The robbers stole the victim's birthday money in the attack, which happened sometime between 10am and 10.20am on Friday (June 9) in the park area off St Katherine's Street, off College Street.

The main offender is described as olive-skinned, aged 26-27 and was wearing blue jeans, a blue top and a cream cap.

He was with three other men, who the victim described as looking homeless.

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

The funeral of a keeper who was mauled to death by a tiger at Hamerton Zoo will take place this week.

Family and friends have urged people to wear bright colours to celebrate the life of Rosa King after her death at the zoo near Huntingdon.

The 33-year-old was fatally attacked by the wild animal after it entered an enclosure she was in during a “freak accident”.

The zoo keeper, who grew up in Chippenham, suffered traumatic injuries and died at the scene.

It’s not yet known which of the four tigers is responsible for Rosa’s death, but the park is home to four - White tigers Mohan and Shiva and Malayan tigers Cicip and Sahaja.

The park remains closed while investigations continue.

The incident came four years after inspectors raised concerns over ‘ageing’ fencing and safety barriers and ‘escape protocol’ procedures in a report back in 2013.

But a spokesman for Huntingdonshire District Council - responsible for licensing the zoo - confirmed “all of the conditions on that report were fully complied with”.

An inquest into her death was adjourned last week as an investigation is currently underway between the police and the market town’s local authority to establish the circumstances of the incident on May 29.

The zoo’s licence has been renewed until in 2019.

The wildlife park opened in June 1990 and covers 25 acres.

It includes enclosures for Malaysian tigers, Bengal tigers, cheetahs, wolves, corsac foxes, kangaroos as well as a variety of birds, reptiles and domestic animals.

The zoo opened a new enclosure for its Malaysian tigers in July last year.

In October 2008 a cheetah which escaped from the park was found by a nine-year-old boy in the back garden of his family home.

Relatives of the animal loving zoo keeper have asked friends and relatives to wear colourful clothing and to come to the service to share memories of the animal lover.

Friends and family are encouraged to bring flowers or have been asked to make a donation to the Cheetah Conservation Fund care of FW Jones and Son in Chippenham.

The service will be held at St Andrews Church in Chippenham on Wednesday (June 14) at 2pm.

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust was rated as 'requires improvement' back in 2015 when checks were made into services, including response times falling short of the national target.

Now a new report has been published today (13 June) following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in February 21, 22 and 23 and on March 3 to follow up on whether improvements have been made.

CQC’s chief inspector of hospitals, professor Sir Mike Richards, spoke of the first inspection

He said: “We were concerned that response times for some identified calls fell short of the national target which meant patients were not receiving care as quickly as they should. There were variable standards of incident investigation and a lack of learning at an organisational level in relation to those incidents.

“Staff did not always know their responsibilities with regard to the Duty of Candour regulation. We found pockets of concern about potential bullying and harassment of staff, and instances where policies and procedures relating to staff wellbeing were not followed. The trust was also not compliant with the requirements of the Fit and Proper Persons regulation.

“We have told the trust where further work is required to ensure patients receive the service they should be able to expect. The trust leadership knows what it needs to do to bring about improvement and our inspectors will return at a later date to check on what progress has been made.”

Following the November investigation, the trust was told to make significant improvements and ensure there were sufficient staff and vehicles available as well as staff receiving appropriate training, support and appraisal to carry out their roles.

These improvements had been made when CQC next inspected.

The watchdog looked at specific areas to check on whether improvements had been made and made checks into safety and effectiveness of the Emergency and Urgent Care Services, Emergency Operations Centres and whether the service provided was safe, effective and well-led.

While the overall rating for the trust remains unchanged, inspectors found a number of significant improvements had been made.

He added: "On our return to East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust our inspectors found significant improvements had been made, and there were a number of areas of outstanding practice, but we still had some concerns.

"We found action had been taken to increase the number of frontline staff, standards of cleanliness had improved and the majority of equipment and vehicle checks were appropriately completed. The number of vehicles delivering emergency and urgent care services had increased and potential risks to the service were anticipated and planned for.

“There had been improvements in training and development opportunities and there was a high level of confidence in and respect for the acting chief executive. Staff were caring, professional, compassionate and patient focussed in challenging circumstances."

A three-year-old boy has been left with serious head and facial injuries after being hit by a moped rider who failed to stop in Northampton.

The victim had been playing on grass in Derwent Drive, Kings Heath, at about 4.25pm yesterday (Monday, June 12) when he was in collision with a moped.

The rider had no helmet and did not stop at the scene of the accident.

The boy is still being treated for serious head and facial injuries in Northampton General Hospital.

Det Inspector Mark Hopkinson, who is leading the investigation said: “This was an extremely serious incident and our thoughts are with the family at this very difficult time. We realise that emotions are running high in the local community.

“We have one individual in custody and we are progressing several lines of inquiry, We are working closely with the family, but it would be inappropriate to give further details on that at this stage.

"We have drafted in specialist investigators to assist with our inquiry and additional officers are on the ground to reassure people living in the immediate area."

A picture of the injured boy has been shared more than 16,000 times on Facebook and has attracted more than 3,000 comments.

Det Hopkinson, added: "We would strongly urge people to refrain from making threats and accusations which could constitute offences in themselves, and much worse, if inaccurate, could undermine any investigation or even court proceedings in future.

“If you have seen something or heard something, please speak to our community teams on the ground and they will be able to assist.

“Crucially, Northamptonshire Police needs to get on with the job of finding the right person who did this.

"I would urge anyone with any information should call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, in confidence on 0800 555111."

Traffic around Northampton's railway station has been brought a near standstill after a collision.

The AA is reporting heavy traffic due to a collision on the A428 Black Lion Hill in both directions.

The accident happened at the A5123 Saint Peter's Way junction, near the station car park at around 4pm.

Motorists are advised to use alternative routes if possible.

Skyline Taxis was established in Milton Keynes back in 1985 and has since grown from a one-man band to 50 employees and 700 vehicles.

The creation of the Southbridge base is set to be part of their wider growth plan to expand into Bedford, which could see Skyline’s fleet of vehicles grow to 1300, bosses say.

Gav Sokhi, managing director of Skyline Taxis, said: “Two years ago we invested in a new call centre and a cloud taxi dispatch system called iCabbi.

"Through using iCabbi, we have developed and implemented systems that have quite simply transformed our business.”

Skyline Taxis has also recently co-founded RIIDE, a booking app created by a co-operative of taxi operators, which allow users to book a taxi in a variety of locations in UK, Ireland and US using the same credit card, corporate invoice account or cash.

Customers can also use the app to track the arrival of their driver, split the fare with a friend, share their location, and see the driver’s picture, name and licence number before he or she arrives.

He added: “We considered expanding into Northampton years ago but our software and systems held us back.

“Now, through this technology, we can spread our wings and share our great service, not only with the people of Northampton but also those situated in the rural areas between Milton Keynes and Northampton.”

“We're a family business that prides itself on doing our very best for our employees, drivers and customers. Skyline has always looked to the future and invested in new technologies to drive efficiencies and improve customer service and safety. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved and am genuinely excited about our future plans.”

Out of the 420 positions in the pipeline, 20 of these will be office-based roles with plans in place to recruit up to 400 new drivers over the coming months.

He was late for work and while swerving through traffic struck an elderly pedestrian with enough force to knock him off his feet and rip off his own wing mirror.

He then drove off without stopping but was later arrested with the help of dashcam footage recorded by another driver who filmed the whole incident.

His Honour Judge Rupert Mayo said: "You collided with this man, but you failed to stop and drove away. That was callous, unpleasant and mean. I simply cannot trust you with a vehicle."

Ahsan Ahmed, 25, from Wellingborough, was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (June 13) after earlier pleading guilty to dangerous driving and failing to report a road accident he was involved in.

The incident took place at around 9.55am in High Street, Wellingborough, on December 10 last year.

Dashcam footage screened at the sentencing showed how Ahmed, who was driving a hired car and claimed through his barrister that he had been late for work, cut ahead of another car and sped through a pedestrian crossing.

Seconds later, he collided with an elderly gentleman who was crossing the road with his wife, throwing him to the ground and causing severe and painful bruising to his chest and face.

Judge Mayo said: "Your driving was dreadful. You might have touched your brakes before you hit him, but you sped off afterwards.

"Not only that, you have previous convictions for driving offences. You do not come here today as a man of good character."

Ahmed was sentenced to six months in prison has been disqualified from driving for 21 months.

Elliot Lee, Matthew Barnard and Carly Ayre are all in the final year of the BA (Hons) Graphic Communication course and were tasked with creating their own version of a book cover for either ‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote or ‘The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾’ by Sue Townsend.

The Student Design Award aims to find the next generation of book cover designers by giving students the opportunity to experience real cover design briefs first-hand.

Elliot and Matthew both chose ‘In Cold Blood’ for their covers. A real life murder investigation, where American author Capote details what happened after a family of four were found dead in their home in the small farming community of Holcomb, Kansas.

Elliot said: “I wanted to detail both a desolate Kansas and also the rawness of ‘In Cold Blood’ through sharp and creepy wall etchings, and also represent an old school prison.”

Art Directors from Penguin Random House will provide each of the shortlisted designers with detailed feedback on their covers, giving the students the opportunity to refine and resubmit their designs before the final judging takes place in June.

Matthew based his design on religious beliefs as Holcomb, where murders took place, was a mainly Christian town.

He explained: “The book played a big part in the text used on the front cover, especially the phrase ‘thou shalt not kill’. This is because the town was mainly Christian, it’s the sixth commandment and is repeated six times representing the six people who died, including the killers themselves which links it all together.

“The overall look of the cover comes from the song Four Walls’ by Bastille, which is based on one of the killers, Perry Smith. This particular song helped me to form an emotional understanding of Perry Smith and what his story was, as well as helping me to understand the book overall. A line I find that particularly stuck with me was ‘Now we're faced with two wrongs’ which to me sums up the book as a whole.

“It’s amazing to be shortlisted for this year’s Penguin Random House Student Design Award, especially as my design was picked out from so many entries from other universities.”

The winners in each of the three categories will receive a work placement within the Penguin Random House UK design studios, as well as a £1,000 cash prize.

Carly opted to design a cover for the ‘The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾', which was the first of the Adrian Moles series and was written in a diary-style format detailing the woes and worries of a teenage boy who believes he is an intellectual.

She said: “I wanted to recreate a really eye-catching typical eighties visual, I drew a lot of inspiration from eighties graphic design and textile design.”

Elliot, Matthew and Carly’s work will be featured along with other students from a variety of courses from the Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology at this year’s Degree Show.

The show runs from Saturday 10 to Friday 16 June at the University’s Avenue Campus.

Over £1,600 and dozens of wraps filled with class A drugs were seized from the pair's car when they were caught after a day of dealing across town.

Police also found a phone that had been used to text offers and deals on their products to up to 90 customers across the town.

His Honour Judge Michael Fowler said: "What was found in your car is only an indication of what you managed to get rid by the time you were arrested.

"This was a day spent cruising around Northampton, texting out offers on drugs like they from a supermarket, with an intent to making serious financial gain."

Myron Hyllam, 27, from London, was found guilty of five drug-related offences in Northampton Crown Court yesterday (June 13).

Tyrell Taylor, 20, of no fixed abode, earlier pleaded guilty to four drug-related offences and appeared in court for sentencing alongside Hyllam.

They were arrested on December 11 last year after spending the day delivering heroin and crack cocaine across Northampton.

In sentencing Hyllam, who has previous convictions for dealing drugs, said: "You have returned to dealing drugs with comparative alacrity. You took a serious role in this operation using your experience in drugs.

"You have, I think, an intelligence that has been misdirected into these offences. But any true intelligence would not take risks that could send them back to prison.

"I hope that you will realise that life is much happier outside of prison making a living by doing a worthwhile job, and not off the back of other people's misery."

Hyllam was sentenced to six years in prison.

Taylor was sentenced to three years in a young offenders institute.

Historically, Northamptonshire's school pupils have long been underfunded. For the 2015/16 year, the county was allocated £4,293 per pupil, compared with Westminster, which was awarded £5,872 per pupil and Brent with £5,357.

But a report at yesterday's county council cabinet meeting has revealed that four more schools did not stay within budget in the 2016/17 year than in 2015/16.

The nine schools in total - which the county council has chosen to keep secret - missed their budgets by a total of £180,000 and could be forced to make redundancies in order to balance their books.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting, Councillor Danielle Stone (Lab, Abington and Phippsville), said: "We've got a situation where schools are facing rising costs every which way they look - and yet their funding is being reduced.

"I think it is bad that we have gone from five to nine schools in deficit.

"I am sorry, but the situation is only going to get worse unless we get a better settlement from the Government."

Councillor Stone called on the recently elected Conservative MPs in Northamptonshire to put school funding at the top of their agenda.

School deficits occur due to a number of factors, the main one being falling pupil numbers.

This results in a reduced budget allocation, due to the way the school funding formula works. Any school with a deficit at the end of the financial year is asked to produce a report showing how it will balance the books.

Other factors are the reduced 6th form funding allocations from the Government for secondary schools, and school staff and governors not actively planning for changes in future income.

A recently redrawn National Funding Formula kicked in at the start of April and saw the county council allocated an extra £7.44 million from Whitehall.

However, 90 county schools lost out on a combined share of £2.6 million. Of them, 67 were primary schools, 19 are secondary schools and four are all-through schools.

Head of education at UNISON, Jon Richards criticised the way the formula had been calculated in february - stating the new allocations were a poor substitute for extra funding. “Schools that are already underfunded will get much less than they’d hoped for," he said.

Cabinet member for finance at County Hall, Councillor Robin Brown, (Con, Woodford and Weedon) said: "The concerns that are being raised will form part of the way we tackle the issue of central Government funding."

Last week designer surf and skate clothing store Two Seasons launched a closing down sale after revealing it would be relocating to the massive shopping development off the A45.

But there are fears the shop could be the first of many to feel the allure of the £140 million new site.

At the last full council meeting shadow cabinet member for regeneration at Northampton Borough Council, Councillor Arthur McCutcheon (Lab, Headlands) gave a speech about declining trade in the town.

He believes Northampton needs to establish itself as a shopping destination fast before other shops go the way of Two Seasons.

“We are concerned about the impact of Rushden Lakes on the town centre and our retail outlets such as Riverside Park," he said.

"One shop has now closed down in the Grosvenor Centre saying they are moving to Rushden Lakes and our fear is that this trickle will become a flood.

"Northampton town centre desperately needs to develop a unique selling point, a USP. We need bold ideas as to how Northampton town centre can compete with Rushden Lakes and Milton Keynes."

Grosvenor Centre bosses Legal and General are understood to have a retailer lined up to take over the Two Seasons premises on the top floor of the centre opposite the Costa Coffee outlet.

However, it is not yet known who that will be.

Peter Gaynor, the Grosvenor Centre manager, said: "Over the last six months the Centre has welcomed a number of new retailers including MenKind, the upsizing of our Superdry store, The Entertainer, Office Shoes, Zapato Lounge and Cards Direct.”

“Although Two Seasons will be leaving the shopping centre, the Grosvenor Centre is now at 88 per cent capacity and we’re continually looking to introduce new retailers into the Centre to further improve the retail experience for our shoppers.”

Councillor McCutcheon said the success of the Greyfriars development will be key to helping Northampton compete with Rushden Lakes, which will have 43 shops and restaurants, including well-known names such as Marks & Spencer, H&M, Next, New Look and Primark.

All of those major names already have outlets in Northampton.

"I fear that if Northampton doesn’t compete then footfall and quality shops will gradually decline," said Councillor McCutcheon. "This is why getting the Greyfriars site development right is critical to the future of the town centre.”

Several of you have been commenting on the state of the town via our Facebook page.

Reader Helen Roche said the Two Seasons move 'rather puts a hole' in the theory that around 2,000 county council staff - now relocated in Angel Street - would rejuvenate the town.

She said: "I can't wait for the lakes to open as I've not shopped properly in town for years, not because I don't want to there's just not been the investment of our town since Peacock Place."

And Alex George wrote: "Who cares? Good! Build the place so we have somewhere nice to go instead of having to wander past Poundstretcher, Betfred and Greggs."

Mum-of-one, Jackie Willis of Standens Barn was diagnosed with type two diabetes almost four years ago and was told by her nurse in February 2015 to join a WeightWatchers group for three months to improve her quality of life.

At her heaviest, Jackie, who was once 16st 10lb, says she once took two Metformin tablets a day to control her illness and started piling on the weight.

Jackie said: "To be honest, it made me feel even more discouraged at first as I was sure there was no way I could lose weight. After all, I had been this big for over thirty years."

After one year had passed, Jackie made the call and joined up to a weight loss programme in April 2016.

"I just felt like I was existing, but it's only when you lost the weight you realise what you was like before."

Jackie's weight loss journey started in Weston Favell and now she admits she has never looked back.

"I was overwhelmed by everyone's friendliness and nobody looking at me as though I was the “big” lady," she adds.

"From then on I have gone from strength to strength, from getting to my first one stone loss, to now being only one pound away from my four stone loss.

"Yes, there have been trying moments, but that's life."

She says her coach, Fiona, has been an inspiration not only to her but to the rest of her WeightWatchers group because she has faced a lot of the same dietary challenges.

Upon revisiting her diabetes nurse, she was told that she was classed as "completely healthy" and had managed to shake off the illness she had coped with for years.

Jackie, who is now 12st 9lb, says she finally has her life back.

EastEnders’ Rita Simons, Lucie Jones, who represented the UK in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, and Bill Ward, star of Coronation Street and Emmerdale, are the human stars of the show, which starts from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 October at the Royal & Derngate.

Associate director David Barrett said: “Legally Blonde The Musical is a show all about stereotypes and not judging a book by its cover and the dogs are no different in this."

But Legally Blonde The Musical also has two dogs in the cast - a chihuahua called Bruiser and a bulldog called Rufus.

Bruiser is already cast and will be on the road with the company but producers have decided to hold auditions for Rufus in every town and city on the tour.

"So whereas Bruiser is the cute, tiny, adorable one, with Rufus we are looking for the total opposite.

"We are looking for a big, brutish, dog that only its mother could love - preferably a bulldog as in the film but we are certainly open to options,” Mr Barrett adds.

Legally Blonde The Musical is an all singing, all dancing romantic comedy and a feel-good pink fest, bosses say.

When the star of the show Elle Woods is dumped by her boyfriend for someone more serious, she puts down the credit card, hits the books and heads for Harvard Law School.

Based on the Reese Witherspoon film, Legally Blonde The Musical has earned seven Tony nominations and 10 Drama Desk Award nominations during its Broadway run.

In the UK it was nominated for five Olivier Awards winning three including Best New Musical and was nominated for eight Whatsonstage Awards winning four including Best Musical.

Auditions are being held at Royal & Derngate on Saturday 15 July, from 10.30am until 1pm.

Anyone who thinks their pampered pooch has the star quality the producers are looking for should download an audition registration form, with more information about requirements, from the theatre’s website, www.royalandderngate.co.uk (visit the Legally Blonde page), or collect a form from Box Office.

For more information email Associate Director David Barratt at djebarrett@hotmail.co.uk.

Shay Robertson, 46, spent almost five years having gender reassignment to look like 2005 X-Factor winner Shayne Ward.

His name is a nod to his hero and he has the same cropped hair and stubbly beard as the soap star.

Shay had believed he was a man trapped in a woman’s body but says it was watching 32-year-old Ward on TV that convinced him something had to change.

A range of surgical procedures followed as he fulfilled his dream of looking like Shayne.

And the pop star has written to Shay to say he is honoured to have been the ­inspiration behind the change.

Shay, who used to be called Sally, said: “I’m delighted he is so supportive. He inspired me to embrace my true self.”

With the support of partner Julie McLean, 48, and children Amy, 18, and Andrew, 27, Shay began hormone injections in 2011.

Then, over three years, came a total hysterectomy, double mastectomy and genital reassignment surgery, involving skin grafted from his arm and buttocks.

He explained: “For years I thought I was a gay woman. But watching Shayne perform on stage, everything made sense.

“While most female viewers probably wanted to date him, I wanted to look like him.

“I finally realised I was trapped in the wrong body.”

Last week actor Ward, 32, who plays lingerie factory manager Aidan Connor in the ITV soap, sent Shay a signed photo and stated he was 'honoured'.

Shay said: “Shayne’s sister Leona had read about me in a magazine and told Shayne, who sent me a signed photo and note.

“It meant so much that he knew he’d inspired me – I plan to have that signature tattooed over my skin graft scars.”

Shay, from Northampton, recalled his teenage days when he dressed in a masculine way and struggled with his identity.

“I denied my attraction to women and tried heterosexual relationships, moving in with a man I met at work,” he said. In 1989, Shay fell pregnant with son Andrew, but then split with the father.

Daughter Amy was conceived nine years later.

He went on: “For years I tried to live my life as a normal mum. But I didn’t feel comfortable in myself and couldn’t put my finger on why.”

A decade or so later, still Sally and a week into a relationship with Julie, Shay saw Ward sing his single Gotta Be Somebody on TV.

He added: “I commented on how good he looked. But it wasn’t attraction, it was admiration. His cool, casual style caught my attention.

“I touched my face while admiring his stubble and Julie said: ‘You want to be a bloke, don’t you?’ Everything suddenly made sense.”

With Julie’s support, Shay saw his GP and a specialist in 2010.

The hormone injections started a year later and in 2013 Shay’s children were put in the picture – offering their full backing.

In 2014 Sally legally changed her name to Shay and grew facial hair “which I shaved into designer stubble to match Shayne’s… Julie loved it”.

His physical transition began with a series of operations. He also had a tummy tuck to reverse sagging left by pregnancies.

Shay continued: “The procedures were gruelling and I spent weeks in hospital. But I was delighted to see my silhouette become more masculine each time I was discharged.”

In June 2015 Shay underwent an 11-hour op to give him a penis. And Shay said: “Everything down there works perfectly and Julie and I are able to enjoy a normal, healthy sex life.”

Now Shay hopes to write a book to inspire other women who are looking to transition to male. Shay added: “My body has been through a lot, but finally I feel happy in my own skin. I am comfortable with who I am and love getting called mate or fella at the garage.”

Six people have been confirmed as dead and around 20 people are currently in a critical condition following the devastating fire at the Greenfell Tower in London early this morning.

Several eyewitnesses and survivors have reported how plastic cladding - installed as part of a 2016 renovation there - appeared to help spread the fire quickly to the upper floors.

Various experts including Dr Jim Glocking, technical director of the Fire Protection Association, have told media outlets today that such cladding could have contributed to the mass blaze.

In Northampton, St Katherine's Court in Spring Boroughs has only recently been fitted with an outer cladding as part of a March facelift.

The block is home to 39 apartments, all but two of which are home to multiple residents, and is managed by Northampton Partnership Homes on behalf of the borough council.

A spokesman for the arms-length management organisation said: "As with any new components we use on our buildings, the cladding was reviewed in line with the Department for

Communities and Local Government’s fire and building regulations.

"The cladding conforms to British Standards, current fire regulations and the building regulations 2010 in their approved Fire Safety: Document B.

"In March 2017 there was a fire risk assessment completed for St Katherine’s Court which is full and valid. All our relevant buildings have a valid fire risk assessment in place.

"They are also regularly risk assessed with the safety of our residents being the most important priority.

"We will continue to work with our partners and residents to make sure our standards for fire safety remain up to date."

Fire safety will be at the heart of a community partnership operation launching in Irthlingborough to tackle arson and anti-social behaviour.

Operation Rebuild will be launched on Monday (June 19) with a 300-household door-knock programme delivering fire and community safety information and advice, kicking off a summer of action aimed at engaging with residents and reducing arson incidents.

In 2015/16 the number of deliberate fires recorded in Irthlingborough by Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) was 23.

In 2016/17 this figure rose to 31.

Vehicle, wheelie bin and discarded rubbish fires are areas of particular concern.

Operation Rebuild is being led by the Arson Task Force, supported by the East Northamptonshire Community Safety Partnership, of which NFRS and East Northamptonshire Council are members.

A sister initiative, Operation Restore, was launched this week on Wellingborough’s Hemmingwell estate.

NFRS Chief Fire Officer Darren Dovey said: “We recorded a substantial increase in deliberate fires in Irthlingborough between March 2016 and March 2017, and this operation will be working hard to reduce this dangerous and criminal problem. “Actions will include surveys by fire crews to identify and report potential fire hazards for removal, which will be followed up by waste teams from East Northamptonshire Council, and educational programmes to deflect potential offenders away from fire-setting.

“A similar operation on the Kingswood estate in Corby in 2015 called Operation Revive saw a 68 per cent reduction in arson and a significant reduction in anti-social behaviour, and we are hopeful that Operation Rebuild will be as successful.”

Home fire safety checks will be offered and Crimestoppers will be promoted as an anonymous reporting channel.

Shaun Johnson, Arson Task Force officer, said: “The Arson Task Force is pleased to be working with our partners in Irthlingborough in the forthcoming months.

“We are eager to get our fire safety message across and would encourage residents to engage with us.

“Identification will be presented by the fire service and partner agencies to ensure the public know who they are talking to.

“We will be happy to check your smoke alarms and arrange to get them replaced if necessary.”

Residents will be able to complete questionnaires to share their suggestions for improvements to the area, and advice will also be given about illegal money lending.

Steven North, leader of East Northamptonshire Council, said: “It’s only by working together that public agencies can put together initiatives like Operation Rebuild.

“By bringing together the expertise of the Arson Task Force and the members of the East Northamptonshire Community Safety Partnership we can assist with all manner of neighbourhood concerns quickly and effectively, pooling skills and resources to be more creative in finding ways to improve safety and quality of life in Irthlingborough.”

The safety information packs being delivered to people have been compiled by members of Teamwork Trust, a charity working with adults with mental health needs, learning and physical disabilities.

Shaun Johnson and NFRS community safety officer Jo Gouldson met Teamwork members to brief them on the pack contents.

Nick Hayton, Business and Fund Development Officer at Teamwork, said: “Our members have thoroughly enjoyed putting the community safety packs together and really appreciated the time taken by the fire officers Shaun and Jo to explain each leaflet and its importance.”

The community engagement calls will be repeated in October 2017 and early 2018, ahead of a progress assessment in March 2018.

Educational theatre programme will also run in ten secondary schools from the autumn, including the feeder schools for Operations Restore and Rebuild’s key areas.

These will address issues including alcohol, gangs and grooming.

The victim had been playing on grass in Derwent Drive, Kings Heath, at about 4.25pm on Monday, June 12 when he was involved in the collision.

The rider had no helmet and did not stop at the scene of the accident.

The boy is still being treated for serious head and facial injuries in Northampton General Hospital.

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

The alleged incident happened at the BP filling station in Harborough Road, Kingsthorpe, just after 9.20pm on May 13 (police released information this week).

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

Anybody who thinks they recognise the man pictured is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police.

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

A charity which rescues and re-homes animals has thanked everyone for their help following the safe return of one of its dogs.

Animals In Need launched an appeal after Brook was stolen from the charity in Little Irchester on Sunday.

They put up posters and used social media in a bid to help find the black and white Staffie cross French bulldog.

And three days later, she has been reunited with the volunteers who had been taking care of her.

Annie Marriott from the charity confirmed that she has been to collect Brook and she is ‘ok’ after her ordeal.

A message posted on the charity’s Facebook page said: “We are all over the moon to announce Brook is home safe and fine.

“The whole AIN team thanks you all from the bottom of our hearts for all your help and support.

“We have been totally overwhelmed by everyone’s help, incidents of dog theft are are rising fast so everyone needs to remain vigilant.”

A Northampton Borough Council scheme could offer motorists vouchers good for one week's trial of an electric car.

They are also seeking to start a "Don't use the car for a day" initiative and develop an electric car taxi service in town, with on-street charging points.

The plans come as part of Northampton Borough Council's Emissions Strategy, which proposes a range of schemes to get the town's air pollution levels under control and will be ratified by cabinet next week.

But the Green Party's Steve Miller said: "The emissions strategy lacks any timescales or a sense of priority. I don't get a sense of what the council is focussed on or when they plan to achieve anything."

The strategy comes after a report published in May claimed one in 20 deaths in Northampton can be attributed to air pollutants, particularly a toxic byproduct of diesel engines called nitrogen dioxide.

Also, in a heatwave in July 2016, the Kingsthorpe area briefly suffered the worst air pollution levels in the country.

The strategy, which goes before the full Northampton Borough Council cabinet on June 21, recommends a string of investigations and changes to cut the town's emissions.

It includes proposals to move the entrance and exit of the Mayorhold Car Park, in Silver Street, to reduce congestion, establish a town-wide Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) to monitor Northampton's air pollution and introduce a park and ride.

There could also be a feasibility study to see if Northampton would benefit from a 'clean air zone', which would charge high-emission vehicles from entering the town during certain hours.

Mr Miller said: "It's a step in the right direction, and the town needs a long-term environmental strategy. The plan is feasible and the efforts to make electric vehicles more available in the town really is a good idea.

"Unfortunately, much of the report is just promises to look into things. It doesn't say when, or how much it will cost, or what they will do first."

A leading cause of air pollution is standing and slow-moving traffic on busy roads.

A Guardian investigation in April singled out Weedon Road, west of Northampton, for producing more than the legal limit for nitrogen dioxide, and identified four schools or nurseries along it that could be exposed to the fumes.