People donating items to Daventry’s Air Ambulance Service shop are being asked not to leave them at the back of the shop without first speaking to staff.

The request follows several instances of damaged or stained furniture and other items with no resale value being dumped at the back of the High Street store overnight.

Far from helping the charity, donations such as this actually cost the Air Ambulance Service much-needed funds in the form of disposal costs.

Daventry District Council is working with the charity to stop the issue and has put in place security measures to help prevent and detect the dumping of unwanted furniture and other materials at the rear of their premises.

Anyone wishing to donate is instead asked to visit the shop first so that staff can assess the items.

In the case of furniture or other large items, the charity is happy to visit homes to make an assessment and collect them if suitable.

The council is warning people that any items left outside the store without the knowledge of shop staff will be treated as fly-tipping, which can result in a fixed penalty fine of £400 or worse, depending on the scale of the problem.

The Air Ambulance Service has two shops in Daventry – in High Street and Foundry Walk – which help the charity raise vital funds to operate the national Children’s Air Ambulance, as well as the local air ambulance services for Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Retail area manager for Air Ambulance Service Home Stores June Green said: “We are very grateful to the many generous people who donate wonderful items to our Daventry shops, helping us to fund our lifesaving service.

“Unfortunately we sometimes get items left outside the High Street shop overnight that are badly stained or damaged and that we cannot sell. While some of these items may have been left with the best intentions, it costs us valuable time and money to properly dispose of them.

“We do not want to discourage donations, but we would ask people to please consider the suitability of the items they are thinking of donating and make sure they speak to someone in the store first, so that we can process it properly.”

Cllr Richard Auger, environmental health and housing portfolio holder on Daventry District Council, said: “The Air Ambulance Service is a wonderful charity which saves lives across our region every day.

“While we do not wish to deter people from making charitable donations to our local charities, leaving items at the back of their store is not the way to do it.

“This practice is taking much needed cash away from saving lives and spending it on disposing of unwanted and worthless donations.

“This practice has become such a problem that the Council have decided to warn people that any materials left at the rear of the shop without staff being given an opportunity to make an assessment, will be treated as fly-tipping.

“Any evidence gathered from these items will be provided to our enforcement officer so the appropriate action can be taken.”

People who need to dispose of large items are also reminded of the council’s bulky waste collection service, which costs £16.38 for up to three items, or £32.76 for six.

People can find out more at www.daventrydc.gov.uk/recycling.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a flammable material was pushed through the letterbox of an elderly woman’s house and set alight.

The arson attack happened in the early hours of today (Saturday) at about 2.10am in Adnitt Road, Rushden.

Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service attended the address.

A police spokesman said: “The elderly woman was not injured and only minor fire damage was caused to the property.”

Any witnesses can call Northamptonshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Smacking your child makes them behave more badly, a new study has warned.

Children who are smacked before they are five have more behavioural problems between the ages of six and eight than those spared the rod.

Those who were physically punished argued, fought, got angry, acted impulsively and disturbed ongoing activities more than those who were not.

And the more smacks the children got, the worse their behaviour.

The findings suggested physically disciplining young children may have the opposite effect to what was intended.

Since 2004 it has been illegal in the UK for parents or carers to smack their child, except where this amounts to “reasonable punishment.”

Associate Professor Dr Elizabeth Gershoff of the University of Texas at Austin said: “Our findings suggest that spanking is not an effective technique and actually makes children’s behaviour worse not better.”

Historically, trying to determine whether smacking actually causes children to develop behaviour problems has been difficult because researchers cannot ethically conduct experiments that randomly assign parents to hit their children or not.

Prof Gershoff said: “Parents spank for many reasons, such as their educational or cultural background or how difficult their children’s behaviour is.

“These same reasons, which we call selection factors, can also predict children’s behaviour problems, making it difficult to determine whether spanking is in fact the cause of behaviour problems.

“We realised that the statistical method of propensity score matching could help us get as close to an experiment as possible.”

The study examined data from 12,112 children who participated in the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study.

When the children were five their parents reported how many times they had spanked their child in the past week

The researchers classified any child whose parent provided a number other than zero as having been physically disciplined.

The researchers then matched children who had been spanked with those who hadn’t according to 38 child and family-related characteristics.

These included the child’s age, gender, overall health, and behaviour problems at five; the parent’s education, age, and marital status; the family socioeconomic status and household size; and factors related to parenting quality and conflict in the home.

Pairing the children in this way yielded two groups of children whose main difference was whether their parents had spanked them, effectively accounting for other factors that could plausibly influence the behaviour of both parent and child.

This allowed researchers to approximate the random assignment of participants to groups, a hallmark of experimental design.

The child’s behaviour was then gauged by school reports when they were five, six and eight.

The teacher’s report noted the frequency with which the children argued, fought, got angry, acted impulsively, and disturbed ongoing activities.

Children who had been spanked at the age of five showed greater increases in behaviour problems by age six and also by age eight when compared with children who had never been spanked.

A similar analysis found children who were frequent smacked behaved a lot worse than those who were smacked less frequently.

Prof Gershoff concluded: “The fact that knowing whether a child had ever been spanked was enough to predict their levels of behaviour problems years later was a bit surprising

“It suggests that spanking at any frequency is potentially harmful to children.

“Although dozens of studies have linked early spanking with later child behaviour problems, this is the first to do so with a statistical method that approximates an experiment.”

The study was published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Christmas markets spring up across the country and the high street seeing a surge in visitors, shoppers are being warned not to leave themselves vulnerable to theft this Christmas.

The Christmas season has traditionally been a period where certain crimes spike - with petty theft and fraud common tactics for criminals in busy shopping areas.

Staying shopping smart will reduce the chances of being a victim of crime this Christmas.

Here Crimestoppers share their top advice for staying safe whilst shopping:

Try to pay using a debit card rather than carrying large amounts of cash.

Take extra care when using a cashpoint or chip and pin - cover the keypad with your hand.

Never write down your pin number.

If you carry a handbag, keep your purse at the bottom of it.

Never keep your wallet in your back pocket.

Keep your handbag zipped at all times – crowded shopping areas are very popular with pickpockets.

Don’t leave any bags, including your handbag, in the shopping trolley while you shop.

Stay alert when using your mobile. It’s very easy for someone to snatch it out of your hand.

Don’t return to your car to leave purchases in the boot before continuing with your shopping, as thieves can watch in car parks.

Don’t leave valuables on the seat of your car - they attract thieves.

Don’t leave your house keys in your car.

A spokesperson from Crimestoppers said: “Historically, the crimes that tend to increase over Christmas are domestic abuse, drink driving, fraud and forgery, and handling stolen goods.”

“None of these are victimless crimes, and the knock-on effect on families and communities can be severe.”

“This is why we would always urge anyone with information to come forward to Crimestoppers, 100 per cent anonymously, safe in the knowledge that no-one will ever know who you are so you will never have to give a statement or go to court.”

Children should be banned from buying energy drinks as they can cause high blood pressure, heart problems, obesity and even kidney damage, warns new research.

They also fuel risk seeking behaviour such as alcohol and drugs abuse, accidents, violence and antisocial behaviour - on top of rotting teeth, according to the study.

Governments should regulate sales and marketing towards children and teenagers, and set upper limits on amounts of caffeine they contain, to combat the growing public health issue, say researchers.

The report does not name specific products but popular brands include Red Bull, Monster and Lucozade.

Some can contain up to 100 mg caffeine in every fluid ounce - eight times more than a regular cup of coffee at 12mgs.

A moderate daily intake of caffeine up to 400 mg is recommended for adults, but little research exists on tolerable levels for youngsters.

Health problems

Nutritionist Dr Josiemer Mattei, of Harvard University in the US, said: “We summarise the consequences of energy drink consumption, which include heart, kidney, and dental problems, as well as risk-seeking behaviour and poor mental health.

“The evidence suggests they are harmful to health and should be limited through more stringent regulation by restricting their sales to children and adolescents, as well as setting an evidence based upper limit on the amount of caffeine.”

Her findings follow a call by British scientists last year for the government to outlaw their sale and marketing to under 16s.

Dr Mattei’s latest up to date analysis of current scientific knowledge found their advertised short term benefits are outweighed by serious health risks.

It said these include “risk-seeking behaviour, mental health problems, increased blood pressure, obesity and kidney damage.”

Alcohol risks

The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, also highlighted the worrying trend of mixing energy drinks with alcohol.

Dr Mattei and her team of graduate researchers recommended restricted sales to children and adolescents - and setting evidence-based caffeine limits.

As energy drink consumption continues to grow worldwide, there is a need to thoroughly examine their advertised benefits, nutritional content and any negative effects on public health, they said.

Most contain similar ingredients - water, sugar, caffeine, certain vitamins, minerals and stimulants such as guarana, taurine and ginseng that have no nutritional benefit.

The health risks associated with energy drinks are mostly attributed to their high sugar and caffeine levels.

They range from risk seeking behaviour, such as substance misuse and aggression, mental health problems in the form of anxiety and stress, to increased blood pressure, obesity, kidney damage, fatigue, stomach aches and irritation.

Stimulants

Last year a survey led by Durham University, involving 16 European countries including the UK, found 68 per cent of 11 to 18-year-olds and almost one in five under 10s consume energy drinks. And 12 per cent of the younger group have downed at least a litre in a single session.

It found sales of energy drinks in the UK increased by 155% between 2006 and 2014, from 235 to 600 million litres.

The report said more research was needed on how the high levels of sugar and caffeine in energy drinks interact with each other and with other stimulants present such as taurine and guarana.

A single can of popular brands on the market can contain around 160mg of caffeine, while the European Food Safety Authority recommends an intake of no more than 105mg of caffeine per day for an average 11-year-old.

The report called for legislation banning the sale of energy drinks to under-16s and a ban on marketing targeted at children.

Nutritionists say the youngsters are raising their risk of obesity, type-2 diabetes, and tooth decay.

A 64-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the discovery of a 38-year-old woman’s body in the back of a car.

Police were called to Abbey Road in Roade at about 12.40pm yesterday (Saturday).

East Midlands Ambulance Service also attended the scene.

The man has been released under investigation.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

OCTOBER 4:

Gerald McKay, aged 49, of The Hollow, Ravensthorpe, driving at 70mph in a 40mph zone; fined £521, ordered to pay a surcharge of £53 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 14 days.

Onorius Popescu, aged 24, of Far Meadow Court, Northampton, driving while using a mobile phone; no separate penalty. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. No insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

OCTOBER 5:

Curtis Gallagher, aged 19, of The Stour, The Grange, Daventry, exposed his genitals in McDonalds; community order made to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, pay compensation of £50, a surcharge of £85 and costs of £250.

Raymond Evans, aged 31, of Manor Road, Hanging Houghton, Northampton, assault; community order to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay compensation of £100, a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85.

Brett Moore, aged 45, of Gladstone Road, Spencer, stole two bottles of whiskey worth £36 from Morrisons; jailed for one week concurrent suspended for 12 months. Had a knife in a public place, namely Morrisons; jailed for six weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge of £115. Used threatening or abusive words or behaviour; jailed for one week concurrent suspended for 12 months. Failed to surrender to custody; no separate penalty.

Grant Filer-Hobbs, aged 31, of Langham House, Hester Street, Northampton, stole various packets of meats worth £20.07 belonging to the Co-Op; jailed for two weeks.

Sebastian Curtis, aged 38, of High View, Deanshanger, failed to comply with a community order; no adjudication, dealt with original offence. Damaged a door; jailed for eight weeks suspended for 24 months. Assault; jailed for 16 weeks suspended for 24 months.

Peter Drage, aged 41, of Wellingborough Road, Mears Ashby, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 140mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; jailed for 18 weeks suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, pay a surcharge of £115 and banned from driving for 36 months. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty. No insurance; no separate penalty. Failed to stop at an accident; no separate penalty.

Jonathan Griffiths, aged 25, of Upland Road, Northampton, possession of cannabis; fined £80, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

OCTOBER 6:

Maris Kozirevs, aged 36, of Brook Street, Semilong, Northampton, entered a building with intention to steal; community order made to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £105. Failed to surrender to custody; community order made to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Jamie Berwick, aged 38, of Darwin Walk, Northampton, damaged a letter box; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay compensation of £30. Sent a threatening text message; fined £120, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85. Failed to surrender to custody; no separate penalty.

Aaron Fowler, aged 24, of Greenfield Avenue, Northamtpon, driving while disqualified; jailed for 22 weeks suspended for two years, banned from driving for 24 months. No separate penalty. Damaged a window; jailed for two weeks consecutive suspended for two years, ordered to pay compensation of £100, a surcharge of £115 and costs of £85.

OCTOBER 8

Jalal Uddin, aged 29, of Newcombe Road, St James, Northampton, stole cash and phone top-up vouchers, jailed for 22 weeks suspended for 24 months, ordered to pay compensation of £5,140, a surcharge of victim services fo £115 and costs of £85.

OCTOBER 9

Katie Duffy, aged 31, of Old School Lane, Blakesley, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 131mcgs of alcohol in 100mls or breath; jailed for 12 weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay surcharge of £115 and costs of £85 and banned from driving.

Sarah Dobson, aged 41, of Northampton Road, Brixworth, failed to notify authorities of changes relating to Employment Support Allowance; fined £215, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £55.

William Smith, aged 31, of Elgin Sreet, Notrhampton, assault; conditional discharge for three years, ordered to pay a surcharge of £20 and costs of £85. Assault; conditional discharge for three years, compensation of £100.

Natalie Thomason, aged 52, of Sands Close, Pattishall, used threatening or abusive words or behaviour; fined £107, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Stacey Barlow, aged 36, of Bern Links, Briar Hill, Northampton, possession of a class B drug; jailed for two weeks concurrent suspended for 12 months. Possession of cannabis; jailed for two weeks concurrent suspended for 12 months. Stole power tools; jailed for 12 weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay compensation of £400.

Susan Stone, aged 66, of Stubbs Road, Everdon, Daventry, failed to notify authorities about changes to Pension Credit; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £105.

Paul Oko, aged 45, of Longueville Court, Northampton, attempted

to steal bricks; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge of £20 and costs of £85.

Eduard Creciun, aged 28, of Main Road, Far Cotton, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 106 mcgs of alcohol in 100 mls or breath; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 24 months.

Richard Freeman, aged 33, of Military Road, Northampton, stole bottles of alcohol worth £150 belonging to Waitrose; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £100. Stole two brandy bottles worth £75 belonging to Waitrose; community order made. Stole film DVDs worth £473 belonging to Asda; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £100. Stole bottles of alcohol worth £365.60 belonging to Waitrose; community order made. Stole two bottles of cognac, one bottle of brandy, one bottle of Glenfidich and two blottle of Glenmorangie bottles of spirits worth £131 belonging to Tesco; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £50. Assault; community order made. Stole two 43-inch HD LED Bush TV’s worth £660 belonging to Sainsbury’s; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £100, a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85. Stole chocolate bars worth £1.29 belonging to Market News; community order made. Attempted to steal a female North Face jacket belonging to Ultimate Outdoors; community order made. Stole Lego worth £794.95 belonging to Toys R Us; community order made, ordered to pay £100 compensation. Attempted to steal Lego from Toys R Us; community order made. Stole foodstuffs from Co-Op; community order made.

Peter Mixon, aged 47, of King Style Close, Crick, failed to comply with a community order; new order made, ordered to pay costs of £60.

Joshua Pebody, aged 26, of no fixed abode, damaged a living room window; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85. Intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress; community order made.

Scott Aldridge, aged 32, of Highfield Road, Headlands, Daventry, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 48mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £125, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Stephen Johnson, 53, of Abbots Way, Roade, exposed his genitals intending that someone would see them; community order made, fined £500, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85. Similar offence; community order made.

Farah Mohammed, aged 25, of Spencer Bridge Road, Northampton, stole two bottles of wine belonging to the Spar; fined £200 and ordered to pay compensation of £20, surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Mihai Aproeotesei, aged 42, of Moore Street, Northampton, stole food and household items, belonging to Sainsbury’s worth £269.74; community order made to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85.

Jamie Deer, aged 40, of Victoria Road, Cogenhoe, driving while banned; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85. Posession of cocaine; no separate penalty.

OCTOBER 11

Daniel Crutchley, aged 30, of Eastern Avenue South, Northampton, used threatening or abusive behaviour; fined £190, ordered to pay costs of £85 and a surcharge of £30.

Clive Thompson, aged 39, of Duckworth Dell, Northampton, harassment; community order made, fined £100, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £300.

Stuart Holt, aged 32, of Roberts Street, Northampton, damaged a window; jailed for two weeks, ordered to pay a surcharge of £115. Assault; jailed for 18 weeks consecutive, ordered to pay compensation of £250. Assault; jailed for 18 weeks concurrent, ordered to pay compensation of £250. Damaged a taxi window; jailed for one week, ordered to pay compensation of £75. Damaged a window; jailed for two weeks, ordered to pay compensation of £300. Failed to comply with a supervision order; jailed for two weeks.

Carl O’Reilly, aged 28, of Long Mallows Rise, Northampton, breached of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order; pleaded guilty, sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentence.

Reece Grey, aged 23, of Deansway, Northampton, failed to stop at an accident; fined £400, ordered to pay a surcharge of £40, licence endorsed with six points. Failed to report an accident to a police officer; no separate penalty, ordered to pay costs of £85.

Samuel Hartley, aged 39, of High Street, Upton, driving at 57mph in a 50mph zone; fined £220, ordered to pay costs of £85, three points on licence.

A staggering 92.6 per cent of Brits think there are certain things you should never do over a work email, with the sending of inappropriate content, kisses and not addressing people correctly, taking the lead.

That’s according to the latest data from independent job board, CV-Library.

With email communication seemingly taking over face-to-face interaction (17.1 per cent admitted to receiving up to 80 emails each working day), the study explored the views of 1,100 UK workers around emails in the workplace.

And while 73.2% say that they always remain professional no matter who their emails are being sent to, the study did highlight the eight email mistakes which workers think you should never do:

1. Sending inappropriate content (90.7 per cent)

2. Sending kisses (64.6 per cent)

3. Not addressing people by their name (43.8 per cent)

4. Not signing off an email correctly (38.7 per cent)

5. Blind copying people into the email (29.1 per cent)

6. Copying in a manager just to get a response (16.6 per cent)

7. Sending read receipts (11.5 per cent)

8. Flagging the email as high importance (10 per cent)

In addition to this, it appears that a more formal approach to emails is favoured by UK workers, with 38.9 per cent stating that they’d open an email with ‘Dear [Name]’ and 41.8 per cent would close the email with ‘Kind Regards’. Following this, 30.2 per cent would open with ‘Hi [Name]’ and close with ‘Regards’ (16.8 per cent).

“It’s no secret that sending inappropriate content over email is a no-go in the workplace,” says Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library.

“That said, it’s interesting to hear that other small common occurrences are bugging UK workers, not to mention the fact that the majority appear to be take a more formal approach with their communications.

“It’s always important to remember that the workplace is a professional environment, and while interaction through technology is increasingly becoming more and more instant, the traditional rules still apply.

“Alongside this, it’s worth thinking about whether you really do need to copy in your manager, send a read receipt, or flag something as high importance – most people simply find it irritating.”

Lottery winners could be swapping their multi-million pound prizes for a lifetime monthly payout of £10,000 in a possible new shake up to increase ticket sales.

Expected to launch in 2019, the new prize system will aim to attract more gamblers after Lottery operator Camelot announced a drop in last year’s players.

The news comes it was revealed this week that Nigel Railton would take over as UK CEO of Camelot.

Railton said: “Some people don’t want big jackpots, they want financial stability to pay more of the mortgage or educate the children.”

Since its launch in 1994 The National Lottery has created more than 4,750 millionaires or multi-millionaires and awarded over £65 billion in prizes.

Camelot said in a statement: “Given the growing number of players who dream of long-term financial security rather than big jackpots, Camelot will explore ways of satisfying this demand with an annuity-style game.”

Camelot is also expected to introduce a Tuesday Thunderball in 2018 which will issue small but more frequent wins for players.

However Lottery expert Professor Ian Walker, from Lancaster University, said: “It’s wishful thinking that this will turn around falling sales.”

This footage shows the “rings of steel” protecting Britain’s Christmas markets this year as security is bolstered amid fears of Berlin-style copycat terror attacks.

Armed police, large concrete barriers and stop and search checks are being carried out at festive markets up and down the country as many opened to the public last week.

Pedestrianised areas are blocked off to prevent vehicles driving into crowds - after an IS fanatic killed 12 when he ploughed a lorry through Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz last year.

Heavy police presences could be seen in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Bath with armed cops patrolling the perimeters of festive attractions.

Plain clothed officers will also mingle amongst the crowds of revellers in a bid to keep the nation safe from further terror attacks.

The moves come after the Local Government Association warned councils to be vigilant this year with the terror threat level to the UK currently at “severe”.

This means that an attack “is highly likely”.

London has been hit twice in the past 12 months by terror attacks involving vehicles on Westminster Bridge and London Bridge.

In response to those atrocities barriers separating traffic from pedestrians were erected on three of the capital’s bridges.

Similar measures are now be in place at major Christmas markets - including Manchester, Birmingham and London’s Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park

A Met Police spokesman said: “The public may see additional protective security measures and barriers at events this year, in response to a number of vehicle-based terrorist attacks we have sadly seen both here in the UK and abroad.

“There could also be increased security checks at some events and venues so we advise the public to arrive in plenty of time to allow for this.”

In Birmingham, officers are carrying out “vehicle-based and foot-based stop checks” at a number of locations throughout the city centre.

Superintendent Andy Parsons, of West Midlands Police, said: “These checks are to offer reassurance to our communities and those who plan to attend our world famous Christmas market.

“There will be a mixture of armed, unarmed and plain clothes officers patrolling the city.

“It is really important that we tackle all crime together so if you see something or hear anything suspicious, we need to know so we can try to do something about it.”

Manchester has also stepped up security in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing, which killed 23 people following an Ariana Grande gig in May.

Superintendent Chris Hill, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “People’s natural response when they see extra security can sometimes be one of fear or concern, worrying that the extra measures mean that it’s more dangerous.

“I want to assure people that we are strengthening protective security as an extra precaution to keep people as safe as possible, and it should make people feel more comfortable and reassured about attending events like the Christmas Markets.

“This has been a difficult year for the city and we must never forget the people who have been affected.

“ However, we have already all come together and shown our strength and determination to carry on enjoying our day to day lives.

“I want to encourage everyone to do the same. We are here and we’re doing everything that we can to keep you safe.”

A man stole cash from a Northampton home while he pretended to check a water leak in the victim's house.

The theft happened in Portland Place off Wellingborough Road, on Friday, November 24 at about 12pm.

The thief is described as a white man with pale skin and short fair hair. He was about 6ft, of broad build, had a local accent and was aged 27-33. He wore a light brown jumper.

While in the property, he managed to distract the victim and steal cash before making off.

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

Top West Midlands car dealer urges buyers to beware to avoid landing themselves with a costly, and even dangerous, mistake

Buyers have been urged to make safety their top priority when buying a used car.

More than eight million used cars were sold in 2016 – a new record.

The team at V12 Sports and Classics says it is vital buyers put safety first when choosing their vehicle.

A spokesperson said one of the first ways to do this was to carry out a proper test drive to spot any potential issues early.

“First and foremost, I would say don’t ever buy a car from a picture,” he said.

“Even if you fall in love with the look of a car you should always take it for a full test drive.

“Not just a putter around an industrial estate but at least a five or six-mile drive where you can put the car through its paces at different speeds.

“It is all well and good buying a T-shirt or a pair of shoes from a picture but you should never buy a car from a picture alone. You want to feel how it drives, test the brakes and the handling and to listen out for engine issues.”

Professional examination is also vital. V12 Sports and Classics is the only car supermarket in the UK that is professionally associated with the AA, and it offers an ‘inspect and protect’ package with every car sold.

“Every single one of our cars is inspected independently by the AA and we also offer a three-month warranty,” the team added.

V12 Sports and Classics provides its customers with a full summary of any issues raised by the AA check and how they have been corrected.

And the sales team urged other dealerships to be equally transparent and warned buyers to be cautious if information wasn’t provided.

“Anyone looking to buy a car, if the dealership isn’t forthcoming with information then there is a reason for it. Because of the nature of cars, not every car will have a full history but if they are reluctant to provide information it probably means they are hiding something.”

Anyone buying privately should stick to the same safety rules.

“If you buy a car privately take it to a local garage or take someone who you trust to look over it before committing,” he said.

V12 Sports and Classics is one of the fastest growing independent car supermarkets in the UK.

It offers more than 850 cars across three showrooms in Hinckley, Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton – all subject to the AA’s safety checks.

For more information on how the team could help you find your dream car visit www.v12sportsandclassics.co.uk or pop into one of the showrooms.

Spend rising fuel and motoring tax income on repairing local roads, says Midlands car expert, as he backs £400m bid.

The Local Government Association wants the government to match rising income from fuel and tax to allow councils to spend an extra £400m each year on improving local roads.

A spokesman from V12 Sports and Classics echoed the call and praised the LGA for drawing attention to the state of the roads.

“More funding for road repairs can only be a positive,” he said.

“We’ve all seen potholes and cracks on the road – not just on rural roads but in big cities like Birmingham and Leicester – so I think anything which raises awareness of this issue is a fantastic idea.”

He said digital tax discs made it easier for the government to collect taxes so there should be more money to spend on roads.

The LGA said if the government matched the increase in fuel and motoring tax income generated over the last 10 years, councils would have an extra £418m to spend.

The organisation said increasingly busy roads made action more important than ever.

“The government needs to develop a fully funded plan to help councils deliver the desperately-needed local road improvements we need,” said LGA transport spokesman Martin Tett.

“This should include matching the extra growth in tax take with the funding it provides councils.

“This would see councils given an extra £400 million a year to spend on filling potholes, easing congestion and protect vital bus routes. Only with long-term funding can councils deliver roads truly fit for the 21st century.”

The government has been approached for a comment on its position.

On October 17, Confused.com published in-depth research showing the extent of the UKs pothole problem.

Following Freedom of Information requests to almost 200 local authorities, the insurance company revealed 1,031,787 potholes were reported across the UK in 2016.

The West Midlands had 72,462 potholes, reaching a total depth of 2,806m.

The V12 Sports and Classics said potholes weren’t just inconvenient, but have the potential to cause serious damage to cars.

“The most common thing is the suspension or the shocks are damaged but there are lots of potential issues,” he said.

“If you see potholes at the last minute and have to do a lot of sudden braking it can wear down the brake pads. The tyres themselves can be damaged from hitting the pothole.

“There are too many issues to pin it down to just one or two.”

The research also revealed a third of drivers had their cars damaged by potholes and councils had paid out £3.1m compensation in 2016.

V12 Sports and Classics is one of the fastest growing independent car supermarkets in the UK.

It offers more than 850 cars across three showrooms in Hinckley, Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton.

V12 Sports and Classics is also the only car supermarket professionally associated with the AA.

For more information on how the team could help you find your dream car visit www.v12sportsandclassics.co.uk or pop into one of the showrooms.

This is the shocking moment thieves steal a vehicle without the key by using a relay box.

Police have released what is believed, the first footage of a ‘relay crime’ where criminals can drive off with cars without the owner’s keys.

The incident happened in the Elmdon area of Solihull, Birmingham at 9pm on September 25 but given its landmark nature is being used to warn people across the UK.

The footage shows two men pull up outside the victim’s house, holding a relay box, which is a device used to receive signals through walls, doors and windows, but not metal.

One man can be seen waving a relay box in front of property, the box receives a signal from the key inside and transmits it to the second box next to the car.

The car’s locking system is then tricked into thinking the car key is unlocking it, allowing access to the vehicle.

The thieves then drive off with the Mercedes, with the whole crime only taking one minute to complete.

Mark Silvester, from the West Midlands Police crime reduction team, said: “To protect against this type of theft, owners can use an additional tested and Thatcham-approved steering lock to cover the entire steering wheel.

“We also recommend Thatcham-approved tracking solutions fitted to the vehicle.

“It is always worth speaking to your main dealer, to ensure that your car has had all the latest software updates and talk through security concerns with them.”

Sgt Tim Evans, from Solihull Police, said: “It’s important the public are reassured that we are taking proactive steps to tackle this type of crime in Solihull.

“We hope that knowledge of this type of crime will enable members of the public to take simple steps to secure their vehicle and assist us.”

Anyone with information on the Elmdon theft should call police on 101, quoting crime reference number 20SH/204842W/17.

Burglars caused extensive damage to a Kettering gym before stealing money from inside.

The incident took place between 7.45pm on Friday, November 24, and 7am the following morning at A1 Fitness in Telford Way.

A police spokesman said cash in the region of £100-£200 was stolen.

A post on the A1 Fitness Facebook page said: “We remain strong and positive and will not allow anyone to bring us down.”

The gym is back open for business today (Monday).

Officers would like to speak to anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area at the time.

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

The march, which is now in it's fifth year, took to the streets at 11pm on Friday, November 24, starting from Barry Road, before finishing with a speech at All Saints Church.

Talking about the purpose of the Reclaim the Night march, Dawn Thomas, CEO of Northamptonshire Rape Crisis said: "I guess it's to highlight the fact that we as an organisation exist and we have been in the county for 31 years. Recently there have been lots of stories in the media, on telly, in dramas around sexual violence and I guess that some of the things that we are seeing as a consequence of that is an increase in clients accessing our service.

"We want to be able to talk about sexual violence without anyone having any shame, blame or stigma attached to it because that's part of the healing process to be able to talk about it. We are trying to encourage people who have not disclosed, that they can seek support if they should wish."

Northamptonshire Rape Crisis are now working with PubWatch as well as community safety partnership to help enforce schemes like Ask Angela and The Purple Flag in Northampton.-

Talking about whether Northampton should have safe places for clubbers to go, she added: "I think there are a couple - I think a couple of bars have them - but I think there needs to be more, there definitely needs to be more. We as an organisation would welcome any partnership working to look what best practice here and how we could implement it here."

All 16 events taking place between 24 November and 8 December have been organised by Northampton Borough Council, the University of Northampton, Northamptonshire Rape Crisis, Northampton Domestic Abuse Service and Northampton Right and Equality Council to support the national 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign.

Councillor, Rachel Cooley (Lab, St George), who was marching on Friday night, said: "I do believe that Northampton in 2017 should be a place that's safe for all people - particularly at night-time, we do have a lot of crime in the town and in the county.

"There is a lot of statistics out there which demonstrate that vulnerable people - young people, women and LGBT people - can be victims of crime.

"By coming out tonight and marching with people from all different backgrounds, it's a sign that we want better for our town - and that everyone is welcoming in Northampton and safe in Northampton but we still need to change the culture."

Rachel believes Northampton's night-time economy could benefit from having a safe place.

She added: "A safe place is home, in my opinion, once you have got to that point where you feel that you are not quite with it or in control - then go home and make sure your friends are looking after you.

"Safe Places for people that are lost or vulnerable or may have had one too many drinks - I've been there in my youth so I do not what it's like, I am speaking from experience - but I definitely think we could do with some safer spaces."

Last week, the Chronicle & Echo reported this story and today Northamptonshire Police has issued an appeal to find the killer.

The incident happened sometime between 8pm on Saturday, November 18, and 8am on Sunday, November 19, in Mendip Road, Duston.

The cat was killed and mutilated before being placed on the top of a car in the street.

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

MORE STORIES FROM THE CHRON:

IN COURT: Full list of people sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court
http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/in-court-full-list-of-people-sentenced-at-northampton-magistrates-court-1-7594141

Town centre shops offer golden giveaway to win £3,000 to spend in Northampton

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/town-centre-shops-offer-golden-giveaway-to-win-3-000-to-spend-in-northampton-1-8261736

Rape charity says more could be done to keep Northampton night-time economy safe for clubbers

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/rape-charity-says-more-could-be-done-to-keep-northampton-night-time-economy-safe-for-clubbers-1-8264360

On Sunday, November 19, those bereaved by road crashes - along with politicians and representatives from the emergency services - gathered in services to mark World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR).

A service in Northampton took place at 3pm at The Holy Sepulchre Church in Sheep Street, organised by Nicole and Chris Taylor, in conjunction with the charity RoadPeace.

Rebecca Taylor, aged 18, from Tanglewood, Collingtree, Northampton, died in September 2008, after she lost control of the car she was driving on the road from Blisworth to Milton Malsor, as she drove home having dropped her sister off at school.

Since Miss Taylor's death, her family has fundraised in her memory and has also worked to improve road safety.

Brigitte Chaudhry MBE, RoadPeace founder and WDR coordinator, whose son Mansoor was tragically killed on the road in 1990, said: “My real hope is that the awareness – of the terrible toll of road death and injury and the suffering of road victims – raised by the World Day will contribute to a serious reduction in road danger and future deaths and injuries, so that we will not need to remember many, if any, new road victims on our World Day of Remembrance in coming years.”

Carlsberg UK has brewed its first Christmas beer and the good news for local pub-goers is that it will be on sale exclusively in Northamptonshire.

Carlsberg Christmas Brew has been brewed especially for the festive season and is available on draught in about 30 local pubs, bars and venues across the county, including the Royal & Derngate , Sixfields Stadium and Franklin’s Gardens.

One of Carlsberg UK’s brewers, Jon Elks, has crafted the beer in Northampton. At five per cent ABV, the brew offers a full-bodied taste with a balance of sweetness and bitterness, flavoured with Christmas spices, including orange peel and cinnamon.

Liam Newton, vice president of brands marketing, Carlsberg UK said: “This is the first time Carlsberg UK has brewed a Carlsberg beer for Christmas. We were inspired by our colleagues in Denmark, where the famous Tuborg Christmas beer, Julebryg, is so popular this time of year. We think beer-drinkers in Northamptonshire deserve a unique brew of their own and our brewers were proud to craft it for them.

“Our purpose within Carlsberg is to brew a better today and tomorrow. Therefore, we are delighted to work with the Northamptonshire Community Foundation and to support the valuable work they do across the local community year-round, and specifically, at Christmas.”

Carlsberg UK will make a donation to the Northamptonshire Community Foundation’s ‘Surviving Winter Appeal’ using proceeds from sales of the beer. The initiative aims to help elderly people stay warm, well and not be isolated during the colder winter months.

Victoria Miles, CEO of Northamptonshire Community Foundation said: “We are delighted that Carlsberg UK is supporting the Surviving Winter Appeal. This is an excellent opportunity for the foundation to continue to raise the profile of those less vulnerable in our county who struggle to keep warm during the cold winter months.”

Carlsberg Christmas Brew will be served in limited edition stemmed glassware carrying a distinctive festive design, which is reminiscent of its Danish heritage, incorporating a Nordic landscape and the brewer’s star from the original Carlsberg brewery gate in Copenhagen.

Officers are appealing for witnesses following an assault in St Giles Street, Northampton.

The incident happened on Sunday, November 26, between 1.50am and 2.30am in Baroque when the victim was assaulted by a number of men inside, leading to "an open fracture to his leg."

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