A supermarket in Northampton's worst area for alcohol abuse has been given a license to sell drink despite objections by the county council.

The Little Europe supermarket, in Barrack Road, was given off-license status under "strict conditions", including no alcohol-only sales, in a hearing on August 1.

Northamptonshire County Council objected to the proposal in the interest of "prevention of public nuisance" - and in part because of the shop's position next to a homelessness centre.

Councillor Anna King, cabinet member for community safety and engagement, said: “Due to concerns raised by those consulted with as part of the application process, strict conditions have been applied to the license and we will work with the supermarket’s staff to ensure that these are implemented and maintained.”

Under the license, Little Europe cannot make single-can sales of beer, lager or cider, and alcohol can only form up to half of the total price of a basket at a time. As a result, this means they cannot make alcohol-only sales.

The shop must also install CCTV and operate an incident book for refusals of a sale.

In a letter to the licensing committee, the county council pointed to evidence that the area around Little Europe had the worst admission rate for alcohol and substance misuse in the town.

The area is also in the top five worst places for violent crime, presentations to A&E for assault and admissions to the hospital's alcohol liaison nurse.

The letter, sent on June 28, said: "At the time of writing, there are 67 people in treatment with problematic alcohol use living in the LSOA Little Europe International Supermarket is situated in.

"Consequently, [this area] has almost 17 times as many people in treatment with problematic alcohol use than is average for the borough."

Robin Burgess, CEO for Northampton Hope Centre, said: "I'm sure the licensing committee considered every aspect of the application, but it is a great shame. We'll see how it affects this area's ongoing problems with alcohol.

"Northampton Hope Centre refers people with alcoholism for treatment and help them access support groups, like the S2S substance support group. All addictions are problematic and alcohol is an easy substance to access. If you feel you are becoming dependant on drink, talk to someone and get help."

It is one of two entries from the hospital in the running for the Nursing Times Awards 2017, hosted by The Times newspaper.

Northampton's nursing teams have been listed for the "learning disabilities" award, as well as the "theatres" award for another scheme that trains nurses to work in an operating theatre.

It comes after NGH was rated as "good" in a CQC inspection published in May, up from a "requires improvement" rating in 2014.

Debbie Wigley, lead learning disability nurse, said: "Hospitals can be scary places but for those with a learning disability, attending the unfamiliar busy environment can be extremely difficult with surgery providing an even greater challenge.

"We worked closely with the carers of our patients with complex needs and a multi-professional team to understand what specific challenges our patients have and how we can make reasonable adjustments to help.

"Our staff have demonstrated how working differently can have a huge impact on individual patients and their families."

The project, which is a joint entry with the NHS Nene, has led to personalised plans where patients had multiple procedures in the course of a single general anaesthetic to reduce stress and anxiety.

A scheme to train nurses to work in surgery with simulations has also been shortlisted in the "theatres" category.

Beverley Al-Azzawi, a practice development nurse who delivers the hospital’s surgical training programme, said: "Our staff benefit from the structured training programme because it’s underpinned by evidence-based best practice in their specialist area. And because it’s all developed and delivered in-house, there’s no cost."

There are 22 categories in the Nursing Times Awards and the winners will be announced at an awards event in November.

Last year, NGH won the Enhancing Patient Dignity award for its Chit Chat group tailoring antenatal education, parenting advice and peer support to women with additional needs, including learning disabilities or anxiety.

Two proposed warehouse developments close to Junction 15 of the M1 could see 1100 acres of land bordering Milton Malsor, Collingtree, Blisworth and Roade filled by a 13 million sq ft rail freight interchange.

To highlight the environmental impact of these projects and the loss of open space, people from the four parishes will walk the main public footpaths crossing the sites combining at a central point overlooking the landscape that will be lost.

Many other parishes on both sides of the M1 are faced with proposals for huge building projects all of which add to the cumulative impact of air and noise pollution on overloaded roads.

Thirty parishes in this region have adopted a joint statement urging that planning decisions follow the guidance of the National Planning Policy Framework.

It reads: “Along with neighbouring Parish Councils, we are alarmed at the number and scale of major traffic generating developments in our area and their likely environmental impact.

"We draw attention to the specific requirement of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) namely 'preventing both new and existing development from contributing to or being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by unacceptable levels of soil, air, water and noise pollution or land instability.'

"We strongly urge that this requirement is stringently and robustly followed and the cumulative impact considered when major planning decisions are being taken."

The nephew of a Dunkirk survivor is putting together a series of online videos based on his great-uncle’s interview about his experiences during the evacuation.

Nick Coe, 33, from Northampton, has released three parts of the series so far on YouTube which has coincided with the release of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dunkirk’ film in July.

Ernest Graham was the president of the Dunkirk Veterans’ Association in Portsmouth for over 15 years and in 1998 he was asked questions about the ‘Miracle of Dunkirk’.

“I always knew my great-uncle was a Dunkirk veteran but it’s only with the release of the movie that I came into information that he’d done an interview,” said Nick.

“It was never volunteered to us as kids so it was surprising to hear that he had them.”

He added: “Knowing that a family member was involved makes it even more compelling.”

Ernest and his wife Katherine lived in Daventry and owned a shop in Brook Street after World War Two ended from 1947 until 1968.

Nick, who was an interest in history, recounted how Ernest had been put onto a train along with fellow evacuees which ended up stopping at Woodford Halse, a familiar sight for the serviceman given he had lived and worked in Daventry before enrolling.

The retelling of Ernest’s journey has been labour of love for Nick who spends hours putting the short videos together, combining the recording with archive images from the war

Once the series is complete Nick intends to donate it to the Imperial War Museum.

Watch Part 1 of Nick's project here.

Courtney Flanagan was sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Mr Smith, 49, of Kings Heath suffered a head injury in an assault at the Edge of Town pub in Regent Square, on July 10 last year. He died in hospital nearly two months later, on September 4, 2016.

Flanagan was also convicted of one count of attempted GBH with intent on one of Mr Smith’s friends and one count of ABH against another man, both at the Edge of Town pub, on July 10, 2016, and one count of GBH that took place on June 19, 2015 in St Leonards Road, Northampton.

His Honour Judge Thomas QC gave Flanagan a 10-year custodial sentence with a three-year extension, having found him to be a ‘dangerous person’ in law.

People who knew Paul said he was an incredibly well-liked man.

Andrea Trueman, secretary of Northampton Working Mens Club said: “We paid a tribute to Paul last year, in November, and held his funeral later this year, and on both occasions over 300 people attended the venue to pay respect to Paul.

“It shows how many friends Paul did have and how much everyone cared about him.”

Thanking the police and Victim Support, Paul’s sister, Nicola, said: “Paul was a loving son, brother and father and he brightened everybody’s heart that he touched. Paul has left a huge void in his family and friends’ hearts. He is so greatly missed every day but we have our beautiful memories of him that nobody can take away from us.”

The family said no amount of time in jail for Flanagan would justify the taking of Paul’s life but felt the judge did all he could.

Nicola said: “Paul always said he wanted justice and that was something that he held on to until the end.

“We think justice has been done to the maximum amount of sentencing that the judge felt he could impose.

“Of course we would have liked it to be that he serves the full 10 years rather than the fact that he may only serve two-thirds of this.”

The family said they never dreamed something like this could happen to Paul, and them.

Nicola said: “You often read about crimes in your local area but just flick through them as they now have sadly become a common reality in our daily lives.

“This has sadly become a reality that hit us all as a family. Paul was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Thieves stole an electric bicycle from cycle racks in Wellingborough’s town centre.

The incident took place between 1.30pm and 3.45pm on Thursday, July 27, when a Carrera E Electric Crossfire, which was in the cycle racks in the Market Square area of Market Street, was stolen.

The bike is silver with black mudguards, a gel seat, a white sticker on the battery and a black cycle bell.

Anyone who has information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Balmoral Road off Kingsthorpe Road has been hit with a spate of sinkholes since last December and one resident now hopes the road will be sorted once and for all.

Chloe Linnell said she was told to move her car on Monday (July, 31) while Anglian Water carries out works to the road surface as well as a damaged pipe - despite previously insisting it was not responsible.

She said: “We’re just having to leave it elsewhere, but we have on-street parking so it’s a nightmare.

“We’ve lost about 18 car parking spaces.

“Tonight (Wednesday) will be the ultimate test, when I get home from work, I know others who have parked miles away.”

She claims four holes have appeared since she reported the first one last Christmas, the latter being four metres deep.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “We were alerted to a hole on Balmoral Road on July 21.

“Our engineers have completed a full survey of our rainwater drain using CCTV cameras and have found the drain to be damaged.

“We’ll be working to repair this as quickly as possible, but this does mean the road will remain closed for around four weeks whilst we carry out these essential emergency repairs.

“A diversion route will be in place throughout the duration of the work and we’re very sorry for any inconvenience.”

Anglian Water customers can monitor progress at: www.anglianwater.co.uk/yourarea

Students at Northampton College have helped raise £1,500 for a county charity – with the money earmarked to help young people who look after family members.

Proceeds from ticket sales and programmes sold at end-of-year shows by musical theatre and arts students helped raise the huge total for Northamptonshire Carers.

The donation will be used to help fund a range of activities for young carers, such as workshops or respite sessions.

Julie Teckman, head of the School of the Arts at Northampton College, said: “Northamptonshire Carers is an incredible organisation which does an amazing job supporting the local community.

“Our students have done fantastically well to raise so much money and it’s good to know that money will be put to such good use and will make a real difference to young people’s lives.”

Students held a range of end-of-year performances and exhibitions to showcase their work from the past 12 months, including a musical theatre show which included songs from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Chicago.

Jo Johnson, schools development worker for Northamptonshire Carers, said: “This donation came out of the blue and is an amazing gesture from the students.

“Young people can often be ‘hidden’ carers – doing a tough job without any real recognition.

“This funding will allow us to lay on activities which can take some of the pressure off.”

Pupils in Northamptonshire have been tutored by some of the best student brains in the county thanks to a partnership with the University of Northampton.

A group of PhD students spent six weeks working with 13 and 14-year-olds at two county schools with the aim of inspiring them to work at a higher level.

The UNI Club initiative saw a series of student-led workshops held at Northampton Academy and Kettering Buccleuch Academy, and now the pupils must write a 1,000-word assignment over the summer holidays based on what they have learnt.

Director of Aspiration at Buccleuch, Jo Massey, said: “The project has enabled students to research a topic in depth and explore a different way of learning.

“It has developed their essay writing skills and their team-working skills and it has given them an insight into the methods of study used at university.”

The sessions are beneficial for both the school children and the University’s PhD students .

Environmental Science PhD student, Cynthia Atufu, said: “Before the UNI Club, I had ambitions to teach, but wasn’t 100 per cent sure about my ability to do it.

“But working with the young people at the academy has been really fulfilling and boosted my confidence – now I know that teaching is for me.”

Cynthia added: “I’ve been very impressed with the group of pupils I have been working with.

“We’ve been exploring the issues around environmental sustainability and how they can help to change their attitudes and everyday behaviours, with the aim of having a positive impact on the planet.

“They’ve really enjoyed building on that knowledge and studying in a deeper way over the six weeks.

“Hopefully I have helped to inspire them to consider taking their education to the next level when they leave school.”

The UNI Club is led by the Aspire Schools Engagement team.- The Aspire Network, which is based at the University, and counts county colleges and schools amongst its members, sees partners work together in a coordinated way to raise the aspirations of the county’s young people.

A Northampton camerawoman’s picture of her pet dog has clicked with judges of a national photographic competition.

Jade Dunkley’s photo of her dog Daisy was selected as the ninth winner of Jessops’ #ShareYourSummer2017 contest.

The 24-year-old’s photo will take pride of place in 58 Jessops’ shop windows after winning the competition searching for the very best summer snaps.

After much deliberation, Jade Dunkley was plucked from the hundreds of submissions to display her work.

Jade, 24, said: “Photography has always been a part of life as my Grandad’s a professional photographer, however, my passion for photography began a few years ago when I realised how important it is to capture memories and life’s important moments.

“It was only 5 weeks ago I decided to buy my first digital camera - combining my two passions; photography and dogs. I thought my dog Daisy, playing in the garden would be the perfect subject to practice on, and thankfully this photo really brings out her personality”.

A group of work colleagues have swapped four wheels for two feet as they battled torrential rain, gales, fog and injuries to raise money for charity.

The team of trekkers from Wilcox Limousines, which has a Northamapton manufacturing base, is celebrating after raising nearly three quarters of its fundraising target following the Trailwalker UK challenge.

Raising money for Oxfam UK, the two-day challenge is a 100km walk over the South Downs and is known as one of the UK’s toughest endurance challenges.

This year participants had to trek through some of the worst weather ever seen during the event, including heavy rain, blustering gales and thick mists.

Trailwalker UK aims to raise money to end poverty and is organised with the Queen’s Gurkha Signals.

The Wilcox team, comprising sales manager Malcom Brooks, marketing manager Leila Wilcox, Jade Wilcox-Webb and Lili Robinson, with support from Louis Wilcox and Alan Robinson, has already raised £1,000 and is confident it can hit its total target of £1,400 - hoping people will get behind them to help raise the rest.

Leila Wilcox said: “We were all a little apprehensive but excited about the challenge – training every weekend in preparation.

“The weather was horrendous, we kept going but unfortunately, due to injuries on the day, we were unable to finish.

“We still managed over half of the walk, which is still a huge achievement.

To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lostourlimousine.

Students and staff at a Northampton academy have joined forces to raise funds for extra-curricular activities with a special fun day.

Pupils at Eastfield Academy hosted a big lunch and market afternoon for visitors, including hook-a-duck, a raffle, bake sales and a balloon launch.

The fun day raised over £2,900 which will be used for students to take part in inspirational learning experiences in sports, arts, music and an array of exciting once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Students at Eastfield Academy, part of the David Ross Education Trust (DRET), will benefit from the enrichment programme, alongside pupils from the Trust’s other 33 schools.

A spokesperson said: “The Trust’s pioneering programme encourages students to leave school as confident, well-rounded young people who will be valued members of society.”

An Abington-based trainee pharmacist has been named as a company’s top student.

Monil Patel from Lloyds Pharmacy in Abington was announced as the firm’s Pre-registration Trainee of the Year 2017.

The Lloyds Pharmacy pre-registration training programme is a year-long course for over 150 graduate trainees, preparing them to be newly qualified pharmacists.

Monil, who has been working at the pharmacy in Christchurch Medical Centre, Ardington Road, said: “I am extremely honoured to be receiving such an important award and I am grateful for the recognition of my work.

“It would not have been possible without the inspiration I have received from my tutor and colleagues from whom I have derived the strength to challenge myself to perform better at each stage of my training.”

Lloyds area manager, Kulvir Grewal said: “Monil has had a fantastic year in which he has been able to have a really positive impact on patient well-being in the local area.

“He really threw himself into the community and has developed loads of meaningful relationships with patients that has made a huge difference to people’s lives.

“This is a well-deserved award.”

During the programme, each trainee is assigned a pharmacist tutor, provided with in-pharmacy training and invited to structured off-site development days, to develop knowledge and skills.

The course is designed to equip pre-registration trainees with the tools they need to successfully start their careers.

Award winner, Monil, added: “I really have enjoyed my time at Christchurch Medical Centre.

“I’ve learned an awful lot that will stand me in good stead for the rest of my career.

“The local community have been brilliant and I’m proud to have worked so closely with patients to help them to live more healthy lives.”

The Northampton charity, formerly known as the Northampton Women's Aid, has recently decided to change its name to reflect the changes in their line of work and remove the barrier to male victims seeking support.

The programme, titled 'Help Me To Stay Safe' provides a six-week programme to help children recognise and understand what domestic abuse is and the effect it has themselves and others.

Within the last financial year, the service has helped 138 children aged between five and 17.

A spokeswoman for the charity said they tend to deliver six one-hour sessions in schools and the community, which is split up into stages. She said: "It looks at safety and getting to know the children and their family dynamics.

"We look at their feelings and what children should do when they get upset."

Then the service looks at safe places in the children's home, at school or having a safe place in their head - as well as helping to focus on their hopes and dreams for the future.

While the programme is tailored to children aged between seven and 11 years old, Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service can tailor their support to younger children of five and older children of 11 or above, focusing on what makes an unhealthy or healthy relationship.

For more information, visit: http://ndas.co/ or call the helpline on: 0300 0120154 .

Police are appealing for the public’s help after fuel was stolen from a garage in Corby.

A man drove a red Ford Ka into the forecourt of the filling station at Tesco Extra in Oakley Road, put fuel in the car and drove off without making any attempt to pay just after 6.30pm on Wednesday, June 8.

Police would like to speak to the man pictured as it’s believed he may be able to assist with their enquiries.

Witnesses or anyone with information about the incident can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

This sickening footage shows a chicken producer which supplies Asda, Lidl and Nando’s allegedly breaching animal cruelty laws.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Some people may find the footage and pictures in this article distressing

Secret filming at Cambria Farm in Taunton, Somerset, claims to show a worker dumping a live chick in a wheelbarrow full of dead birds.

The chick was left for an hour before the same worker returns and snaps its neck, according to vegan campaign group Animal Equality.

The group says it also filmed workers kicking chickens, lame birds struggling to walk and slowly dying on their backs because they were unable to stand and reach water.

Other distressing images show chickens with ammonia burns leaving them red raw, ill and dying birds being left to fend for themselves and workers snapping chickens’ necks.

Further footage shows workers tipping scores of dead chicks into waste bins at the farm.

Workers can also be seen violently catching and crating birds for transport to the slaughterhouse, including carrying birds by one leg.

The poultry farm has suspended production following the undercover expose which was carried out between May and July this year.

Animal Equality has passed the evidence to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for investigation.

Dr Toni Shephard, UK executive director of Animal Equality, said: “The birds were just a few days old when we first filmed, yet already hundreds of chicks were dying every day and the bins outside the giant sheds were full of tiny bodies, still with their yellow baby feathers.

“Just a couple of weeks later, the skips were fuller still and many of the birds were suffering from painful lameness.

“By our last visit, the sheds were so crowded it was difficult to walk through them.

“Some birds were on their backs slowly dying as they were unable to stand up, while others had large sores from constantly sitting in the ammonia-soaked litter as they were in too much pain to walk.

“These distressing scenes suggest we are not ‘leaders in animal welfare’ as claimed in the current row over US imports.”

Cambria Farm, which houses more than 150,000 birds in four giant sheds, supplies Faccenda, the second largest chicken company in the UK.

Faccenda then sells the meat to clients including Nando’s, Lidl and Asda.

A spokesman for Faccenda said despite being ‘disappointed’ with the footage, they had visited the farm and would still be using it as a supplier.

He said they hoped to work with Animal Equality in order to ensure the welfare of animals on all the farms they work with.

The spokesman added: “We’re obviously disappointed with the images that have been presented to us.

“Where there is a need for improvement in specific areas we will work with the farmer to make sure that it happens.

“When we were notified of the allegations we immediately assigned an external vet to visit the farm and conduct an investigation.

“Following his review of the facilities, and after meeting the team, he approved the farm for continued use.

“We are not going to comment on individual pieces of limited footage but will make sure that the information from Animal Equality is used on all of our farms to help ensure that our high standards and expectations are maintained on every farm, every day.”

Paul Vaughan-France, owner of the farm, said: “I will take the images as good feedback and will do everything I can to work on every aspect of my husbandry.

“I have had an independent vet on site to review my practices and he is satisfied with his findings.”

A Nando’s Spokesperson said: “Animal welfare is very important to us and we source 100% of our chickens from suppliers that meet the UK Red Tractor standards. We were extremely concerned to hear the report that this farm was not meeting our standards and we are conducting a thorough investigation. Nando’s will continue to insist all of our suppliers meet our strict animal welfare expectations, and is committed to only ever buying from farms that do.”

Officers are searching for the driver of a car, which was in collision with a man on a Northampton road this morning (Thursday).

At around 10.30am, the man ran across Victoria Gardens when he was struck by a car, which drove off.

He collapsed unconscious, subsequently regained consciousness and was taken to the hospital.

A Northampton monument to one of Northampton's Great War heroes has been declared a protected site.

The memorial to Edgar Mobbs in the Garden of Remembrance, in Kettering Road, is now Grade II as part of Historic England's commemorations of the Battle of Passchendaele.

The former captain of the Saints was killed in World War One while attempting to destroy a German machine gun on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres.

Councillor Tim Hadland, cabinet member for regeneration, enterprise and planning at Northampton Borough Council, said: “We are thrilled that Historic England and the Secretary of State recognise the significance not only of the memorial itself but also the immense bravery and leadership that Edgar Mobbs showed 100 years ago.

“We remember him with pride, and listed status will help ensure that future generations never forget the sacrifice that was made.”

Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Mobbs fought at the Battles of Loos, Somme, Arras and Messines and was killed in action on 31 July, the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele.

The memorial to Edgar Mobbs is among those added to the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Karen Bradley.

It joins the Northampton County War Memorial which has also recently been added to the list at Grade II.

The Third Battle of Ypres commenced on July 31, 1917, and lasted for 103 days resulting in the loss of 300,000 Allied and 250,000 German lives.

Roger Bowdler, director of listing at Historic England, said: “Passchendaele was a truly grim affair, waged over three muddy, bloody months. It succeeded in wearing down the Germans and taking pressure off the French, but at a high cost in lives. These newly listed and upgraded memorials are just some of the tributes to the losses of so many."

A man entered the shop in St Leonard’s Road on Wednesday, April 26 at 12.30pm and assaulted a staff member when he was asked to provide ID. The information was released today, August 4, by Northamptonshire Police.

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

A man has been charged with causing the death of two Northampton residents in a crash near Peterborough.

The 20-year-old man, who has not been named by police, has been charged with two counts of causing death by careless driving and two counts of causing death by driving a vehicle unlicensed and uninsured vehicle following the crash on the A605 on May 7.

Officers were called just after 2am on May 7 following the two car crash at Elton.

Justinas Vosylius and Algirdas Pelegrimas,both aged 20, from Louise Road, Northampton were killed in the crash.

They were passengers in a blue Vauxhall Corsa. A woman who was in the Corsa also suffered serious injuries in the collision. A man, aged in his 50s, who was driving the second car, suffered minor injuries.

The 20-year-old, from Northampton, had been bailed by police following his arrest. he was aged 19 at the time of the crash. He answered his bail at Thorpe Wood Police Station today (Friday), where he was charged by officers.

He has been given bail to attend Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Friday, September 8.