Leighton Town dropped back in the SSML Premier Division drop zone on Saturday after suffering a 3-0 thumping from fellow relegation candidates Holmer Green.

It meant back-to-back defeats for Scott Reynolds’ side, having lost 3-1 at home to Wembley in midweek, leaving Town in the bottom two with 14 games remaining this season.

To really rub salt into Leighton’s wounds, Holmer Green played the majority of the game with 10 men, but still found a way to punish the visitors and run out comfortable winners, lifting themselves out of the bottom two in the process.

The first half was an even affair with chances at both ends. Lewis McBridge and Ben Gallant both had efforts blocked, while Lorrel Smith shot wide of the mark as Leighton pressured.

The home side too had chances, which had Jack Sillitoe working in the Leighton net, but the game chanced on the half hour when Smith barrelled towards the area, only to be barged down by a defender and keeper combination.

Much to everyone’s surprise though, the referee sent off the Holmer Green keeper Sam Butcher, forcing skipper Gary Lines to take over between the sticks.

Leighton must have fancied their chances in the second half against 10 men but the hosts started well and took the lead in the 60th minute when they won a free kick on the right, and Ryan Tackley climbed highest to head home the opener.

Despite having an out-field player in goal, Leighton failed to really test the stand-in keeper, and were made to pay late in the day as Holmer Green made sure of the result.

First, Ben Hodges centred low from the goal-line for Matt Wooster to stretch and score his fifth goal of the campaign off the underside of the bar to make it 2-0 with five minutes remaining.

Then Eliot Derby scored from a direct free-kick 20 yards out to really rub salt into Leighton’s wounds in the final minute as the ten men secured all three points.

Town have a chance to pick themselves up tonight (Tuesday) when they entertain StMargaretsbury in another six-pointer at Bell Close before they travel to Hadley on Saturday for yet another important game.

A nurse has been struck off after using a fake reference to get a job at Luton & Dunstable Hospital.

Vaidha Masoka was employed at the hospital in March 2011 and used a fake reference, claiming it was from a ward sister at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Birmingham.

But after starting work, hospital bosses noticed problems with Mrs Masoka’s competence and assigned her a mentor – an order which she refused to comply with.

In a subsequent investigation, it was found the ward sister from Birmingham had no knowledge of supplying Mrs Masoka with a reference and denied that the signature was hers. It was judged to be fake.

The case was heard before the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in a four-day hearing from January 16 to 20.

All charges were found proved against Mrs Masoka, and the judging panel ordered her name to be struck off the NMC register.

The NMC stated: “Your dishonesty was for personal gain, namely the securing of employment. It resulted in the submission of an employment reference which misleadingly portrayed you to be a more competent registrant than you were.

“In the panel’s judgment, this would have placed the patients in your care at risk.”

Giving evidence, the ward sister said she wouldn’t have given Mrs Masoka a reference, as the latter had undergone “performance management” while at Birmingham. She was also “emphatic” that the handwriting was not hers.

The NMC also stated: “By refusing a reasonable management request to work with [the mentor] to monitor the quality of your work, you placed the safety of your patients at risk.

“You failed to work cooperatively with [the mentor] and failed to respect her skills and expertise.”

Since leaving Luton & Dunstable Hospital, Mrs Masoka has found employment as a healthcare worker without requirements for NMC registration.

The Canal and River Trust have replaced a set of lock gates at Seabrook Lock near Cheddington.

Repairs have also been taking place to the lock walls along the canal.

A Canal and River Trust spokesman said: “Each of the lock gates weigh several tonnes each and are hand made by oak at our workshop in the Midlands.

“Each of the lock gates are made to measure to ensure they fit snugly in the lock and help prevent water leaking through the gates.”

On average, lock gates are replaced every 25 years with the latest works as part of a £43 million project to replace and repair lock gates across the waterways.

A radical solution to helping with Leighton Buzzard’s policing problems was launched in the town at the weekend.

Streetwatch was launched in the High Street on Saturday and aims to address complaints about the perceived lack of a visible police presence by using volunteers.

With 16 members of the public signed up already, the initiative will revolve around groups of volunteers patrolling the streets to spot crime.

The patrols will not have authority to arrest, chase or confront any wrongdoers, but they will be on hand to provide advice and support to members of the public.

The scheme is a joint initiative by Bedfordshire Police and Leighton Buzzard Town Council.

Chairman of Leighton-Linslade police liaison committee Cllr Tony Morris said: “The crime in Leighton Buzzard is serious stuff, there’s a lot of shoplifting and so on and that’s why we’re doing Streetwatch in the town.”

Bedfordshire Police has already launched Streetwatch schemes in other towns in the county. Cllr Morris said: “The patrols are not going to chase after or confront anyone but provide reassurance to the elderly and the vulnerable.

“We’ll all have our yellow hi-vis jackets on and we will be working directly with the police when we go on our patrols.

“The police are having a difficult time, they have a lack of resources and they have a problem with a lack of presence in the town.”

Cllr Morris was critical of the police response to our recent front page exclusive in which officers refused to analyse 17 hours of CCTV footage after store Selections was vandalised.

He said: “That type of thing is considered low priority and it’s the sort of response I don’t like. If you ignore the low priority stuff it will just grow and fester, and turn into a high priority problem affecting the town.”

In nearby Hockliffe, residents have also taken to the streets to deal with a spike in crime which they feel wasn’t been addressed by the thin blue line.

One volunteer said that break-ins had reached “epidemic” levels – although police have disputed this figure stating from September 1 through to February 1 there had been just three house burglaries and a further four at other premises in the village.

The volunteer said: “It became necessary for us to patrol the streets ourselves to prevent the unlawful activity, which we have had a marked influence on the amount of trouble in the area. I personally lobbied the police to patrol the area and take and action to ensure that this stops as it was becoming a case of when we were broken into not if.”

Another said: “Despite our efforts of a selected volunteered group, there have still been incidents! This is largely due to not having enough folk to cover around the clock. So we are calling on anyone that wants to help in our cause. Let’s keep Hockliffe safe. Let’s take Hockliffe back from the people who are stealing from us!”

A Beds Police spokesman said: “Bedfordshire Police allocates officers to incidents depending on the threat, risk and harm that they pose.

“We also have community policing teams which engage with residents across the county, providing reassurance and crime reduction advice, as well as a visible policing presence.

“We work closely with community-led schemes, which promote good citizenship and encourage Bedfordshire residents to take an active interest in local issues and helping to keep their neighbourhoods safe.

“We have liaised with a number of residents in Hockliffe who were interested in setting up a Streetwatch group, and provided them with literature as well as advising them on the support they would receive from the force which includes equipment, training, insurance, and information about reported crime and anti-social behaviour issues.”

The spokesman pointed out that Street Watch “enabled local residents to promote good citizenship, provide visible reassurance and appropriately engage in local issues that matter most to their communities”.

She added: “Street Watch is not a replacement for the police in these areas; Street Watch members work closely with the force to encourage information sharing and partnership working. It’s a way for us to work more closely with our communities.

“We ask our volunteers commit 2 hours every month to patrol, but some do commit more than that. They are offered a number of comprehensive training packages before they start and wear high-vis vests and carry identification.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Kathryn Holloway also made a commitment in her Police & Crime plan to increase visible policing across Bedfordshire.

A total of 196 new officers are to be recruited; 56 are already in training, with another 40 set to start in March. A further 100 officers will be recruited across 2017/18 with six intakes – starting in July this year. The new recruits will see officer numbers going from 1,026 to 1,266 serving the county.

Woburn’s Jason Brock has ‘sung’ LBO land proud as he’s belted his way to the BBC One Let It Shine final!

Jason and his band mates, Julius, Bradley, Huw and Danny are one of three groups battling it out to win the chance to be a in new musical about a pop group, featuring the songs of Take That.

Jason and his team make up Nightfall, who performed Usher’s ‘Without You’ live on Saturday, being tested on their dance moves and winning audience votes to secure a place in next weekend’s final.

Jason said: “It’s been hard - we’ve had to do so much but it’s been amazing! We’re pretty much rehearsing every day - it’s testing my fitness!

“Julius is our dancer and could throw little extras into the routine, whilst Huw had amazing moves and energy, saying ‘let’s keep doing this!’”

Huw, aged 16, has been described as ‘the baby’ of the team and Julius, with his slick rhythm, as ‘the dancer’. Meanwhile, Jason describes Bradley, who can play drums and piano, as ‘the musician’, Danny as ‘the joker’ and himself, being 30, as ‘the dad’!

Jason said: “We’ve been stopped for selfies and we get spotted a lot when we get off the tube. My dad’s also been listening to our performances on his iPhone!”

For his first audition, Jason didn’t tell his family because he was so nervous, but they have since been to watch.

He said: “When singing Coldplay’s ‘The Scientist’ (episode six) right near the end I was in a position and looking directly at them! My mum had her hands up to her face! They’re both so proud.”

Another emotional moment for Jason was in episode five when Nightfall performed with Mel C.

Jason said: “Before she came into rehearsals I literally had to hold my breath. I still think about it now.

“She had so much patience. It just feels like a dream - I was looking into her eyes on stage!

“I had Spice Girls photos when I was little and I’ve still got the Playstation game!”

That week, the bands had eight members which were whittled down to five, and things were bittersweet when Jason’s former band mate, Kyle Passmore, whose reaction to Mel C “blew the house down”, was eliminated.

Jason said: “I miss him but we’re going to meet up soon.”

The Let It Shine final will be on Saturday, and Jason says : “It’s going to be a banger! We’re all nervous talking about the possibilities, but we’re ready!”

The LBO are excited to announce that a “family friendly” Leighton business has been nominated in the Bedfordshire Food and Drink Awards 2017.

Cod and Waffle, Theedway, is up for the Best Newcomer award after the restaurant opened in autumn, the long-term goal of husband and wife team, Lee and Jenny Jaggar.

They said: “One of our fantastic customers has nominated us for best newcomer and we are thrilled. To win the award would be a great achievement for our young business.

“Since opening only five months ago we have begun to build a loyal customer base and we would like to thank those who have voted for us so far. For those who have not yet visited the restaurant we would love you to come along and try our menu!”

As their name suggests, the restaurant serves waffles, fish and chips, with their latest exciting dish being Greek lamb waffle.

Customers can choose either sweet or savory waffles, and the children’s menu has been a big hit with families.

Jenny said: “We wanted to create a restaurant which is different and were guided by Lee’s love of cooking fish and chips and our desire to create somewhere fun and child-friendly.

“Our waffle and fish batters are made fresh each day using our own recipe, depicted on our restaurant wallpaper.

“We live in Linslade and used to run the catering franchise at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club.”

The couple serve an extensive breakfast menu from 9am until 12pm everyday, and fresh hand-battered or hand-breaded fish is served from 12pm everyday. They also make gluten-free waffles and battered fish to order on request.

Highchairs, baby change and outside seating are available.

To vote, visit: http://bedsfoodanddrinkawards.co.uk/?page_id=432%2F

Ill-discipline would cost Leighton Buzzard dearly on Saturday as they outscored mid-table Huntingdon on tries, but came out on the wrong end of a 29-22 defeat.

After last week’s last minute heroics against Dronfield, sloppy play and costly penalties would be Leighton’s downfall as they missed out on the chance to climb the Midlands 1 East table, despite picking up a losing bonus point.

Early pressure put Buzzards in the ascendency, and a penalty gave Geoff Branwhite the opportunity to take the lead 3-0, with a straightforward penalty after only five minutes.

Huntingdon missed the chance to draw level after 12 minutes when a long range penalty drifted wide – the only kick the home team fly-half missed all afternoon.

Leighton increased the lead after 15 minutes when Euan Irwin took a quick tap and shrugging off numerous attempted tackles bulldozed his way to the line for a fine individual try. Branwhite kicked the extras as Leighton raced into a 10-0 lead.

The ten point lead lasted only three minutes as Huntingdon scored their first try under the posts making the conversion a formality. The home side then levelled the score with their first successful penalty kick after 26 minutes after Leighton were adjudged not to have released in the tackle.

Further penalties in the 30th and 35th minutes for a high tackle and not rolling away were converted to give Huntingdon a 16-10 lead.

With the last play of the half Buzzards excellent handling in the backs allowed Ollie Taylor to score in the corner. With the difficult conversion missed, Buzzards trailed 16-15 at half time.

Now with the advantage of the wind, Buzzards were confident that the smallest of deficits could be turned round. However the half could hardly have started worse – captain Irwin’s kick was charged down and in trying to make up for his error impeded a Huntingdon player. Irwin was shown a yellow card and the penalty was converted to extend the home team’s lead 19-15.

Buzzards appeared motivated by this setback and played some of their best rugby of the game in the next few minutes.

The scrum was looking solid and whilst the lineout was not functioning as well as in previous matches, pressure was being built through phases of play.

Unfortunately they were unable to add to their score and it was Huntingdon who, rather fortuitously, scored next. A loose ball was hacked through and the home side won the chase to touch down – with the successful conversion, Buzzards now trailed 26-15.

A further home team penalty, the fifth of the game extended the lead to 29-15 with 20 minutes left.

Once again, Leighton tried to lift their performance. Despite Adam Stacey being harshly yellow carded with 10 minutes left, it was the Buzzards who finished stronger.

An excellent back move had put Arran Perry almost clear and once in the Huntingdon twenty-two, the pack were putting pressure on the home side’ s forwards. Finally the line was breached with Dan Baroux scoring near the posts which with Geoff Branwhite’s conversion made the score 29-22 with two minutes left.

Almost straight from the kick off, Leighton attacked and came close to a final try that would have given them the chance to draw the game and get a four-try bonus point. Unfortunately they were held up just short so had to settle for a single losing bonus point.

Buzzards are now level on points with 11th placed side Northampton Old Scouts but remain twelfth having won fewer games.

Leighton’s next league game is in two weeks when they welcome bottom side Ilkeston to Wright’s Meadow.

It was a goal-fest for Leighton Buzzard Hockey Club this weekend.

Leighton 3rds hit eight past Wycombe 6ths, while the Fledglings shared a nine-goal epic with MK Samurai, coming out on top 5-4.

It took 12 minutes for the 3rds to get their scoring underway as Stuart Hart converted from a penalty flick.

Hart doubled his and Leighton’s tally six minutes later from a short corner.

But then began the Oli Parren show as he went on to net the next four of Leighton’s goals. The first came when he put away Steve Fuller’s pass on 22 minutes.

Then on the half hour, Hart and Nick Marshall combined to set Parren up for his second of the afternoon.

Within 10 minutes of the second half restarting, he had completed his hat-trick, and indeed converted his fourth, taking the score to 6-0 as Wycombe struggled to cope with Leighton’s attacking prowess.

The first of these came from a drive just inside Leighton’s half and a drive down the right again by Fuller, his pass into the area was latched onto by Parren for him to stroke home.

Parren’s fourth came from a defence splitting pass by Hart which found Parren just inside the area for him to hit home a thunderous shot into the top of the net.

With Parren in scintillating form, he then turned provider for Steve Fuller who fired home the seventh.

Fuller then got his second and the final goal of the game when he converted Marshall’s pass to complete the rout - a result which sees them sixth in MMBO Division 8 (East).

James Trumper and Peter Gale both bagged first half braces for the Fledglings as they saw off MK Samurai in an end-to-end epic, with Tom Handley scoring the decisive fifth goal on 63 minutes.

Leighton Ladies 3rds also saw a lot of goals, but were on the wrong end of a 5-0 scoreline against Berkhampsted and Hemel 2nds.

There might not have been plenty of goals - just one in fact - but Leighton 2nds were on the winning end of the score as they moved up to fourth in Division 5 after they beat West Hampsted 6ths 1-0.

Their opponents sat above them in the table, but Leighton’s back four held firm under early pressure and grew into the affair. In fact, they ended the first half on the front foot, with only the keeper’s pads denying Robin Lowth’s shot.

Into the second half, Leighton found another gear, despite losing David Wavish to a yellow card early in the proceedings.

And it would be the home side who would eventually take the lead from a short corner after Nash struck a foot. Sending the ball in to skipper Tim Bellamy, he controlled it well before dropping a shoulder to lose his defender before crashing home a reverse-stick effort to fire Leighton ahead.

While West Hampstead pushed for an equaliser, Lowth was unlucky to be denied Leighton’s second by some fine keeping.

Mr Bloom needs no introduction to tiny tots under the age of seven.

He is a star of the BBC pre-school channel CBeebies.

And now he is stepping out of the studio to embark on his first ever live UK theatre tour with stops at more than 50 venues nationwide including Aylesbury Waterside.

Tiddlers of all ages are invited to come and see their favourite gardener and his veggie friends in their brand new stage version of Mr Bloom’s Nursery.

As well as featuring Mr Bloom himself (Ben Faulks), the show will also star Colin the Runner Bean, Margaret the Cabbage, Joan the Fennel, Raymond the Butternut Squash, Sebastian the Aubergine and the Wee McGregors, not forgetting Mr Bloom’s trusty Compostarium too.

Mr Bloom and his Veggies are getting ready for a very special occasion - a member of the royal family is paying a visit and they need to know if their tiddler friends can help them get the allotment ready in time.

Little tots are invited to go along and join in with all the favourite songs: This is My Allotment, Meet the Veggies, The Compo Song and Night Night Veggies. Using song, play and interaction, Mr Bloom’s Nursery is a fun and inspiring show with strong educational values which will entertain parents and tiddlers alike.

The character of Mr Bloom evolved from an original concept created by Mr Faulks called the Vegetable Nannies, an innovative piece of street theatre consisting of real fresh vegetables being dressed in nappies and looked after by their friendly gardener. The BBC picked up the idea and the first episode of Mr Bloom’s Nursery was transmitted in 2011. The show was an instant success. The stage show will be at Aylesbury Waterside at 11am and 2pm on Saturday, March 4. Tickets are from £17. To book call the box office on 0844 871 7607 or visit www.atgtickets.co.uk/aylesbury.

A permanent expansion is to be added to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden next month (March).

The Forbidden Forest may be strictly off limits to Hogwarts students, but from Friday, March 31, visitors to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour will be invited to defy Professor Dumbledore’s orders and follow the footsteps of Harry, Ron and Hermoine deep into the grounds of the forest.

Home to an abundance of creatures, the Forbidden Forest offers shelter and protection to Hippogriffs and Acromantula among many others. It is also well known to beloved half giant Hagrid in his role as Care of Magical Creatures professor. One of Rubeus Hagrid’s original costumes will be on display, lantern in hand, to welcome visitors through the Hogwarts Gates deep into the forest.

Filled with 19 trees, each with a diameter of over 12 feet, visitors will walk beneath the giant entwined roots on their journey and will even be able to control the weather using the same techniques created by filmmakers.

Designed and built by many of the crew members who worked on the hugely successful film series, entrance to the forest will be included in the studio tour ticket price.

Stuart Craig, production designer on all the Harry Potter films, said: “Over the course of the eight films, the Forbidden Forest has played a key role and I think it’s an exciting addition to the Studio Tour.”

The unique tour opened five years ago and offers visitors the ultimate chance to get up close to authentic sets, discover the magic behind spellbinding special effects and explore the behind the scenes secrets of the film series.

Tickets cannot be bought at the attraction and must be pre-booked at www.wbstudiotour.co.uk or by calling the Studio Tour Visitor Services Team on 0345 084 0900.

The future of Leighton Buzzard’s long-awaited Land South of High Street scheme looks to hinge on getting a cinema operator on board.

At last Thursday’s Leighton-Linslade Town Council Partnership committee meeting, the development was a prevailing issue on a number of discussions.

Central Beds Council has published its consultant GVA’s report on the scheme, which raises the prospect of a purpose-built cinema in Leighton Buzzard’s town centre for first time since The Oriel closed in 1972.

The GVA report states that there is now limited interest in a supermarket or fashion store anchoring the development.

It reads: “We have explored in detail the previous suggestion of a food store anchored scheme which was based upon significant and positive discussions with a major supermarket.

“We now know that the food store market is in a different and more subdued place and thus this is no longer an option.

“Furthermore, with detailed investigation into the surrounding area, it is apparent that Leighton Buzzard is well served for supermarket and convenience shopping.

“We have also explored major retail occupiers and the demand for bigger box fashion stores is also very limited and thus a scheme anchored by a ‘sub anchor’ or large store unit is also questionable. However, our market testing has identified initial interest from a boutique cinema operator of a smaller format 2 or 3 screen cinema and given the lack of catering offer in the town, some serious consideration should be given as to whether the scheme could be made financially viable to include a cinema operation.

“This would certainly provide the necessary draw and would inevitably attract the complimentary family friendly restaurant offers that are missing from Leighton Buzzard at present.”

The report goes on: “In order to fund the build cost and incentives required by even a smaller format cinema, it will need to form part of a larger development with the associated better restaurant rents, hotel and retail and residential helping to contribute to make a scheme profitable.

“The target operators would offer that boutique cinema offer in contrast to the drive-to multiplex offers available in MK and Luton.

“The more established operators in this sector would be Everyman, Curzon, Kino, Picturehouse and Reel. Such a development would be dependent on the developer signing an early pre-let with the cinema operator.”

The report goes on to say that a cinema could also be a big draw for other leisure coming to the town.

It states: “We need to provide them with a reason to come here.

“The restaurant market vastly prefers a cinema as an anchor as this attracts a wide demographic throughout the day and also provides the highest ratio of linked visits.”

But GVA warn: “However, if it is found that the cinema is non-viable as they are very difficult to make financially viable and are also very difficult to build around because of acoustic issues, then some alternative anchor must be found.”

GVA suggest hotels gyms, trampoline, climbing, Adventure Golf, Ping Pong and boutique bowling are options to explore.

The consultants suggest that the Post Office building is ideal for conversion to a food and drink business and the “more mundane industrial building to the rear could make way for some attractive mixed use activity”.

GVA say they believe the town is affluent and sought after enough for Land South of High Street to succeed, but the town centre needs to attract more of its catchment population, many of whom spend most of the working day outside of Leighton Buzzard.

Touching on the fact that Central Beds Council doesn’t own all the land that could be potentially developed, GVA add: “If the council bring the site forward in parcels separately then the likelihood is the developers acquiring them will be focusing on their own agenda rather than the wider interests of Leighton Buzzard.

“This still may be a way forward in that it will bring a new headquarters office building, and perhaps a new hotel offer and some additional smaller residential units. However, it is debatable whether this will provide a truly joined up and commercially successful circuit for the town.

“Either securing further privately owned sites via the council or engaging with a genuine mixed-use developer, is likely to be the best outcome for delivering a retail and leisure scheme that the constituents appear to desire.

“A single developer driving the scheme can look at the connectivity in much more detail and will have a vested interest in generating footfall throughout the scheme in order to ensure its success.

“For a mixed use scheme with a retail and restaurant element to be successful, a further acquisition must be made to create a proper link through to the High Street. We are concerned that the current alleyways whilst providing some permeability do not provide a significant, attractive, or safe enough route through to support a scheme.

“In today’s fast moving society Leighton Buzzard cannot afford to stand still. Competing settlements have been investing and the draw of major centres such as Milton Keynes continues to improve. Thus if there is no intervention and development, for a small settlement such as Leighton Buzzard, it will only take the departure of two or three key retailers to have a very negative effect on the town.

“With luck it might be that such voids are filled with better occupiers and the town maintains its ranking. However, it could very easily be the wrong tenants and slip further down the rankings. Accordingly, making the case for council and developer intervention is compelling.”

Gennaro Borrelli, chairman of independent retailers group, LB First, told the partnership meeting that there was a difference between the GVA report and the conclusions reached by CBC.

He said: “It seems to me there’s a slightly different slant as to what Jason Longhurst [CBC head of regeneration] put across at the last meeting. Whilst CBC were implying there were no retailers at all interested in coming to the South Side, reading the full report it’s not that they’re not interested – it’s that they’re not interested in the land available at the moment.”

Mr Borelli said it was imperative that CBC “acquire the full piece of land” for the South Side.

On March 1, CBC’s development management committee will consider a planning application for an out-of-town retail scheme at the Camden site off Grovebury Road.

Mr Borelli said: “If that proceeds, it shows they are not committed to [South Side] which sends a very mixed message to the market.

“What we need is clear vision and leadership, and stop flip-flopping from one meeting to the next.”

Campaigner Colin Ashby said after the meeting: “The South Side is a viable development if CBC had brought all the land it had in the original Development Brief.

“I understand they are looking at buying more land, though whether this is for the mixed development or to accommodate the hotel and its demands for parking - Premier Inn ask for 63 car parking spaces for their regular 60 room hotels is not clear.”

Councillors voted to defer discussions for the town to adopt a ‘purple flag’ retail accreditation scheme until further details were revealed about Land South of High Street scheme.

Rival bids to bring retail parks to Leighton Buzzard go before Central Beds Council next Wednesday (March 1) and councillors are being advised to give both the thumbs up.

The first plan, from the Claymore Group, already has outline approval from CBC dating back to November 2013 for a £15m Grovebury Road scheme. That was for a garden centre, four smaller warehouse units for bulky goods retailers, and a standalone drive-thru restaurant.

Now Claymore is seeking the full go-ahead on more detailed aspects of the development, including the appearance and scale of the buildings, landscaping and site layout.

The retail floor space has been cut from 8,037sq metres to 7,258sq metres, with the restaurant/café/public house building replaced by a drive-thru restaurant, and the garden centre building reclassified as “outdoor projects retail”.

The second scheme, submitted by EDS Holdings in May last year, seeks a rival shopping park at the Camden site, off Grovebury Road.

On the Camden site there are currently warehouses and commercial/industrial buildings in poor condition providing about 10 jobs, whereas EDS says its proposal would create 70.

EDS’s outline application seeks six non-food retail units totalling 6,227sq metres, and five trade counter/motorist centre units totalling 1,121sq metres.

The application, which includes 324 parking spaces, states that the latter units would be “likely to accommodate” clients such as Screwfix, Tile Giant, Plumb Center, car mechanics, tyre fitters and associated workshops.

Leighton-Linslade Town Council has registered its opposition to the Claymore scheme because it says the detailed plan is “materially different” to the outline permission.

And it feels the EDS proposal should be blocked due to the loss of employment land. They also fear the Land South of High Street development would be put in jeopardy by a retail park.

What do you think? Email news@lbobserver.co.uk

Primark has removed a t-shirt promoting hit US TV show The Walking Dead from its stores after it was branded “fantastically offensive” and “racist” by an angry shopper.

Outraged Ian Lucraft was so offended by the “explicit” t-shirt that he complained directly to the discount clothing store’s chief executive - and Primark has now apologised and removed the men’s t-shirt from its branches.

Mr Lucraft and his wife Gwen had visited a Primark branch in Sheffield to buy a present for their grandson when they spotted the white t-shirt with the message “eeny meeny miny moe” and a picture of a bloodied baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire. The phrase and bat are both used by a character in the hit show.

He said: “We were shocked when we came face to face with a new t-shirt with a racially explicit graphic and text. “It was fantastically offensive and I can only assume that no-one in the process of ordering it knew what they were doing or were aware of its subliminal messages.

He said: “The slogan is “Eeeny meenie miny moe…..” It stops there, but of course we all know what the original said: “catch a n***** by his toe.” “The graphic has a large American baseball bat, wrapped round with barbed wire, and covered with blood. This image relates directly to the practice of assaulting black people in America. “It is directly threatening of a racist assault, and if I were black and were faced by a wearer I would know just where I stood.” The slogan comes from the final episode of the sixth series of the critically acclaimed horror drama in which zombies have overrrun a post-apocalyptic world.

In one scene, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) bludgeons a character to death using a barbed-wire rapped baseball bat while uttering the phrase. However, in the clip, he uses the word “tiger” rather than the N-word. Added Mr Lucraft, of Wadsley Lane: “I politely asked the young woman at the checkout if other people had questioned it, but she had not yet seen it as it was new stock.

“As we discussed it, she too was horrified.”

On returning home, Mr Lucraft send a stinging letter, headed “Shocking Racist t-shirt in Primark” to the firm’s Chief Executive Paul Marchant at his offices in London.

He wrote: “I assume that with some past incidents that I see have happened with Primark goods, you are anxious to prevent further bad publicity, and do not want to offend other shoppers.

“I can see that your website is strong on corporate responsibility so I hope you will take this t-shirt off sale immediately.”

A spokesman for Primark said the t-shirt had now been withdrawn and added: “The t-shirt in question is licensed merchandise for the U.S. television series, The Walking Dead, and the quote and image are taken directly from the show.

“Any offence caused by its design was wholly unintentional and Primark sincerely apologises for this.

“Primark is currently removing the product from sale.”

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe” - which can be spelled a number of ways - is a popular children’s counting rhyme, used to select a person in games such as tag. It is one of a large group of similar rhymes in which the child who is pointed to by the chanter on the last syllable is “counted out”. The rhyme has existed in various forms since well before 1820.

Husband-and-wife golfers have collected two trophies after winning competitions at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club last week.

Former ladies world highboard-diving champion Patti Marriott won the Plantation Road clubs’ 50th Anniversary Trophy in a three-way tie, taking the trophy on countback from David Evans and Derek Shaw after all finished with 36 points.

And America-born Patti, Vice Captain of the Leighton Ladies Section, teamed up with husband Steve to win the Douglas Faulkner Family foursomes with a nett 63.5, nearly five shots clear of runners-up David and Ollie Banwell.

Patti was born in Maryland, USA and was a member of a ladies high-board diving team competing in events around the world before meeting businessman Steve in Hong Kong.

She won the ladies world high diving championship three times, with a record plunge of 113ft 2ins during which she entered the water at a speed of 87 miles an hour.

A member of the Leighton club for over 20 years, Patti is “Vice” to current Ladies Captain Avril Simpson whom she will succeed this autumn.

Husband Steve owns a marketing and merchandising company and only joined Patti as a member of the Leighton club last year following the demise of Mentmore where he had been a member for many years.

On the back of an incredibly successful worldwide tour, Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story is back at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.

Although there have been many imitations, the show has stood the test of time and has inspired a generation of multi-million selling juke-box musicals including Mamma Mia and We Will Rock You.

Seen by over 22 million music fans since it opened in London’s West End in 1989, Buddy continues to have audiences aged from eight to 80 rockin’ in the aisles across the globe.

Buddy tells the enduring tale of the musical icon’s meteoric rise to fame and his final legendary performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, before his tragic and untimely death at the age of 22.

In 18 short months, the Texas born boy revolutionised the face of contemporary music, influencing everyone from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen.

Boasting a phenomenally multi-talented cast, the two hour show features over 20 of his greatest hits including the timeless classics That’ll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, Rave On and Oh Boy.

Writer producer Alan Janes said: “Audiences aged eight to 80 dance in the aisles every night to our enactment of the story of a young man whose musical career spanned an all too brief period, but whose music will be remembered forever.”

Buddy’s widow, Maria Elena Holly, says the show represents Buddy’s youthful energy, huge talent and creativity.

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story will be at the Waterside at 7.30pm from Tuesday, March 7 - Saturday, March 11, with additional 2.30pm matinees on the Thursday and Saturday.

Tickets cost from £16.50 and can be booked online at www.atgtickets.com/aylesbury or call the box office on 0844 871 7607.

Over 50 teenagers took part in a huge after-school fight on Monday, forcing a police clampdown.

Sources claim the fight was was the result of rivalry between gangs of teenagers from different schools.

One group is understood to have formed outside Marsh House and travelled through Sundon Park Road up to Waulud’s Bank, where a mass confrontation is said to have occurred at around 5pm.

Footage after the incident showing a heavy police presence was uploaded to Facebook at around 6pm, and has been viewed over 10,000 times since.

One mother posted on Facebook: “This feud between the schools has been going on for about a month.”

Another user claimed that many of those involved in the fight were still in their school uniforms at the time of the frenzy.

A Bedfordshire Police spokesman confirmed the incident took place and said the force was still investigating.

He said: “At around 5pm on February 20, we received reports of a gathering of between 50 to 60 youths, on Wauluds Bank, by Five Springs.

“An altercation took place, officers attended and the youths dispersed.

“One person was arrested to prevent a breach of the peace and officers are currently working to establish the circumstances leading to the incident.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting reference number 324 of February 21.

The future of the Linslade Horticultural Society hangs in the balance after an appeal for a new chairman and committee members was unsuccessful.

The decision will be made at next month’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) which has been billed by society chairman, Ralph Skingle, as “possibly the most important meeting we have ever had”.

Ralph, 77, has been the chairman of the society for about ten years, he said: “Due to a lack of replacement committee members the society may have to close, the decision will be made at the AGM.

“It is possibly the most important meeting we have ever had.

“We have been looking for replacements for a while now, some of the committee members are older than I am and have been working hard for a long time.

“I have been trying to step down for a few years but have had no luck because our appeals for people to come forward have been unsuccessful.

“If new officers do not come forward, the committee has decided that it will have to close.”

Whatever decision is made at the AGM, Ralph has confirmed that the Spring Show will still go ahead on Saturday, April 1.

He told the LBO: “Whatever the decision is, we will still have our Spring Show, we are looking forward to it and hope to see many faces there.”

The AGM is on Thursday, March 2, at 7pm in the Friends Meeting House, North Street.

The chairman added: “The society has been going for about 100 years, just after the First World War I think, it was probably called something different back then.

“It will be a shame if it has to close but, unfortunately, we will not be the only one, there have been a few societies closing over the years.

“It seems young people do not have the time to volunteer for these things, so without their help and support, the society will not be able to carry on.”

If you are interested in helping the society and becoming a chairman or committee member, contact Ralph on 01525 374112.

A new exotic pet store has arrived in LBO land, aiming to educate, and promote reptile conservation.

Wrigglies Exotic Pets, Hockliffe Street, will sell tropical and cold water fish, amphibians and reptiles, as well as providing animal care advice, food, and equipment.

The new shop opened on February 11, and the store was full of excited customers.

Julian Clare, manager, said: “Wrigglies was very well received by local people. There was lots of animal handling on the day and the children could hold our 14ft reticulated python, Grace! It was a day of education.”

Julian’s aim is to help educate the public about how reptiles help the environment and staff will run school workshops and children’s parties.

Julian said: “If snakes weren’t present our food crops would fail year on year; rodents would devastate them.

“Scorpion venom, which glows in the dark, can also help us. Cancerous tissue is injected with venom, and when absorbed, the tumour will glow - the surgeon has more chance of removing all the tissue.”

The store also has a council-approved Dangerous Wild Animal (DWA) room, housing and offering training with Julian’s own reptiles, including vipers and cobras.

Julian said: “It is difficult for people to get a DWA license without experience and we don’t want people keeping them illegally. We offer a secure, safe environment and entry is by appointment only.

“We’ve previously trained staff at the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and I have had 27 years’ experience working with dangerous snakes.”

Wrigglies: 01525 373460.

A petition has been launched to return a “racist” Walking Dead t-shirt to Primark stores after a Methodist minister’s complaint saw the garment pulled from shelves.

Now, a shopper angry at the removal of the infamous “Eeny Meeny Miny Moe” t-shirt is calling for its return - and wants others to back her campaign.

Jasmine Williams, who has kicked off the petition, says Ian Lucraft, the minister who sparked the row, should “not be taken seriously” and that the shop “should not give in to white people claiming racist remarks when they are not.”

Launching her petition protest on the change.org website, she wrote: “Primark have stopped the sale of The Walking Dead “Eenie Meenie Miny Moe” shirt due to a customer claiming the shirt is highly offensive and racist.

“I, as a consumer and fan of The Walking Dead feel that this is not the right response.

“The complaint called it “racist” despite the fact that those buying the shirt are buying it for the sake of the show as it is an officially licensed product.

“The original Eenie Meenie Miny Moe song had the lyrics changed to “tiger” over 40 years ago and only those older than this know the original which he falsely claims “everyone knows how it ends.”

Yesterday, Mr Lucraft got the high street clothing store to remove the t-shirt and admitted he was “very pleased” with the chain’s decision.

He wrote to the firm’s Chief Executive Paul Marchant calling for the shirt, which also features a blood drenched baseball bat to be dropped, saying the origin of the slogan had “racist” origins and encouraged violence against black people.

Mr Lucraft and his wife Gwen had visited Primark to buy a present for their grandson when they spotted the white t-shirt with the slogan from the hit US TV show about zombies ruling a post apocalayptic world.

He said: “The slogan is “Eeeny meenie miny moe…..” It stops there, but of course we all know what the original said: “catch a n***** by his toe.”

In the scene, Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) bludgeons a character to death using a barbed-wire rapped baseball bat while uttering the phrase. However, in the clip, he uses the word “tiger” rather than the N-word.

The petition added: “Also, the man complaining is WHITE. He is taking a mild mannered shirt and taking it way out of context and is dictating what is and isn’t racist on behalf of a group of people, of which he has no right to speak on behalf of.

“Complaints like this should not be taken seriously and it should be down to those whose actual race/ethnicity are involved to speak up and corporations should not give into white people claiming racist remarks when it is indeed not.

“If Eenie Meenie Miny Moe is indeed so horribly racist as this man claims then maybe we should stop children singing it in our playgrounds or maybe I should get arrested for using it to choose which socks I’m wearing today.

“I’m just shocked that a retail corporation could panic so much on the complaints of one ill minded customer speaking as if he himself is black!”

A long-term solution to a pot-hole puzzle in Linslade looks to be proving a bridge too far for Central Beds Council.

Locals have “lost the will to live” over the state of the canal bridge road surface along Leighton Road, according to town councillor Mark Freeman.

Cllr Freeman says CBC must have spent a fortune patching up the bridge surface over the years, but the cracks just reopen in next to no time.

He said: “This problem has been recurring ever since the major rebuild on the bridge seven years ago. It seems to spend more time with a pothole than without!

“The location of the pothole, just over the crossing and where traffic is deciding which lane to be in, is a danger as it is very difficult to avoid. Cyclists trying to ride around it are putting themselves in a hazardous position with other vehicles.

“Goodness knows what damage it has done to cars bumping through it. This is a major route as it is the only road in the town linking Leighton with Linslade and the station.

“Over the years, the Highway Authority must have spent a fortune repairing this hole. It would have been better to reconstruct rather than just patch.

“I would have expected that in seven years someone could have found a way of effecting a permanent repair. With the fault first appearing so soon after the major works, surely the original contractor should carry some responsibility for sorting it out?”

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokesperson said: “Due to the level of the bridge deck in relation to the road there is only 40mm of tarmac on the bridge deck which is not ideal.

“Although a specialist material was used to resurface the bridge deck in 2010, because we can only lay a relatively thin layer on tarmac on the bridge deck, it is difficult to prevent water ingress which is causing the potholes to develop.

“We are aware of the problems with the bridge deck and have attended to surface defects on four occasions since 2010. We are continuing to explore ways of treating the problem.”