A man was hit on the head and threatened with a knife in a robbery in Wellingborough at the weekend.

At about 3.45am on Saturday (August 5), the victim was walking along Knox Road.

He was hit to the back of the head by what is believed to be a concrete block and threatened with a knife.

The offender demanded his wallet and made off when it was handed over.

The man sustained cuts to the head which required hospital treatment and grazes to his hands and knees.

The offender is described as a stocky 5ft 6in white man, balding, with a small amount of hair on his chin and wearing glasses and a dark top.

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

A trio of burglars broke in through the window of a Northampton property before riding two bikes away.

Between 2pm and 2.30pm on Thursday, August 3, raiders gained access to the property in Henry Street via a rear window. Two bikes, pictured, were taken and ridden away by the burglars.

A police spokeswoman described the offenders as three 16 to 22-year-old males.

Anyone who has information should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a four-year-old boy was involved in a collision in Crown Way, Rushden, on Saturday afternoon (August 5).

The collision, involving a blue Ford Fiesta, happened near Waitrose at about 4pm as the boy was crossing the road with his family.

A police spokesman said: “The boy was taken by air ambulance to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham and has since been discharged.”

Witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 or call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615.

A man has died after a lorry tipped on its side in Wellingborough last night (Sunday).

The incident took place at about 10pm, when for reasons yet unknown, the white LGV tipped on to its side in Niort Way.

The driver of the lorry died shortly after the collision.

Witnesses or anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Drivewatch Hotline on 0800 174615.

A charity shop in Northampton has undergone a major £10,000 renovation programme to bring the tired and outdated store into the 21st century.

The Kettering Road Samaritans branch reopens on Tuesday, August 8 and will now be able to accept contactless card payments, as opposed to cash only.

The store says, every penny spent will go directly into funding the local branch, which received more than 18,000 ‘contacts’ by phone, email, text and face-to-face last year.

Julia Ginns, director of Northampton Samaritans who has spent 39 years as a volunteer, said: “The charity shop sector in Northampton is absolutely thriving and we can’t afford to get left behind.

“The old image of a charity shop is a glorified jumble sale, simply isn’t true, they are high-quality retail experiences these days.

“Our new store will allow us to compete and give customers an environment they are comfortable in with the technologies they now demand, such as contactless card payments.”

The Northampton branch of the Samaritans is staffed by a total of 102 round-the-clock ‘listening’ volunteers while a further 15 volunteers help with admin tasks and organizing social events and fundraisers.

For more information on Samaritans, visit www.samaritans.org

Laptops and iPhones were stolen during a raid on a Northampton house last night.

Police are appealing for witnesses following the burglary in North Paddock Court, Lings.

Sometime between 6.45pm yesterday (Sunday, August 6) and 12.30am today (Monday, August 7) an unknown number of raiders broke in at the back of the house and stole various items, including jewellery, three laptops and two iPhone 6s.

Witnesses, or anyone with any information, are being asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Shoppers at Tesco stores across Britain will no longer be able to buy 5p ‘single-use’ plastic carrier bags from the end of the month.

In a move welcomed by campaigners, Britain’s biggest grocer will become the first major supermarket chain to ditch its throwaway bags.

From August 28, shoppers who forget their bags will still be able to buy one – but it will be a more expensive reusable one, made from thicker recycled plastic, costing 10p.

“It’s great to see major retailers moving away from disposable plastic. For too long we’ve seen plastic as something to be used once and thrown away,” said Louise Edge, senior campaigner at Greenpeace UK.

The move followed a 10-week trial in three stores in Norwich, Aberdeen and Dundee during which sales of single-use bags fell by 25 per cent. Bag sales have tumbled Tesco has given out 1.5 billion fewer single use bags since the introduction of the carrier bag charge in England in 2015, but still sells over 700 million of these each year.

The retailer hopes that removing single use carrier bags will significantly reduce the number of bags sold, helping reduce litter and bags sent to landfill.

Matt Davies, Tesco’s UK head, said: “The number of bags being bought by our customers has already reduced dramatically. Today’s move will help our customers use even fewer bags.”

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey added: “I welcome Tesco wanting to go further and help their customers use even fewer plastic bags.”

The introduction of the 5p charge in England in October 2015 brought it into line with schemes already operating in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. About 8m tonnes of plastic makes its way into the world’s oceans each year, posing a serious threat to the marine environment. Official figures last July revealed that the number of single-use plastic bags used by shoppers in England plummeted by more than 85 per cent after the introduction.

More than 7bn bags were handed out by seven main supermarkets in the year before the charge, but this figure plummeted to slightly more than 500m in the first six months after the charge was introduced. However, while campaigners welcomed Tesco’s move they warned much work remains to be done to curb plastic pollution further – especially when it comes single-use bottles.

“The plastic bag charge has done wonders for reducing the number of bags polluting our coastlines and waters. Now we need to see the same for throwaway plastic bottles – a deposit return scheme which encourages collection,” Ms Edge said.

A man was attacked and bitten by two dogs as he walked through Delapre Park in Northampton this morning.

The 22-year-old man was walking through the park near Delapre Abbey at about 4.50am this morning, Monday, August 7, when three German shepherd dogs ran towards him.

The dogs jumped up at the man with two of them grabbing hold of his arm.

A police spokeswoman said: "He managed to get away from the dogs, although they ran after him.

"The man sustained injuries to his arm as a result of the incident."

Officers would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or who may have information regarding it.

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

Thieves stole gardening equipment worth thousands of pounds from a property in Cranford.

Offenders broke into outbuildings at the property in Rectory Hill at some point between midnight and 10am on Thursday, August 3, and stole the items worth about £15,000.

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

Firejacks - The Restaurant Group's (TRG) new pilot concept - tag-lined, 'Meat, Fire, Friends' is currently under renovation in Sixfields Leisure with ads for jobs already published.

But a spokesman for Firejacks has told the Chronicle & Echo that "the company will not comment on Firejacks until they are ready to do so."

One job advert for the Northampton-based restaurant says Firejacks will create "really warm, relaxed setting, with a vibrant buzz of energy, that could almost feel like you're sitting around a campfire laughing, sharing good times and great food straight from the fire with family or friends."

"We pride ourselves on serving the best steak and burgers in the area. We’re fresh, fun, and friendly."

Earlier this year, trade press, MCA Insight reported: 'TGR appointed Murray McGowan formerly of Costa and KFC, to the newly created role of managing director across its leisure division.

'In his new role, McGowan, who joined TGR on 5 June, is overseeing the turnaround of the group's Frankie & Benny's, Chiquito and Coast to Coast brands.

'In March, the company said said all three of its major brands - Frankie and Benny's, Chiquito and Coast to Coast - underperformed in 2016 but stressed a robust plan was in plan was in place to turn them around'.

As part of Northamptonshire Breastfeeding Celebration Month, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) and First for Wellbeing is sharing practical tips on how the county can all play their part in supporting breastfeeding.

Diana Mair, the infant feeding lead 0-19 team at NHFT, said: “Breastfeeding is not just the responsibility of new mums - it’s the responsibility of all of us.

"Many mums feel judged, however, they decide to feed their babies and there are lots of barriers to breastfeeding. We know that the majority of mums start breastfeeding - however, lots of mum stop breastfeeding quite quickly, often before they want to. Evidence based professional help and support is important, and mums tell us they can sometimes feel a lack of support from friends and family or from the wider community. We can all play our part in supporting mums to feel more comfortable and empowered to breastfeed.

“It might not seem like much but helping look after breastfeeding mums, offering to do some housework or speaking up for her if anyone criticises her choices can all make a big difference. For a mum to breastfeed she needs people around her who believe it’s important and believes she can do it.”

NHFT delivers a range of physical and mental health services delivered to users own homes, through GP practices, clinics, schools, prisons and in residential and hospital environments.

Ann Breen, strategic manager 0-19 years, public health and wellbeing, said: “It is not just individuals that have a part to play in building a breastfeeding community, businesses have a critical role too.

"We want to make breastfeeding commonplace across businesses so that it is seen as the norm and not something unusual. By making it clear that people are welcome to feed and advocating for mums if other customers complain you will be helping to support and encourage breastfeeding mums.

“Employers can make a difference as well by acknowledging what Mum is doing is important and making flexible arrangements to help ensure they can carry on breastfeeding."

Breastfeeding tip sheets for members of the public, businesses interacting with the public and employers can be found on the breastfeeding section of the 0-19 team website: www.nhft.nhs.uk/0-19 as well as details of where to get professional help and support.

Today (Tuesday 8 August) has been named Fantasy Football Day, with over a million amateur managers in the UK alone expected to make their picks in what is traditionally the most popular day of the year for wannabe Mourinhos to select their fantasy football teams.

Analysis of data from one online fantasy football game Draft Fantasy shows that the Tuesday prior to the first Premier League fixture is the day most managers select their players, with the corresponding day in 2016 (August 4) having accounted for 12 per cent of all selections. In total, the week before the start of the season will see over a fifth 21 per cent of all players select their team.

With fantasy football games estimated to attract over 8.5 million players in the UK alone, this could mean that this Tuesday will see over 1.2 million teams selected.

Draft Fantasy have marked the occasion with a dedicated website – FantasyFootballDay.com – which includes hints and tips for managers, exclusive videos from football influencers and everything budding Guardiolas need to know ahead of them making their final selections.

Elie Steinbock, Draft Fantasy founder and CEO said, “We are gearing up for our biggest day ever on the site on Tuesday, including having 25 additional support and technical staff to ensure every manager can make their selections without a hitch.”

“Teamed with our unique draft offering, the biggest revolution in the game in over two decades, Tuesday 8 August is going to be momentous occasion for Draft Fantasy, and all fantasy football players across the UK.”

Check out fantastyfootballday.com for more information.

Bosses at Bounds Taxis, based in Bradshaw Street, have decided to commemorate the long serving history of the Northampton firm by putting together a 'music video' showing a cabbie at work throughout the years.

Owner, David Wright, who produced the music in the video, said the main character in the film recounts experiences in his cab over the years while passing various Northampton landmarks including the Guildhall, the former ABC cinema and Barratts shoe factory.

He said: "We decided that on entering our 60th year, we should commemorate the long serving history of Bounds Taxis in Northampton and felt a music video would work well with social media and Facebook."

Back in 1958, Harry Bounds established Bounds Taxis almost a decade before minicabs started providing services in London.

"It's no secret that Bounds Taxis has grown, in part, through the acquisition of other companies, namely, Westbridge, A1, Sol Cars and K Cars. Increased size has brought increased efficiency, meaning drivers are doing less dead mileage and customers now expect a car to arrive within minutes of making a booking," David added.

"A dedicated management, dispatch team and around 350 drivers work relentlessly to ensure that Bounds Taxis provide the best service in Northampton. Investment continues, with recent deliveries of brand new Toyota Prius hybrid electric vehicles and a fleet of new E Class Mercedes."

St Andrew's Hospital's men's service was rated "inadequate" in a report published yesterday (August 7) by the CQC, who found failings in cleanliness, patient safety, and pointed to an "oppressive culture" that dissuaded staff from speaking up over concerns.

The service had also failed to address issues around ligature anchors in wards, bedrooms and toilets - points where patients intent on self-harm might tie something to strangle themselves.

It came as part of a wider inspection of the hospital, in Billing Road, carried out in May and June, which rated the hospital's women's and neuropsychiatry service as "good".

But it also rated adolescent care at the £45million Fitzroy House, which opened in January, as "requires improvement".

However, the report consistently praised the hospital's staff for providing a "caring and responsible" service.

The report into St Andrew's men's care said: "The standards of cleanliness were poor on three wards. Some of the wards were not clean or safe. Ferguson Ward was dirty and had plaster falling off the walls.

"Staffing levels were poor. Shifts often had one qualified member of nursing staff, especially at night, which meant staff could not take breaks.

"The standard of record keeping was poor in forensic and rehabilitation services. Record entries in the learning disabilities service were sometimes punitive in nature.

Inspectors criticised St Andrew's men's care for its safety and leadership, and rated both as "inadequate."

In particular, they pointed to a failure to address issues raised in an inspection in June 2016, when they found staff were trained in two different ways of managing aggressions and restraint, which posed a risk to both staff and patients in a potential incident.

The report said: "We formed the view there was an oppressive culture in these services. Different staff groups, including nursing staff, medical staff, psychologists, and social workers, reported a fear of speaking up in case of reprisals.

"We were given examples of when a clinician’s decision had been overridden by non-clinicians. This posed a risk of inappropriate admissions."

St Andrew's Hospital featured on the Channel 4 show Dispatches in March and was heavily criticised for their use of restraints and seclusion.

The report noted a "continued move to reduce the use of restraint". But the men's care's long-term segregation policy did not meet the code of practice set out by the law. Staff were "confused" about the policy, and described patients in seclusion or long-term segregation as being in "extra care".

Inspectors did however praise the hospital's provision for older patients and dementia care, and said that St Andrew's had taken action to address the shortage in staff.

The men's service was consistently rated as "good" for being caring and responsive across the report, and that staff involved patients, families and carers in care plans.

The CQC has directed St Andrews to make improvements across the board in cleanliness, patient records and infection control, and must also work to address the shortage of staff.

Shutters have been installed at a shop front in Northampton town centre in response to a camp of rough sleepers living in the entryway.

Several readers have contacted the Chronicle and Echo in recent weeks to talk about a group of homeless people sleeping in the front entrance of the former Poundland in Abington Street.

A set of shutters have now been installed by the shop's landlord and the group has been moved on.

Councillor Stephen Hibbert, cabinet member for housing and wellbeing, said: "We are aware of where the group of rough sleepers has moved on to and although our offers of advice and assistance continue to be refused, we will do everything that we can to help them to leave the streets."

The installation comes after the state of the shop front attracted a number of complaints from town shoppers.

Duvets, a shopping trolley and litter has covered the entrance for several weeks, and some readers contacted the Chron to talk about the behaviour of the rough sleepers.

Speaking in July, one woman, who lives above the Poundland, said: "They're abusive. I hear them fighting with each other or acting up, shouting at people walking past. They use drugs and alcohol and go to the toilet in the back alley."

The rough sleepers have reportedly refused all help from Northampton Borough Council, including an offer for spaces at the emergency night shelter in St Andrews Road.

The landlord of the former Poundland was not available for comment.

A 500-strong group of residents took part in a protest walk on Saturday afternoon along public footpaths which cross the site of two proposed major developments that would completely change the Northamptonshire landscape and their way of life.

Villagers from Blisworth, Collingtree, Milton Malsor and Roade showed their opposition to the Roxhill and Ashfield proposals which, if both approved, would see 1,100 acres of land bordering the four villages near Junction 15 of the M1 filled by a 13 million sq ft rail freight interchange.

The residents took to the footpaths to highlight the scale of the countryside that would be swallowed up by the developments, but also in protest of a significant increase in traffic, the environmental impact these would have, but also

Blisworth resident John, dressed in a t-shirt emblazoned with the Stop Rail Central campaign's logo, said: “Having lived in Blisworth for 47 years and working near DRFT I don’t want to see something like DRFT here, especially when they talk about the size of it, which is vast.

“They’re proposing 55 per cent more traffic to go onto the A43 between J15a and Tove A43 in Towcester so that’s an extra 22,000 vehicle a day, which is a huge amount. So my main concern is traffic, and then obviously there’s the loss of countryside.”

John also responded to the developers' argument the proposals would create jobs in the region, saying that Northamptonshire had high employment as it is, and that an extra 8,000 jobs would thus only bring in people for out of the county thereby increasing traffic volumes.

"It’s a good turnout but the critical one for us is to get 10,000 signatures online because the Government take it more seriously then," said John.

“It’s about challenging at Government level the actual SRFI label itself because they aren’t proven to work.”

As well as the environmental effects and the traffic disruptions which would follow, another concern for residents are how the huge warehouses would impact their day-to-day lives.

Karen from Milton Malsor said she had joined the march because she did not want to let big companies do what they wanted in the countryside.

"I moved to a lovely peaceful village and I don’t want great big warehouses with a 24 hour operation taking over our lovely lifestyle," she said.

“The building process will be awful, it will change everybody’s lives so much. It’ll be horrid.”

Rod Sellers, who lives in Collingtree, helped organise the walk from his village. As well as bemoaning the size of both the proposals, the impact on air pollution and traffic, he also spoke out against the fact the processes of either development was not going to play out like other planning processes.

"The problem is that it’s not going to be decided by the normal planning process through the local authority planning system and scrutinised by councillors, it’s going to be decided by Government.

“Because of that process not being as open as normal planning applications there’s a lack of awareness as to what’s going on, it’s beneath the radar for some people.

“It’s been going quite a while, it’s a long tortuous process so there are no key stages so we’re doing all we can to raise awareness of what this is all about."

Rod said that academic research - some of it involving the University of Northampton - was being undertaken to help the campaign's fight. The study is looking into whether there was a market for the rail-linked warehouse operations.

Thirty parishes in Northamptonshire 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."

Anyone wanting to sign the petition can do so here.

In recent years people in the eastern side of Northampton have watched water levels drop due to years of silt build up and pollution at three Billing Brook lakes in Lings, Lumbertubs and Thorplands.

But the three drying up lakes are in line for a major overhaul thanks to a scheme being co-ordinated by the Growing Together organisation.

The Lottery-funded community group began asking people what they would like to see done at the former beauty spots back in October.

A set of plans for Kingfisher Lake, Cygnet Lake and Dragonfly Lake have now been sent round to homes in the area for feedback.

Growing Together programme co-ordinator, Peter Strachan, said: "The idea is that we will get them back to being a really attractive centrepiece for the estates."

The plans were drawn up by consultancy firm JBA, who have been studying the underlying problems at the three lakes for a number of months.

The brook leading to the beauty spots used to zig-zag across the countryside, but a tinkering of its route in the 19th Century allowed silt to flow downstream more easily.

That move more than a century ago allowed materials to build up in the three lakes when they were created in the 1970s.

Coupled with poor rainfall in recent years, the silt is now "choking" the lakes of oxygen and damaging the ecosystem there. On most days, Kingfisher Lake resembles a swamp and the spread of the materials is now beginning to starve cygnet lake of oxygen too.

JBA says a real difference can be made by reusing the silt to change the shape of the lakes so that less water is lost to evaporation, more silt is removed naturally and
new habitats are created for wildlife.

The silt can be used to create reed or iris beds that will filter out silt, develop wetlands that flood in the winter, make new islands in the lakes and form mud banks that can be grassed over.

It is not yet known who would fund the scheme, though Mr Strachan expects the eventual cost be in the six figures.

Without a change now, he says, the silt will eventually spread to Dragonfly Lake too and wildlife will leave the former beauty spots altogether.

"The water quality will go down so much, we will lose the bird life, the insect life," he added.

"What we are trying to do it to make the whole system sustainable in a way that will reduce the maintenance costs massively."

The consultation leaflets sent out to around 2,000 homes in the area asks residents to decide on a number of features in the final plans, such as whether to thin out trees in certain areas and use dropped banks.

Consultation on the proposed North-West Relief Road and orbital route ended last week, with more than 500 people taking part.

The proposed new road will eventually run from the A5199 near Chapel Brampton to the A43 and is aimed at easing traffic in the north of the town, particularly Kingsthorpe.

But in less than a month a Facebook group against the scheme has attracted nearly 900 members and is growing daily.

Now a crowdfunding bid has been launched to film an aerial video of the proposed route to highlight the green swathe of countryside the road will run through.

Kingsthorpe resident Tracey Onley, who launched the Facebook group, said: “This is so important to raise awareness, not just of the road project, but also what could be at risk for seemingly no improvement in the quality of life of local people. We need to put people and our environment at the heart of planning, not the profits of big developers.”

Though opinions on the Facebook group are varied, many fear the road will lead to housing developers "infilling" the land in between the northern urban edge of town and the bypass itself.

“The focus of the consultation was all about the ‘where’ rather than a necessary emphasis on ‘why’ and ‘what’,” said Boughton resident and group member Simon Taylor in a video he posted on the page.

“We’ve had routes drawn on maps but with no level of detail that anybody could truly evaluate," he added.

The county council's consultation website states: “Completing a new ring road to the north of Northampton will reduce the amount of traffic passing through northern parts of Northampton, and a number of surrounding villages such as Boughton, Moulton and Pitsford.”

However, some in the group have questioned the traffic modelling used in the consultation to adequately measure journey times, as much of the detail around the siting of junctions, roundabouts and traffic lights has yet to be decided.

The group's crowdfunding campaign to raise £800 is a quarter of the way to its target and can be viewed here.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) is urging people living in high rise buildings to book a free home fire safety check following the Grenfell Tower fire in June.

As part of its fire safety and public reassurance work, NFRS staff have been conducting door-to-door visits to high rise buildings in the county to offer residents free advice on home fire safety.

Despite repeated visits, uptake on the offer remains at approximately 60 per cent and the service is keen to let residents know the checks can be tailored to suit specific circumstances and needs.

NFRS area manager Mark Ainge said: “Our teams are very keen to engage with people to provide free advice about keeping you, your family and friends and your home safe from fire.

“We’re very keen to get uptake on home fire safety checks to 100 per cent and we want to stress that these visits are purely intended to provide help and advice in a friendly way.

“If a previous call to your flat has been at an inconvenient time for you, or you have specific needs, please do make contact so we can arrange a visit to suit your circumstances.”

On January 10, earlier this year, more than 40 firefighters were called to tackle the flames on the fifth floor of the 11-storey Newlife Building 2 in Lower Cross Street.

On the night, up to 80 residents had to be evacuated from the PA Housing tower block. But despite extensive damage, only two people were not able to return to their apartment.

Many fires happen at night when most people are sleeping, NFRS says. Working smoke alarms should wake residents if a fire does break out, but homeowners can further reduce their risk by carrying out some simple checks before going to bed.

The authority has also issued a bedroom checklist for residents to run-through before they go to sleep:

CLOSE INSIDE DOORS at night to stop a fire from spreading

SWITCH OFF and unplug electrical appliances that don’t need to be used

SWITCH OFF mobile phones and tablet computers chargers

CHECK your cooker is switched off

SWITCH OFF the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher

PUT OUT candles, incense sticks and oil burners before you to sleep

PUT OUT cigarettes and double check them, it's best to wet them to be sure

CHECK your escape routes are clear

CHECK door and window keys are easy to find in an emergency

MAKE SURE mobility aids are close to hand for those who require them

Residents who would prefer to conduct their own fire safety check can find information about how to carry this out on the NFRS website.

Information on home fire safety checks can be found at www3.northamptonshire.gov.uk/councilservices/northamptonshire-fire-and-rescue-service/safety/Pages/home-safety.aspx .

Visits can also be requested by calling 0300 1261000 and selecting option 5.

A motorcyclist has died following a road traffic collision near Staverton last night (Monday, August 7).

The Suzuki motorcycle was travelling on the A425 towards Staverton from Upper Shuckburgh when it collided with a Kia Sorento travelling in the opposite direction, at about 5.35pm.

The rider was taken to hospital with serious injuries but sadly died a short time later.

The motorist and three children who were passengers in the Kia sustained minor injuries in the collision.

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