The incident took place on the A5076 Great Billing Way and traffic is estimated to be travelling slowly both ways at A4500 Wellingborough Road, AA Traffic News reports.

Social media user, Mike Tarry tweeted: 'Great Billing Way closed between Great Billing roundabout and Rectory Farm Road due to accident, looks like four vehicles'.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

MARCH 16

Casey Matty, aged 21, of no fixed abode, damaged a glass vase worth £10 from a bed and breakfast; fined £80, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30, compensation of £10 and costs of £85.

Joseph Roche, aged 49, of no fixed abode, assault; conditional discharge for three years, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20 and costs of £85.

William Bradshaw, aged 36, of Oakley Street, Northampton, stole four coats belonging to Marks & Spencer worth £200; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20.

Jack Chapple, aged 28, of Halls Lane, Brackley, assault; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20 and costs of £85.

Richard Dunne, aged 43, of Kingsland Avenue, Northampton, stole items including coffee and fruit worth £30 belonging to Aldi; fined £100, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30.

Sabrina Manson, aged 29, of Strobel Drive, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 87mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £240, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 22 months.

Robin Rule, aged 53, of Campbell Street, Northampton, stole Gillette razor blades worth £50 from Boots; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20, compensation of £60 and costs of £85.

Howard Heslop, aged 63, of St Matthew’s Parade, Northampton, intentionally exposed genitals; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20, compensation of £50 and costs of £100.

Darren Kay, aged 40, of Redruth Close, Northampton, made an indecent photograph of a child; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £60 and costs of £85.

MARCH 17

Michael Jephcott, aged 38, of Clevedon Court, Middlemore, Daventry, driving at speeds of 37mph in a 30mph zone; fined £512, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £51 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 14 days.

Mark Leefe, aged 50, of Banbury Road, Moreton Pinkney, Daventry, drove at speeds of 49mph in a 30mph zone; ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £38 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 45 days.

Joanne Tarry, aged 34, of Ruskin Road, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £225, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Lee Wheldon, aged 48, of Harlestone Road, Northampton, driving at 50mph in a 40mph zone; fined £231, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 14 days.

Catherine Cook, aged 39, of Glebe Avenue, Hardingstone, Northampton, driving at speeds exceeding 40mph in a 40mph zone; fined £350, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £35 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with five points.

Tatenda Mynyaradzi, aged 23, of St James Road, Northampton, no car insurance; fined £576, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £57 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Stephen Rogers, aged 39, of Harrison Road, Lower Harlestone, drove at 36mph in a 30mph zone; fined £400, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £40 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 14 days.

Scott Bullock, aged 22, of Rose Close, Hartwell, failed to report an accident to a police officer; fined £230, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Failed to stop at an accident; no separate penalty.

Kristian Clarke, aged 22, of Gladstone Road, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £66 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 24 months. No test certificate; fined £220. No insurance; no separate penalty.

Ruslans Cerepanaks, aged 37, of North Holme Court, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £86; further time ordered to pay.

Warren Chambers, aged 19, of Pitstone Road, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £80; further time ordered to pay.

MARCH 20

Vincent Joseph, aged 21, of St Leonard’s Road, Northampton, no car insurance; fined £120, banned from driving for 28 days. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. Obstructed a police officer; fined £80, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85. Possession of cannabis; fined £80.

Patrick Ginnelly, aged 52, of Abington Avenue, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £5,500; further time ordered to pay.

Samantha Kiff, aged 48, of Rillwood Close, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £666.95; further time ordered to pay.

Sean Williamson, aged 46, of Hollingside Drive, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £327; further time ordered to pay.

Luke Isom, aged 19, of Admirals Way, Daventry, failed to comply with a community order; no adjudication, dealt with original offence which was as follows. Handled stolen goods, namely a moped; community order made.

Patrick O’Sullivan, aged 30, of Appleby Walk, Northampton, failed to comply with a supervision order; jailed for 14 days. Stole two bottles of vodka worth £60 from Morrisons; jailed for 14 days consecutive, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £115. Stole various items of food and alcohol of £26.22 belonging to Tesco; jailed for 14 days consecutive. Stole various items of children’s clothing worth £245 belonging to Next; jailed for 28 days consecutive.

Macarie Adam, aged 49, of Peverels Way, Ross Road, Duston, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 80mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £400, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £40 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 20 months. No insurance; no separate penalty.

Corrina Docherty, aged 46, of Royal Terrace, Northampton, stole cargo trousers worth £25.99 belonging to New Look; fined £50. Assault; fined £50. Ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £30 and costs of £85.

Henry Wilkinson, aged 19, of Kingsley Road, Northampton, had a kitchen knife in a public place without good reason; community order made to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85 and costs of £85. Commission of a further offence while on a conditional discharge; no action taken on breach.

Marcin Bazan, aged 37, of Campbell Street, Northampton, stole Easter eggs worth £10 belonging to Poundland; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85 and costs of £85.

Vincent Macintosh, aged 44, of Hemans Road, Daventry, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 107mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 26 months.

MARCH 21

Algis Auryla, aged 43, of Seymour Street, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £100; court order made.

Robert Fenlon, aged 35, of Euston Road, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £1,023; court order made.

Iosif-Marius Moldovan, aged 35, of no fixed abode, attempted break-in at Old Five Bells pub; jailed for 182 days, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £115.

Lea Read, aged 24, of Godwin Walk, Northampton, harassment; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £85 and costs of £85.

Connor Malone, aged 24, of Dryleys Court, Northampton, stole baby milk, drink and kitchen towel worth £33.97 belonging to Tesco; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £33.97. Stole toiletries worth £658.80 belonging to Wilkinsons; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £200.

Asher Edwards, aged 22, of Welland Way, Northampton, breach of a court order; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services of £20 and costs of £500.

Smokers across the UK are being warned about new rules on cigarettes and tobacco that will come into force this month.

By the end of May, cigarettes and tobacco will no longer be sold in bright, glitzy packs, but in drab green packages.

The packages will have large graphic images, warning people about the health effects of smoking, on the front and back of them.

Health warnings will also be appear at the top of all packs.

The new laws came into effect in May last year but shops were given a one-year transitional period for the sell-through of all old stock.

The law changes are part of the EU Tobacco Products Directive which was brought into force on May 20 last year.

The legislation will fully come into force on May 21 – almost a decade after the original smoking ban.

Under the new laws, ten-packs of cigarettes which are “particularly appealing to young age groups with limited spending power” will be banned.

Hand rolling tobacco will also only be sold in a minimum of 30 gram packets and, by May 21, the cheapest packet of cigarettes will cost £8.82.

The new laws will also require combined picture and text health warning to cover 65 per cent of the front and back of cigarette packs as well as roll-your own tobacco packages.

Promotional or misleading descriptions on packaging, including “light” “natural” and “organic” will also be banned.

Menthol cigarettes are also set to be phased out with it being completely prohibited from May 20, 2020.

Some flavoured cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco, with appealing flavours, including fruit and chocolate will also be banned.

However, the new law does not ban e-cigarettes but, for the first time, certain safety and quality requirements have been introduced for e-cigarettes containing nicotine.

A new law has been passed which could mean ten years in prison for those using their Kodi box to watch illegal streams.

The Digital Economy Act received Royal Assent last week, which means it has now officially passed into law.

The changes now mean the maximum prison sentence has been increased from two to ten years.

The act will also cover broadband speeds, access to online pornography and government data-sharing.

Matt Hancock, the minister of state for digital and culture, said: “I’m delighted the Digital Economy Act has become law.

“This legislation will help build a more connected and stronger economy. The Act will enable major improvements in broadband rollout, better support for consumers, better protection for children on the Internet, and further transformation of government services.

Talking to the Mirror, chief executive of FACT Kieron Sharp said the copyright measures included in the bill are primarily targeted at those committing a serious offense. Anyone “making a business” out of selling illegal content could potentially face up to ten years rather than two.

He also stated that It is extremely unlikely those who casually stream a couple of movies every once in a while would prosecuted to such extremes.

What is Kodi?

Kodi is a free, open-source hub which was originally created for the Microsoft Xbox originally called Media Center.

The system gives any device from smartphones to TVs the ability to stream files from the internet using third-party apps.

Home improvement and DIY chain B&Q has recalled a pair of heaters due to safety concerns.

The 3000W convector and industrial fan heaters have both shown excessive heat build-up in the plug, leading to scorching or deformation of the plug itself.

According to a company statement, a “precautionary decision to recall this product” has been taken “due to a potentially serious nature of the risk and our commitment to safety”.

The affected items are the Electric 3000W white turbo convector heater with timer, model DL 18A and with product barcode number 3663602910930, which was offered for sale between August 2016 and March 2017.

Also subject to the recall is the Electric 3000W red industrial dan heater, model: D030Y01, product barcode number 3663602911098, which was offered for sale between August 2016 and March 2017.

Anyone having purchased either product should stop using it immediately and contact the helpline - UK: 0300 303 4482 ROI: 1800 946 327*

*Monday to Friday 8.30am to 8pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 4pm.

A Wellingborough woman whose life was transformed by her foster carers is encouraging more people to consider fostering during a fortnight-long event to raise its profile.

Amy Barton, now 18, was six years old when she was placed in foster care with her now adopted parents Julie and Kevin.

She says they’ve helped her to achieve ambitions she would never otherwise have been able to.

She said: “Being fostered has been perfect for me.

“I was initially placed with my parents Jules and Kev for just a week but they were so welcoming and made me feel at home straight away.

“I didn’t want to leave.

“Now I’m looking to go to university, which I would never have dreamed of before.

“My parents have supported me throughout my education.

“People sometimes think that children in care don’t go on to achieve things and be successful – but look at me now.”

Foster Care Fortnight, which launches today (Monday), is a national event and aims to raise the profile of fostering and show how foster care transforms lives.

To mark the event, Northamptonshire County Council is appealing for more people to consider making a difference to a child or young person’s life by becoming a foster carer.

Lesley Hagger, director of children’s services at the county council, said: “Fostering a child can be challenging but our carers tell us it is also one of the most rewarding things they have ever done.

“All you need to make a great foster carer is the ability to be flexible, consistent, patient, tolerant and have an understanding of children’s needs and development.

“A sense of humour definitely helps and a spare room in your home is essential.

“Our fostering team will provide a huge amount of support and training at all stages of the approval process and beyond, and we can put applicants in touch with other foster carers who can share their own experiences of fostering.

“I really would encourage anyone who is thinking about applying to be a foster carer to contact us for an informal chat to find out more.”

There are many different types of fostering, including short term, permanent, emergency foster care, remand foster care, providing homes for siblings or even short breaks for parents of children with disabilities.

Northamptonshire County Council offers a full training and support package for its foster carers, and carers receive a competitive weekly payment which is higher than the government recommended rates.

An information event is being held at Caroline Chisholm School in Wootton Fields, Northampton, on Thursday, May 18, between 6pm and 8.30pm.

Further information is also available here or by calling 0300 126 1009.

A pedestrian was taken to hospital with head injuries after being hit by a car in Rushden.

The Magpas air ambulance rapid response vehicle was called to the incident which took place at about 8.40pm on Saturday.

Magpas doctor Scott Knapp and Paramedic Ollie Robinson arrived to treat a man who had been injured in the collision.

A spokesman for Magpas said: “The Magpas enhanced medical team assessed the patient (in his 20s) who had sustained head injuries.

“They gave the man a general anaesthetic, placing him into a medically induced coma at the scene (providing A&E level care), before accompanying the patient to University Hospital Coventry via land ambulance.

“The man was in a very serious but stable condition upon arrival.”

An EMAS ambulance service paramedic crew and Northamptonshire Police were also in attendance.

Northampton was sprung with a royal visitor today (May 8) to celebrate the town's success in training Olympic trampolinists.

Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, arrived by helicopter to Benham Sports Arena, Moulton Park, Northampton, to commemorate the work of Northampton's own Olympic medal-winning coach, Tracy Whittaker-Smith.

She watched a display by the teams of the Northamptonshire Trampoline Gymnastics Academy (NTGA) and Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs (NAYC), which included a performance by Britain's number-one trampolinist and Northamptonshire local, Kat Driscoll.

The Princess Royal unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of an expansion to the centre and, in a speech to the gymnasts, said: "Thank you for performing today and for the example you set for other young people.

"Events like this at this centre are an inspiration for others and it's wonderful to be here to celebrate it with you."

Head coach at the purpose-built Northampton Trampoline Centre, Tracy Whittaker-Smith, was at the centre of the celebrations for leading Great Britain to its first-ever Olympic medal trampolinist last year at the Rio 2016, when Bryony Page took silver in the Women's event.

Tracy Whittaker-Smith, NTGA and Great Britain Head Coach, said: "This is the perfect way to kick-off our 40-year celebrations and helps to show how trampolining has gone from strength to strength in the county since we opened our doors in 1977.

“The club has had tremendous success in that time; producing Olympic gymnasts and international medal-winning trampolinists. We’re also proud to cater for thousands of recreational gymnasts every year and hundreds of special needs children and adults. No matter what level people aspire to or disability they may have, NTGA is a club for all and we’re extremely proud to serve the county in multiple ways.”

Mayor of Northampton Christopher Malpas said: "It's a privilege to be here to represent the town and be introduced to the Princess Royal. We've got one of the best facilities for trampolining in the country as we proved in the Olympics, and that's something to be very proud of."

Nicholas and Joan Taylor, previously of Pitstone Road, Briar Hill, were found guilty of 94 charges including rape, indecency with a child and supply of Class A drugs at the end of a seven-week trial at Leicester Crown Court.

Both were found guilty of sexual offences against boys and girls as young as 11, dating from 1996 to 2006. All of the couple's victims were made to give evidence in court during the lenghty hearing, which finished in March.

Their 11 victims were aged 16 or under at the time of the incidents and all of the offending took place at Nicholas Taylor's Briar Hill home.

Nicholas Taylor, 47, who detectives described as a "master manipulator" was found guilty of 62 charges, though during the trial he pleaded guilty to one count of child cruelty.

Joan Taylor, 44, was found guilty of 22 charges, but pleaded guilty to nine additional counts prior to the start of the trial.

They are due to be sentenced at Leicester Crown Court at 2pm today.

Political opinion polls have taken a bit of a battering in the past few years. There was wide agreement on the eve of the last UK general election that the outcome would be a hung parliament. Few pollsters saw Donald Trump winning the 2015 presidential election in the US. And almost everyone agreed that Brexit would not happen. So are opinion polls worth the paper they’re written on any more?

Polling made its entrance onto the political stage in the United States presidential election of 1936, at a time when various prominent American newspapers were confidently predicting victories for Republican Alf Landon on the basis of polls of their (rich, unrepresentative) leaderships. George Gallop realised that he could achieve much more accurate predictions reasonably cheaply by taking a random sample of the population, and by doing this successfully forecast a landslide victory for Franklin D Roosevelt.

The key words in this statement are “random sample”, and this is where modern day polling is running into trouble. When Gallop began building his market research empire, gauging public opinion was a complicated business. It involved sending trained interviewers out to randomly selected addresses to interview a specific named person. If they couldn’t get hold of them, they were asked to go back again and again until they found them. What pollsters call “response rates” – the proportion of people agreeing to be interviewed – were very high. So was the cost. You had to train your interviewers, send them out, and tabulate the results, which in the BC years (before computers) was done by hand using punched paper index cards.

However, overwhelmingly, results were good, politicians came to rely heavily on poll predictions, and newspapers got into the habit of using them in order to report politics as entertainment about who was winning.

Polling today

These days technology and changes in the ways political opinion polling is done allow market researchers to get answers much more quickly and cheaply. Polling can also be done by post, online, or by phone. Rather than genuinely random samples, it’s usually cheaper for market researchers to use what are known in the trade as “quota samples”. Interviewers talk to certain numbers of people in different demographic categories (by gender, income, social class, ethnic group and so on).

However, they face several increasingly difficult challenges. Some kinds of people are just harder to reach than others, especially people who work full time – a group who are still a bit more likely to vote for conservative parties. We are now asked our opinions about so much so pointlessly that response rates for polls are desperately low at around 25-30%. We all suffer from poll fatigue.

Respondents are also self-selecting. People who are interested in politics are more likely to be willing to share their views with a stranger, and also are more likely to be left wing. All of these factors mean that the samples used by the pollsters to make their predictions simply aren’t as good as they used to be, and they all tend to err in the same direction.

This doesn’t mean that polls are now redundant. Well-constructed surveys which are properly carried out still get representative results. For example, the sample used by the British Social Attitudes survey, carried out via face-to-face interviews and requiring revisits where the randomly selected individual was unavailable for interview, correctly forecasted around a six point lead for the Conservatives in the 2015 general election.

However, these high quality polls are expensive, and take a long time. Given that the mass media mostly wants poll numbers rapidly, and for entertainment, it hardly seems likely that they will want to make the extra investment.

Parties’ own internal polls do take the time and trouble and do get accurate results, ones which will no doubt have been part of the prime minister’s decision to go to the country. Current published polls show the Conservative Party has a 20 point lead over Labour, if not more. Is the true situation in the country likely to be anything other than a large Tory lead? Absolutely not: even cheap polls are not that inaccurate. As it stands, you’d be most unwise to take the 12:1 odds currently offered by some bookmakers on Labour being the largest party on June 8.

This piece originally appeared in The Conversation

A burglar tried to break in through the back door of a house in Corby.

The attempted burglary in Knights Close happened between 11.30pm and 11.45pm on Saturday (May 6).

Anyone with information about the incident can call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111.

The incident happened in Rothersthorpe Road between 2.30pm and 2.40pm last Wednesday (May 3).

The victim was walking through a tunnel at the back of Crystal Motors when he was jumped on from behind by two men who dragged him to the floor and stole his bag.

The first was white, skinny and aged about 18, a police spokeswoman said. He was wearing a Nike baseball cap and a black North Face gilet.

The second was white, aged about 18 and wearing a full balaclava and black tracksuit.

It is understood that a witness was in the tunnel at the time, who Northamptonshire Police would like to trace.

Anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.

A blue Vauxhall Astra was deliberately set alight by arsonists in Corby.

The car was severely damaged in the blaze in Brinkhill Walk some time between midnight and 12.20am yesterday (Sunday).

A grey Fiat Punto was also damaged in the fire which was just three metres from a house whose door and plastic panelling were distorted through heat damage.

A police spokesman said: “Fire service colleagues said an accelerant was used to ignite the vehicle which was parked at the time.”

Anyone with information about the arson attack can call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111

The two attacks happened yesterday (Sunday, May 7) between 3pm and 3.45pm in the Glebeland Road and Merthyr Road area of Spencer and in Dallington Road, close to Dallington Stores.

A police spokeswoman said a silver "people carrier-type" vehicle could have been used by the attackers.

Both offenders were described as white men in their mid-20s to early 30s. One had blond or light-brown hair and a stocky build.

The other was about 6ft tall and slim with short, dark hair.

Anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101, or call Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.

Northampton-based Avon Cosmetics and Carlsberg raised £1,600 for charity after taking to the pitch in a football match.

The 11-a-side match - Avon vs Carlsberg - took place on Friday at Bugbrooke St Michael’s Football Club.

Glennis Hooper and Marilyn Clapham from Crazy Hats with some of those who took part

It was a fun and steady game, but Carlsberg took the win and made it 3-0 before the final whistle was blown.

Crazy Hats is a Wellingborough-based charity which supports people in the county affected by breast cancer.

The charity funds agreed projects at both Kettering and Northampton general hospitals in the breast care and oncology departments, and its long-term aim is to provide a dedicated breast cancer support centre in the county.

Avon, which has supported Crazy Hats for more than 10 years, has also supported breast cancer care globally for more than 25 years and raised millions of pounds.

To raise as much money as possible for the cause, a raffle prize draw took place at the end of the match.

This included a wide range of prizes including a signed England football shirt, Live Nation tickets, Avon make-up bundles, watches and Cobblers tickets.

Fundraising for Crazy Hats was driven by Avon UK Northampton associate Richard Lockerbie who organised the game.

Mr Lockerbie, global category manager marketing and sales for Avon UK, said: “The game was a great opportunity to raise money for a cause that really matters to Avon.

“I decided to challenge Carlsberg because I knew that it would be fantastic for two credible local businesses to compete on the pitch for the same end goal.

“Avon is the company for women and events like this really help to support the causes that are close to the heart of the brand.”

Glennis Hooper, executive fundraiser for Crazy Hats Breast Cancer Appeal, said: “We were delighted that Avon and Carlsberg came together to play a competitive football match against each other to raise funds for Crazy Hats.

“Not only was it great fun, it was a poignant and proud moment when the Avon players come out on to the field wearing pink shirts with the Crazy Hats logo emblazoned on the front.

“We are extremely grateful that two such high-profile companies based in the county should be supporting us.

“A football match such as this is a wonderful and moving way of bringing a group of people together to show such support and a feeling of togetherness.

“For the patient and carers, and indeed the medical professionals, it is very uplifting to know there are such generous people ‘out there’ supporting the cause.

“Not only have they funded many, many projects, they have also helped considerably to raise the profile of Crazy Hats within the community.”

Bruce Ray, corporate affairs director for Carlsberg UK, said: “We were delighted when Avon challenged us to a match.

“It’s fantastic for two global businesses to come together through sport and to raise valuable funds for a local charity.

“We’re truly proud to have been brewing in Northampton since the 1970s and many of our employees live in the local community, so they were all very excited to hear about the big match.

“Both teams played really well and it was great to see colleagues turn out to support them.”

To date, Avon has raised more than £19 million to support breast cancer charities and more than £2 million to support domestic violence charities.

The prime-time ITV show, which features guest judges including Sir Tom Jones and Will.I.Am, is coming to Northampton College’s Booth Lane site on Thursday, May 25.

Talent scouts will listen to student bands and individual performers in the hope of uncovering a star of the future, with the possibility of a record deal and the chance to perform with some of the biggest names in the industry awaiting the winner.

Pat Brennan-Barrett, principal of Northampton College, said: “We have some incredibly talented students, not just in our music department but throughout the college. This is a fantastic opportunity for them to showcase their ability and have a shot at the big time.

“It would be wonderful to have a student from Northampton appearing on one of the most popular programmes on television and we will be giving everyone our full support for the auditions later this month.”

Bipin Patel's brave efforts, captured on clear CCTV footage, has even been viewed by more than 100,000 people online.

At around 10am on Saturday, May 2, three balaclava-wearing robbers ran into Ecton Brook Post Office, which dad-of-two Mr Patel has run for more than 30 years.

But rather than handing over the takings when the leader of the group pointed a gun at him, Mr Patel ducked to the floor to sound a security alarm.

Within seconds, the 54-year-old sprang to his feet to give chase to the fleeing gang while stunned customers looked on.

Speaking to the Chron this week Mr Patel said: "I don't hang about, me.

"I was just serving a customer like you would normally, when maybe three or four people burst in.

"They came in like a rocket through the front door shouting 'give me your money'.

"But I just said, 'no you are not getting away with this'.

"I pressed the button (the shop alarm) and when they heard that they just ran.

"I thought, 'this is my livelihood, I'm not having that' - so I went after them."

Mr Patel said he could not describe what was going through his mind when he saw one robber - who was possibly a youth - waving a gun at him.

"I wasn't even thinking whether he was gong to shoot," said Mr Patel. "I didn't give a monkey's.

"These guys are idiots, they could have knives on them, all sorts. So I just did my best to catch them. Two of them were shorter than me, I probably could have tackled them."

Mr Patel gave chase to the trio as far as the Ecton Brook residential home 200 metres away before losing them.

He posted the CCTV footage online in a bid to catch the robbers.

And since carrying out the brave act, Mr Patel has been inundated with praise from people in the community - some of whom call him "dad" because of the standing he has gained in the community.

On Facebook, Shelley Humphries said: "Hope they find them... I can't believe you chased them Bipin, what a shock."

And it is not the first time Mr Patel has chased off a set of would-be robbers from his shop. Back in the 1990s he recalls pursuing a similar-sized gang when they held up the store.

"I don't mess about, me," he added. "I'm quick and fast - I try and catch everyone."

Northamptonshire Police is appealing for witnesses to the attempted robbery at around 10am on Sunday, May 2. If you have any information, call the force on 101.

Nicholas and Joan Taylor subjected nine children, as young as 11, to a campaign of abuse which saw them use crack cocaine to force them to carry out sex acts on them.

The depraved pair got youngsters hooked on Class A drugs to make them "more compliant" before sexually assaulting them between 1996 and 2006.

When police raided their home they also found a baseball bat under the bed they used to threaten victims which had the words "The Pain" inscribed on it.

Today Nicholas, 47, was jailed for life, with a minimum of 18 years, after he was previously found guilty of 62 offences, including 13 rapes.

Wife Joan, 44, was convicted of 22 offences, including six rapes, and was jailed for 18 years.

Jailing the couple at Leicester Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Dean QC branded Nicholas "a monster".

He told him: "You caused children to become addicted to drugs and you used their bodies for your pleasure.

"In truth your behaviour stems from craven lack of any moral compass and your depraved appetite for drugs and sexual gratification.

"You raped children. You are an intelligent man, but a monster.

"I have looked to see whether you have any redeeming characteristics, whether there might be any prospect that you will ever be anything better than a monster.

"I see no good in you, I see no prospect of you changing."

Following the case, police released shocking pictures showing the conditions inside their squalid home in Briar Hill, Northampton, as well as a "peep hole" cut into a bedroom door.

During the trial prosecutor David Herbert QC said Nicholas fired a crossbow at one of his victims and made him stand in front of a dart board at their home.

He said: "Nicholas Taylor would also throw darts at him. If he moved he could be hit."

Jurors were told one girl was injected with amphetamines to get her hooked and then driven to a layby to perform sex acts on a man.

Another boy was made to carry out sex acts on Nicholas and Joan in return for crack cocaine.

Mr Herbert described Nicholas as a "bullying" figure who liked to think of himself as a local "hard man".

Nicholas Taylor was found guilty of 62 charges, including rape, indecency with a child and supply of Class A drugs.

His wife of 14 years was found guilty of 22 charges, including rape, indecency with a child and supply of Class A drugs.

She pleaded guilty to nine additional charges prior to the start of the trial.

Northamptonshire Police said their investigation which began in 2014 was the largest of its type in the force's history.

Detective Inspector Adam Pendlebury, who oversaw the investigation, said: "We welcome the Judge's decision to impose the longest possible sentence on the Taylors.

"The pain and suffering they caused their victims cannot be underestimated and I hope the knowledge that their abusers will be in prison for many years will give the victims some comfort.

"Neither Nicholas nor Joan have shown any remorse for their actions despite knowing how their actions have impacted on their victims."

Each of the victims, all of who were abused in the Taylor's home gave evidence at the trial.

Det Insp Pendlebury added: "The Taylors plied their victims with drugs and alcohol before sexually abusing them and that abuse has had a lasting impact on their victims.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support during our investigation and the court process.

"Coming forward and giving evidence during the trial was incredibly brave and has led to two dangerous individuals being sent to prison for a very long time.

"I want the outcome of this case to show victims of these types of incidents that you will be taken seriously and that justice can be served, no matter when the crime took place."

An author best known for her series about talking kittens is launching her new dark fantasy novel at a Northampton bookstore.

Northampton-born writer Sue Bentley achieved worldwide fame with her 'Magical Kitten' children's stories, and in her career has published over 70 books in more than 20 languages.

But now she has taken her first step into grown-up fiction with 'We Other' - a fantasy thriller about an adopted girl who discovers a dark land of fairies that is, she says, "a story I've had in me for years".

Now, Sue is holding her official launch event for 'We Other' at a Northampton bookstore this weekend.

She said: "My fans who grew up with the Magical Kitten series are about 15 and 16-years-old now and I hope they will explore darker, more grown-up novels.

"'We Other' is a very different book to anything I've written before, especially compared to 'Magical Kitten', but I've had the story in me for years.

"It's about a young girl with an alcoholic mother who finds out she's adopted. Then she discovers she's only partly human and enters another world inspired by Britain's fairy folklore.

"I'm was born and bred in Northampton and the county can be such a beautiful place. If I'm in one of our forests or by a river it's very easy for me to start thinking about our fairy folklore and it lends itself to this 'We Other'."

Sue will be at the 'We Other' official launch event at Waterstones bookstore, in Abington Street, Northampton, on May 13 at 11am.

Sue said: "I love meeting my readers and it will be amazing to reach out to them as an older audience and have a more in-depth conversion about my writing. Above everything, I hope they enjoy my new book."

'We Other' was released on April 28.

Eddie Archer, aged eight, from Goldings, Northampton, was hospitalised with severe injuries after he was run over and left for dead by two men riding a stolen motorbike in a hit-and-run incident on April 19.

Now, after hearing Eddie's story, a group of motorcyclists rode their bikes to the recovering little boy's house and surprised him with sweets and toys.

Eddie's mother, Chantelle Archer, 25, said: "I'm so grateful to everyone that turned out to show their support, even when they don't know him.

"I could barely think when I heard what had happened on the day in April. It was horrendous.

"Eddie's going better now. I'm not sure he's so bothered by it all but he's still a bit scared of motorbikes. But the bikers on Saturday did everything to show him people still care."

The fourteen bikers, who organised the meetup on Facebook, met at the King Billy Rock Bar, Northampton, at noon before riding to Eddie's house, where his friends and family brought him outside to meet them.

Olly Chown, 22, who organised the ride through Facebook, said: "I heard about what happened to Eddie and I just wanted to show him that bikers aren't bad people.

"His accident was caused by two yobbos who stole a bike. They weren't bikers. They don't represent any of us.

"We brought him a Lego set, some sweets and a wind-up motorcycle."

Eddie was hit in an incident between Entwood Drive and Dell Crescent on April 19.

The motorbike, which had been stolen, was seen circling the Goldings area between 4.30pm and 5.30pm and was driven by two riders, who did not stop at the scene.

Anyone with information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101, quoting incident 430 of today, or call Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.