson for Northampton Borough Council said: “All attempts are made to minimise the use of schools in the borough as polling stations, however, law requires that the most convenient locations for voters are established and on occasion, it is necessary to designate a school as polling station.

"When this is the case we are always willing to work with the school to seek a way in which the school can continue to open. Whilst some schools are able to do this, schools do not always find that this is possible.”

“Polling Stations are regularly reviewed and a full review will take place before the next scheduled borough-wide election, which is in 2019, and the views of the public on the location of polling stations will be sought.”

Mum-of-two, Alana Warburton runs her own business.

She has a daughter and a son at Cedar Road Primary School and suggests that "teacher training days should be on polling days."

She claims it is "hypocrisy" that parents are fined by the Government for taking children out of school for a holiday and the children are entitled to four days off.

A spokesperson for the David Ross Education Trust said: "The local returning officer has the right, by law, to make use of any school premises for the purpose of an election.

"Schools cannot refuse such a request.”

Stephen Ellwood, 37, of St Crispins, decided to raise money for Cynthia Spencer Hospice after he first moved to the area nine years ago and found himself intrigued by the charity after seeing numerous collection pots around the town.

In May 2016, while he was having a sherry at the Melbourne Arms in Duston he decided to book a spur of the moment 12-day expedition on his iPad and flew to Nepal on April 11, 2017, after one training session in the gym.

Speaking of his experience while making his way to the base camp with his 12-member group, he said: "I went to bed with altitude sickness and took these tablets, which are meant to stop your brain and eyeballs from swelling because of the altitude.

"I was laying in my bed, and hand on heart I couldn't feel my legs. I was having hallucinations of people jumping off mountains. It was so real I was terrified.

"I woke up on day three and saw my camp mate getting ill and on day four we had to physically carry Mel into a helicopter. She had become so ill that she couldn't even stand up. She was ill for three days before she was released from the hospital."

During the 12 days on the mountain, Stephen only managed to get 30 hours sleep and was told to drink five litres of water a day by his two guides and four sherpas.

"I didn't know it was possible but your whole body aches so much, I would say walking 10 yards took 10 seconds or more."

During day two, Stephen climbed to a village called Namche, which he described as the hardest day of the two weeks as mountaineers have to "zig-zag" up a mountain face for two miles.

He said: "If you slipped, you would die as there were sheer drops, hundreds and hundreds of metres down to the valley."

On day five, during a hike to the world's highest airport, Stephen described how he cried in fear walking down a pathway on the mountain face.

He added: "We thought why are we doing this? Let's go home this is crazy. In my heart, I would love to do it again, but whether I would I still don't know."

It was 25 degrees on some days of the expedition and within just two hours the temperature could drop to minus 15 degrees.

"It was so bitterly cold, but the best part of the whole experience, I would say now I'm home looking back at what I have achieved is, experiencing the lovely people of Nepal.

"I have seen Mount Everest out a window, flying over it so many times with work, but being stood there put it into reality where I was."

Stephen, who has no previous climbing experience, trained in the Derbyshire Dales, the Lake District and went to the gym once.

He urges people to have the self-belief to climb Mount Everest and to take as much time as they need on approach to base camp.

The headteacher of a Northampton school that was ranked ‘inadequate’ in all areas by Ofsted last year will step down in August.

Rachel Steele, principal of Weston Favell Academy, has written to parents to tell them it is ‘no longer realistic for me to continue’ and will retire before the new school year starts in September.

Weston Favell Academy was knocked down from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘inadequate’ following an inspection in November 2016.

In a letter to parents, Mrs Steele writes: “Much has changed since 2012 and the academy is now a different place.

“I have been both proud and privileged to hold this role and devoted myself and my time wholeheartedly to Weston Favell and its students at the expense of others.

“I must now focus on the needs of my family above those of the academy.

“I have therefore taken the decision to retire as principal with effect from 31st August.”

“Weston Favell will always hold a special place in my heart. I wish the academy, its students and staff much success in the future.”

The academy will seek to appoint a new principal from September 2017, the letter confirms.

The most recent Ofsted inspection said the school’s governance by the Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust was ‘weak’ and that this ‘significantly hampered the school’s improvement’.

It also questioned how the school’s leaders spent pupil premiums. A Chronicle & Echo investigation in January found that premiums had been used to recruit a leadership assistant just to manage how premiums were spent.

This was despite strong criticism from Ofsted for ineffectively using year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up funding.

Weston Favell claimed they would challenge the ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating.

The owners of a popular family-run Northampton gastro-pub say they are thrilled after joining an elite list of venues awarded two prestigious rosettes.

The Hopping Hare in, Hopping Hill Gardens, Duston, has been handed the accolade by the AA, which runs the rosette scheme in England for excellence in eatreries.

Judges made the assessment over a series of visits to a venue, which also has a number of guest rooms.

Head chef, Nick Kimber joined the team in January and immediately set his sights on gaining the second rosette.

"This takes us to the next level," he said. "It puts us among the best restaurants in Northamptonshire."

The venue, which has just launched a £30-a-head taster menu, also attests to being reasonably priced, though many similarly-accoladed venues charge much more.

A fortnight ago it launched its spring menu featuring a popular duo of beef with sprouting purple broccoli and a gin and tonic salmon starter.

The gastro-pubs' Jaffa Cake pudding, however, was picked out as "outstanding" by the AA judges - which they described as "heaven on a plate".

Despite the recent awards, Mr Kimber, 32, of Sixfields, says the venue remains a local pub at heart.

He said: "It's a blend of gastro-pub and restaurant.

"There really is something for everyone - it's modern British cooking with an emphasis on quality.

"We use locally sourced produce, that's good value, that's affordable.

"It is somewhere you can go on a Wednesday or Thursday night for a bit of dinner with the family."

Mr Kimber has been cooking since the age of 15 and recently left a head chef position at the five-star Soho Hotel, London, which he had worked at for four years.

Owner, David George, who runs the venue with his wife Joy and son David Jnr, said the rosette is good news for Northampton diners - as many other of the AA accoladed venues are situated around the county.

"We have three objectives here," he added. "Excellent quality food, great customer service and outstanding value for money."

Former UKIP councillor for Kingsthorpe, Michael Brown, who is not standing in today's county council elections, raised the issue of parking in Guildhall Road back in 2015.

He said the confusing signs on the freshly-paved cultural quarter route were leading to too many drivers receiving parking tickets.

Though the signage has been made slightly clearer since then - the extraordinarily high number of tickets being issued there has not gone down.

Wardens dished out 1,192 there between April 2016 and April 2017 - which could have earned the county council a potential £83,440 if all of those fined did not pay within 14 days.

Mr Brown said the only solution on the road is to place yellow lines in Guildhall Road again.

He said: "They have those modern-styled signs up there, but no one turning down there understands them

"We need to think about putting yellow lines on there, that way people know for sure they can't park there.

"We can't have the premium location in the town centre that people come to visit getting 1,000 plus tickets a year.

"That tells me there is something really wrong."

Guildhall Road, which runs alongside the Royal and Derngate theatre, was resurfaced in 2014 to make it more visually appealing

Part of the issue with the parking on Guildhall Road is that crazy paving bays are not easily distinguishable from the pavement, where Mr Brown believes many unwary victims of fines were parked.

But the county council says it is not planning to review parking there anytime soon.

A Northamptonshire County Council spokesman said: “Since the introduction of the Guildhall Public Realm in autumn 2014, bay markings have been made clearer and in the past six months we have updated all pay and display signs in Guildhall Road.

“There are additional pay and display bays for blue badge holders to park without restriction at the bottom end of Guildhall Road, and there are a number of car parks nearby which give motorists alternative options.

“In Guildhall Road, the demands for parking and loading within the space available have been carefully balanced and therefore there are currently no plans to review the current restrictions.”

Jonquil Lowe is Senior lecturer in economics and personal finance at The Open University.

In the last Prime Minister’s Questions before the 2017 general election, Theresa May refused to guarantee the “triple lock” policy that guarantees pensions will rise in line with inflation, earnings or 2.5% – whichever is highest. It’s a contentious issue, as pensions make up a the biggest portion of the nation’s welfare budget.

It’s also a highly important issue for older voters, the section of the electorate that is most likely to turn out and vote. The fact that the Labour Party has committed to keeping the triple lock puts the Conservatives in a tricky position.

Yet the triple lock has faced criticism from a number of pensions experts. Critics say that the way these increases have been calculated is beginning to look overly generous and needs to change. To understand this fully, it’s necessary to consider why it was brought in and how much it costs.

Most people in the UK qualify for a state pension in later life. If you reached your state pension age before April 6 2016, your pension may have two parts: a basic pension (maximum £122.30 a week in 2017-18) and an additional pension linked to your previous earnings. If you reach state pension age on or after that date, you get the new “flat-rate” state pension (maximum £159.55 a week). This is higher than the old basic pension but the additional pension is abolished for these newer pensioners. However, under transitional rules, you might get extra – called a “protected payment” – reflecting some additional pension you had built up before April 6 2016 under the old system.

The additional pension and any protected payment are increased each year in line with price inflation to protect their buying power. But, since 2011, the basic state pension and the new state pension have been increased each year by whatever is highest out of price inflation, earnings inflation or 2.5% (the triple lock).

A see-saw of policies

The three strands of the triple lock have been around for a long time, but it was the 2010 coalition government that united them, following a commitment in the Liberal Democrat manifesto.

The chart shows the basic state pension and, from 2016, the new state pension as a proportion of the average earnings of the working population. The different colours indicate the basis used to increase pensions each year. The chart shows how policy see-saws between protecting pensioner incomes and containing cost.

Back in the 1970s, when the basic pension was worth around a third of average earnings, it was increased each year by the greater of the change in prices or earnings. The earnings link ensured that pensioners’ living standards would not fall behind those of the working population, given that historically earnings have tended to rise faster than prices.

The earnings-link was deemed unaffordable and scrapped in 1979 by Margaret Thatcher’s government. Even though the basic pension increased with prices over the next couple of decades, as the chart shows, its value fell consistently relative to workers’ incomes and, by the early 2000s, was worth only around a fifth of average earnings. Although the principle of maintaining the buying power of the state pension was met, by this time the UK was in a low inflation era, so the pounds-and-pence increases seemed meagre. This caused outrage in 2000 when the basic pension rose by just 75p a week.

In response, the then Labour government introduced a new guarantee that, from 2003, the basic pension would increase each year by at least 2.5%, even if inflation were lower. Subsequently, Labour committed to reintroducing the link to earnings at a future date, expected to be 2012. Events overtook Labour, but the coalition government not only restored the link to earnings – it also retained the 2.5% minimum annual increase, creating the triple lock.

The triple lock applies to both the basic pension that pre-April-2016 pensioners are getting (the yellow line) and the higher flat-rate pension that more recent pensioners receive (the blue line).

All change again?

As the chart shows, the 2.5% minimum guarantee and the triple lock have together started to reverse the decline in the basic state pension relative to earnings, though it remains historically low. However, the new flat-rate pension is worth more than 30% of average earnings, restoring the level of the 1970s. If the triple lock were to continue indefinitely, the State Pension would over time tend to increase further relative to earnings.

This makes the triple lock policy controversial. Pensioners are being guaranteed increases that at least match and may exceed inflation, while state benefits for people of working age are frozen and earnings have, until recently, been stagnant. Meanwhile, OBR forecasts show the cost of the triple lock rising over time and experts, such as former pensions minister, Baroness Altmann, claim it will become unaffordable.

The triple lock has never been written into legislation. The current statutory commitment is to increase both the basic state pension and the new flat-rate pension at least in line with earnings, but even that could be up for change. There is a range of proposals on the table – for example, removing the 2.5% guarantee to leave a double-lock, linking only to earnings (possibly averaged over several years to smooth out ups and downs) or reverting just to price indexation. For pensioners, the see-saw may be on a down-stroke once again.

This article was originally published on theconversation.com

An alleyway, which links Bridge Street to Kingswell Street, has been taped off by Northamptonshire Police.

Police have taped off both ends of the alleyway, known as Francis Jetty, next to Revolution Bar.

Full details of the incident are not yet known, but Northamptonshire Police has been approached for further comment.

Updates to follow.

Based on TripAdvisor's top-rated eateries in Northamptonshire, we'd love to see which one comes out on top.

Voting using our fun Playbuzz poll couldn't be easier and requires only a click to register your vote. There's no prize, only the satisfaction of helping your local cafe take the unofficial title of best in Northants!

It comes as the annual search for Britain's Best Cafe, organised by SIG Roofing in St James, is launched.

Votes for the national title will be counted at the end of September this year – when 14 regional winners will be announced - with winner being announced in November.

Manager, Ashley Fulthorpe said: “We think our customers and the contractors who use the local cafes every day are ideal to judge which cafe is Britain’s best.

"They work hard, start early and are always on the lookout for a cafe with great food, cheerful and friendly staff, however, we want everyone to join in the fun and that’s why we open up the voting to the local community.”

Cafe premises will be provided with posters, voting forms and other merchandise to help them on their way to winning, and the campaign aims to show how local communities appreciate the cafes and their tasty food.

Britain’s Best Cafe will be decided by public acclaim and later this year all the winners will be invited to share in an awards ceremony, at a prestigious London venue.

Then the overall winner and their partner will be on their way to the Caribbean island of Cuba for an amazing 7-day holiday, where they can enjoy some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and sample local delicacies.

Anyone who wishes to vote can pledge their support from July, 17 anyone wishing to support their local favourite cafe can visit the nearest SIG Roofing branch or vote online at www.britainsbestcafe.co.uk.

An appeal has been made for witnesses who were in Northampton town centre in the early hours of this morning after a woman reported a sex attack.

Officers confirmed to the Chron that they are looking into the allegation after police tape was spotted at the scene, stopping people walking down Francis Jetty - down the side of Revolution bar in Bridge Street - this morning.

The alleged offence took place at about 2.30am this morning.

A spokeswoman said: "Detectives are investigating and would like to speak to anyone in the area of Bridge Street at the time."

Police said they would not be releasing any further details at such an early stage of the investigation.