Holidaygoers are being asked to think again before binning good food before they go away.

Central Bedfordshire Council is asking people to think about how they can avoid throwing away food.

The UK population annually throws out perfectly edible food worth over half a billion pounds when they go on holiday, and £12 million worth of food will be binned during the first week of the summer break alone.

This summer, Central Bedfordshire Council is partnering with an environmental charity in a nationwide campaign to reduce food waste, called #TravellersCheck. People heading off on holiday over the coming weeks are being asked to freeze food, or share food with their neighbours.

A survey by the organisers of #TravellersCheck found that only 13% of people said they passed on food to neighbours before they go on holiday, despite a massive 81% of people revealing they’d be happy to receive food from a neighbour. Of the food most likely to be thrown away as people head off on their travels, milk; salad; fruit; yogurt; and bread topped the list. 45% of people said they threw food away because they thought it couldn’t be frozen, but many weren’t actually aware which foods can be frozen – 58% didn’t realise you can freeze milk, 62% ham and 63% hard cheese.

Councillor Budge Wells at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “Around half of all food thrown away in the UK comes from our homes, rather than from shops or restaurants, and more than half of that could have been eaten. Food waste costs the average household £470 a year. For a family with children, that rises to £700 – the equivalent of around £60 binned every month. This is a waste of food, and a waste of money. So this summer we are urging residents think about better ways of making use of the food in their fridge before they head off on a summer trip.”

The top tips for reducing wasted food are:

Put anything that will go past its use by date into the freezer to eat when you get back.

Always freeze your leftovers so you have convenient instant homemade meals when you need, such as your first day back from holiday.

Slice any leftover bread, put it in a sealed bag and freeze. You can then toast it straight from frozen when you get back home.

If you can’t use food or freeze it, then share it with your neighbour.

Well the musical inspiration for the classic film - and a band which are so much more than that besides and helped to define post-punk music - the Psychedelic Furs are back in the UK, for a singles tour of venues close to home.

This week I spoke with bass player and founding member Tim Butler to quiz him on punk rock - John Hughes, and get in my sneaky request for the band to play my favourite song Forever Now at their Oxford show! It really was was Some Kind of Wonderful....

The Psychedelic Furs got together after the Butler brothers (Tim and Richard) witnessed the raw punk power and energy of The Sex Pistols at the 100 Club.

In the early 1980s they launched the band by teaming up with Steve Lillywhite to create their eponymous debut album - and then Talk Talk Talk - one of the post-punk movement's defining records.

Tim, speaking from his home in Kentucky said: "Richard and I and my other brother went down to see them and were completely blown away by the attitude and their energy and their spirit.

"My brothers said 'do you want to get a band together?' but I said 'I can't play anything' - they said what would you like to play? Originally it was drums, but I was a poor 17-year-old kid so I opted for bass."

"Our sound is like the Sex Pistols crossed with Roxy Music, it's more thought-out. Punk was great because it gave the music business a kick up the bum - John Lydon said when he broke up the Pistols that people were just copying the Pistols and not doing their own thing and we didn't want to be like that."

"Punk helped bands like us happen - we could say stuff with minimal music- but we were also big fans of things like the Velvet Underground and Roxy Music - and we gave it the energy and power of punk. Punk made it possible in a way that prog really hadn't - people sitting at home thinking 'I don't know how to play anything by Carlos Santana' now felt like it was ok to pick up an instrument."

A surprising and lucky break came for the Furs a few years later - when screenwriter John Hughes based classic teen movie Pretty In Pink on the band's hit of the same name. The song instantly charted again when the movie was released in 1986 - which proved to be both a blessing and a curse for a band with DIY sensibilities.

Tim said: "It was a pleasant surprise when John Hughes approached us about it - Molly Ringwald had liked the original song and asked him to write a movie around the song - the storyline ended up having nothing to do with the original song, but it was a really nice thing.

"Sadly though - a lot of the hardcore early fans stopped liking us and said we had 'sold out'."

Psychedelic Furs are currently touring in the US where a whole legion of new fans are now coming out to see them play - perhaps inspired by Eighties nostalgia, or name-checks from the likes of The Killers who have cited them as an influence.

Early 2000s nu-metal stars Korn even covered Psychedelic Furs' hit Love My Way - bringing their music to a whole new audience entirely - and a different generation of listeners.

Speaking about the upcoming tour - which takes in large and small venues including the 02 Academy in Oxford on September 10, Tim said: "It's been a while since we have played in England and we are running up to releasing a new album so we felt that we'd do a tour with was 'the best of the Furs' to re-introduce people to us.

"At the moment it's all of the singles, and then some of the more popular album tracks like President Gas - but who knows, we are a very fickle band."

"Since we got back together in 2000 we get some of the original fans and they will bring their kids down, and sometimes those kids will have kids too. People aged from 16 to 60 come to see us."

"For fans that have never seen us before - despite some of the biggest hits like Love My Way and The Ghost In You - we are not a namby pamby band - we put on a good rock show."

To find out more about the Psychedelic Furs tour - and to get tickets for a show near you go to http://www.thepsychedelicfurs.com/

Friday, September 01 - Glasgow O2 Academy
Saturday, September 02 - Leeds O2 Academy
Sunday, September 03 - Manchester O2 Ritz
Tuesday, September 05 - Birmingham O2 Institute
Wednesday, September 06 - Bristol O2 Academy
Thursday, September 07 - Brighton Concorde 2 SOLD OUT
Saturday, September 09 - London O2 Forum Kentish Town
Sunday, September 10 - Oxford O2 Academy
Monday, September 11 - Norwich UEA

It is around this time of year that the video gaming scene - like the football season - really starts kicking back into gear.

July and August tend to be pretty quiet for obvious reasons with people holidaying and the like... but there is one release which has gamers old and new skool talking.

As I have touched on a number of times in this column in recent months, 2017 has been the year of the classic comeback with retro game, systems, re-releases and remasters taking centre stage.

And August is no different with Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 set to launch in the first week of the new month.

But it is the “new” 2D Sonic game which has caught the eye.

Sonic Mania is due out on August 15th and continues the old skool theme this year but with the added bonus of being a new entry into the franchise.

The retro title was meant to be released in the spring but was delayed until August.

Mania is a new 2D Sonic title in the vein of his classic adventures but features both original stages as well as remixed versions of older Sonic levels like the Green Hill and Flying Battery Zones.

Sonic Mania is releasing digitally for Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC and is available for preorder.

It is a precursor to a new 3D Sonic title called Sonic Forces which is also coming to the same platforms later this year.

Sonic Mania was named one of the best games shown at E3 2017 by The Guardian, Ars Technica, Twinfinite, and Saucy Gamer, with Ars Technica’s Sam Machkovech naming it his “game of the show”.

It comes with a big billing and plenty of nostalgia too and was described as “the one carrying hype for all of the right reasons” when Mania and Forces were discussed by experts.

It was also nominated as best platformer but lost out - understandably - to the Switch’s as yet undated stellar title, Super Mario Odyssey.

Graduation season at the University of Bedfordshire came to an end last week with the Civic Ceremony in Luton.

Local dignitaries processed through the town centre, headed up by the London Fanfare Trumpets, to St Mary’s Church, where excited graduates from the Faulty of Health & Social Sciences had gathered.

The audience was warmly greeted by the University’s Chancellor, The Rt Hon John Bercow MP, who told the graduates: “We as a university are very proud if you. Your success is the product of two ingredients, the first being inspiration and the other being perspiration and your sheer hard work.”

Joining the students were former Bedfordshire student and bestselling author Stephen Kelman and former chairman of the Luton Music Club Chris Thomas, who were each awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts for their contributions to the arts.

Medics are advising Brits to regularly check the colour of their urine to stay on top of hydration levels after a new report discovered that 7.2 million British adults are going without drinking water on a daily basis.

The 50 Shades of Yellow - Hydration Report, compiled by SodaStream to assess the nation’s hydration levels also found that one in seven of Brits don’t drink a glass of water on a typical day, even though over half (51 per cent) have an alcoholic drink each day, even though the NHS recommends we drink six to eight glasses of water a day.

South West Beds MP Andrew Selous has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to South Africa, the United Kingdom’s largest export market in Africa.

Trade Envoys are a network of PM appointed parliamentarians drawn from across the political spectrum.

They lead UK business delegations to the countries to which they are appointed to boost British exports and increase bilateral trade.

Mr Selous said: “I’m delighted to be appointed to this role.

“The United Kingdom’s exports to South Africa have increased by a quarter over the last 10 years.

“South Africa is the United Kingdom’s third biggest Commonwealth trading partner and there are significant opportunities for UK businesses in the energy, transport, health care, and education sectors.

“The UK currently has significant machinery, vehicle, medical, pharmaceutical, fuel and food exports to South Africa.

“Food and drink sales to South Africa increased by over 30% in the first quarter of 2017 in part due to significant increases in exports of animal feed for example.”

Leighton Buzzard missed out on their chance to close the gap to the top of Cherwell Division 2 by losing to Buckingham 2nds on Saturday, who took over at the top of the table.

With leaders Bledlow going down by 40 runs to bottom side Oxford and Bletchingdon Nondescripts, the door was open for either Buckingham or Leighton to take over at the top, but it would be the home side who would take advantage.

Stand-in Town captain Dan Scott lost the toss and we re put in to bat, but they were soon in trouble as both openers fell cheaply with just seven runs on the board.

This brought Tom Scott and Mark Burfoot to the crease and together the pair set about repairing the damage.

The pair put on 63 before Burfoot was unfortunate to be bowled for 23.

Captain Dan Scott then came to the wicket to join his brother and the pair were soon into their stride as they began to take the attack to the Buckingham spinners increasing the scoring rate.

It wasn’t long until Tom brought up his 50 it was a fantastic effort in his first game of the season.

Dan Scott was also batting with authority and was looking set for a 50 of his own until he picked out the boundary fielder to be caught for 45.

This sparked a mini collapse as Tom Scott was dismissed soon after for 65 and all other batsmen found it difficult to hit the boundaries required in the last 10 overs.

Only Dave Roberts (20) showed any sort of form as Town ended their innings on slightly under par 192.

Buckingham’s reply began well, as the opening batsmen put on 30 for the first wicket, until the partnership was ended when Tom Pope ripped O’Dell’s middle stump out of the ground.

Dan Scott, then chipped in with a wicket, in the next over leaving the hosts 31-2.

Town then struggled to find another break though, and were not helped by three dropped catches, as Buckingham batted themselves into a commanding position at 95-2.

It was the introduction of spinner Francis that was the catalyst to Town finding their way back into the game. He bowled with great control and was a constant threat as he worked his way through the middle order with three wickets.

But Town were unable to dismiss opener Brunning (82), who was holding the innings together and pushing his team towards victory.

With the rain now falling, and the score at 171-7 the game was in the balance, but some calm batting from Buckingham was enough to see them over the line in the 46th over, for the loss of seven wickets.

The result means Leighton slipped to fourth in the table, 15 points behind Buckingham, who take over at the top of the table. Next Saturday, Leighton host Great and Little Tew, who sit second from bottom of the table.

Great Brickhill were on course for their first win of the season before rain fell against Thame Town.

Still without a win in Home Counties Division 2, three wickets apiece from Mohamed Razzan Anver and Marcus Critchley had the visitors reduced for just 203.

The run chase appeared to be on course too, with Ruben Clinton hitting 64 at the top of the order.

But despite being on course at 144-1 after 28 overs, rain scuppered their chances of victory.

Leighton Buzzard 2nds were rescued from what looked like impending defeat when the rain fell, forcing their game against Kimble into abandonment at Bell Close.

Kimble batted first and made a good score in testing conditions of 203 from their 49 overs. Jack Foster top scored for the visitors with 58 while Pete Dumbarton chipped in with 36.

Leighton’s reply would be hit hard though, thanks to the superb bowling of Bradley Rose. Rose took 4-9 in the opening 13 overs to have the home side on the ropes at 20-4.

But the rain fell and rescued Leighton, much to the frustration of the visitors who sensed a victory was on the cards. The draw however sees Leighton dropp to fifth in Division 5, with their chances of promotion slipping away.

Next week, they take on Cumnor 2nds.

Of the many beautiful cemeteries looked after around the world by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the largest lies on the side of in Belgium.

The bodies of nearly 12,000 men lie in Tyne Cot Cemetery, most of them unidentified. Another 35,000 whose bodies were never found are commemorated on a memorial wall at the top of the plot. Look back down the slope: you can see the town of Ypres below, only about five miles away.

The men whose ghosts surround you now died fighting for this ground, battling up towards the village of Passchendaele which gives the battle its nickname.

Properly known as the Third Battle of Ypres, it is a byword for the futility and horror of war. Of the British, Commonwealth, French and German troops who fought here, nearly half a million were killed, wounded, captured or simply disappeared.

You could walk in a couple of hours what it took the British three and a half months to win. They had accomplished few of their original objectives.

True, they had shown their Belgian, French and Russian allies that they were prepared to play their part in the war. More immediately, they had made more secure both Ypres and their supply ports at Calais and Boulogne. But ambitions to cut enemy rail lines and force German U-boat submarines from their bases on the Belgian coast remained a dream.

The German army had been worn down, but only at a terrible cost in experienced British troops too.

The initial British assault on 31 July was too ambitious and results fell far short of expectations. Attempts throughout August to push on regardless were disjointed and achieved little more.

Drier weather in September, a new commander and new tactics allowed them to begin to grind through the German defences, but casualties remained heavy relative to ground gained and in October and November downpours of rain made the battlefield a morass of mud.

Progress slowed to a crawl. By the time the offensive was suspended on 10 November, the two sides had fought each other to a stalemate amid appalling conditions for the soldiers.

Shivering under cold rain in what little shelter they could find amid a wasteland of muddy shell craters poisoned with lethal gas, for them it was, as one German general put it, ‘no longer life at all. It was just unspeakable suffering.’

This was a battle which was allowed to go on too long. Passchendaele, like Stalingrad or Sangin in later wars, took on a symbolic significance far greater than its strategic value.

Too many brave soldiers on both sides died for that symbol. Lessons were learnt which contributed to allied victory in 1918. But the most important legacy of this terrible battle is, perhaps, the courage of those men.

Jonathan Boff is Senior Lecturer, Department of History, University of Birmingham

Leighton Town boss Scott Reynolds was frustrated by his side’s first half performance in a dramatic 3-3 against Olney Town on Saturday.

In their penultimate friendly of the campaign - the last coming tonight (Tuesday) against Kempston Rovers - ahead of their FA Cup Extra Preliminary opener next Saturday, Town trailed the Nurserymen 2-0 at East Street before fighting back to take a 3-2 lead.

But a last minute equaliser from Olney would rescue a draw for the home side.

Missing several of his key players for the friendly, Town fell 2-0 down before defender Alex Condon pulled a goal back for the Reds, playing in sky blue, just before the half time interval. Dom Marsala equalised in the second half before Lorrel Smith beat the Olney keeper to complete a remarkable turnaround, only to have victory snatched from them at the end.

Despite the reversal though, Reynolds was left frustrated with his side’s first half performance.

“It was mixed to be honest,” he said. “I wasn’t impressed with the first half, but we’ve had to make a lot of changes with three or four players away and a couple of injuries we don’t want to risk ahead of the FA Cup.

“Everyone did well in parts, but we’ll be stronger next week.

“I was very impressed with Olney, they played the ball into some good areas and have some lively centre forwards. But I thought we showed good character to get back into the game.

“I am pleased with our second half performance more than our first.

“We had three different scorers, Alex Condon got an important goal back before the break, Dom Marsala challenged the keeper and got it back to 2-2 before Lorrel got another to put us 3-2 up, finishing his one-on-one with the keeper.

“There were a few good goals and it was a good game for the neutrals.”

British Transport Police are investigating after a callous thief stole a bicycle from a 75-year-old woman at Leighton Buzzard railway station.

At around 9.55pm on Thursday, July 6, a man approached the bike racks outside the station.

As he was stealing a woman’s bike, he was apprehended by the victim. He tried to flee the scene and in doing so he struck the woman with the back wheel of the bike.

Fortunately she did not sustain any injuries.

Officers would like to speak to the man shown in the CCTV image as he may have information which could help with the investigation.

If you recognise him, or have any information about the incident, please call 0800 40 50 40 or text information to 61016.

More than 8,000 visitors descended on Tiddenfoot Waterside Park to enjoy the annual Linslade Canal Festival on Saturday.

The weather certainly didn’t deter the crowds, and with more than 100 stallholders and demonstrators at the event, there was something for everyone.

The Fun Dog show, sponsored by VioVet and arranged in associtation with HULA Animal Rescue, attracted a record number of entrants.

Prizes were awarded for the waggiest tail, prettiest pooch and most handsome hound.

The popular Birds of Prey display sponsored by Ark House Vets returned to the festival for another year, giving people the change to get up close and personal with some spectaular birds in the Poplars area of the site, alongside Love Spoon carving, broom making and canal-inspired art.

The Paddock proved ever popular with toe-tapping and get up and dance live music throughout the day.

Leighton Linslade Town Council thanked Leighton Buzzard Speakers for supporting the stage and live music acts.

It was a first time appearance for the chainsaw carver, which was a popular addition alongside corn dollies, bee skeps and basket making demonstrations, as well as a selection of fine crafts and handmade produce.

Visitors learnt about life on the canal and were able to take a walk along the water’s edge to see a colourful collection of canal boats, with some displaying their uses from yester year while others sold their traditional wares to families and friends visiting the festival.

A spokesman for Leighton-Linslade Town Council said: “Thankfully the rain held off until the last few moments and visitors could make the most of the wonderful festival within the waterside park.”

>> Photos by Jane Russell.

The first step in proposals to acquire Greenacres traveller site has been approved by Central Bedfordshire Council.

At a meeting of CBC’s executive this morning, various issues relating to the site were discussed by councillors, with six public speakers in attendance.

Councillors noted the “complex” issues surrounding the compulsory purchase but noted the impact the site was having on other agencies, including Thames Valley and Bedfordshire Police.

It was agreed to formally begin a period of public consultation, lasting from August until October, with a decision scheduled for December.

A mystery EuroMillions winner, known only as Mr. O from Bedfordshire, has become a millionaire without ever touching a ticket.  The lucky man scooped

the life-changing prize of £1,000,000 in the EuroMillions UK Millionaire Maker draw on Friday 21 July 2017, and promptly bought another lottery ticket as his first purchase after the win.

Mr. O, who works in IT, played EuroMillions through national-lottery.co.uk and has become one of over eight million players that win each week on The National Lottery’s range of games. He has indicated that he’ll spend some of his winnings on treating the family with gifts and he will also be buying a new home.

Two new golfing champions have been crowned at Leighton Buzzard Golf Club and two more will have their names inscribed on the honours boards by the time the club championships climax this weekend.

Leading the victory parade so far is impressive new member Georgia Staroscik, who in the space of days won the Leighton Ladies championship with rounds of 78 and 76; had the best nett score in the Junior Championships with scores of 66 and 67 to beat runner-up Shin Bateman by a margin of 14 shots, and added the County girls champion title for good measure with a gross 76.

The junior gross-score championship was won by sport enthusiast and former Junior Captain Tim Martin who had rounds of 77 and 70 for a 147 total that pipped Ed Stephenson by two shots while Olivia Campbell was top scoring junior girl with rounds of 75 and 77.

The best first round score was carded by Brandon Sanders whose 74 was matched by Andreas Valentine in the second round while nine-hole awards were won by Henry and George Wooster.

There was some consolation for eight-handicapper Ed Stephenson when he completed the Junior July medal with a nett 66, two shots clear of Oliver Banwell.

oanna Cox won the Ladies July stableford with 39 points and had her handicap reduced by two shots to 32, while runner-up Carol Alexander tabled 37 points to beat Oonagh Russell on countback and fourth placed Avril Simpson by a shot.

Seasoned campaigner Judy Ammon was runner-up in the Ladies Championships with a total of 175 with Farida Cerosio in third place.

eLighton Seniors lost by the odd game at Redbourn, with Peter Myrants and Kelvin Young and Harry Adam and Michael Perkins returning winning cards. Denis Leitch and Roy Virgee, Ian Rimmer and John Bettle and Mike Bluett and David Newby all halved their games.

Leighton Ladies won their County Shield match against Pavenham Park 5-2, with wins by Avril Simpson, Patti Marriott, Christine Rimmer, Beryl Wood and Barbara Rickard.

Leighton’s inter-club team celebrated a 3-2 victory over Millbrook, with Graham Freer and Tony Simpson, Chris Yirrell and Andrew McDonald, and Adrian Stephenson and Simon Enright returning winning cards and Jeremy Taylor and Eddie Stephenson claiming a vital half. Adrian Stephenson and Steve Leng, Lee Sanders and Shane Kimber, and Stuart Goodwin and Eddie Stephenson won for Leighton in a 4-2 victory over Whipsnade, with Mark Reynolds and Paul Dowdeswell and Matt Sale and Stephen Schmidt halving their matches.

Leighton Ladies beat the previously undefeated Pavenham Park 5-2 in their Shield match and by the same score against Aspley Guise, while the Mixed team has beaten Bedford 5-4, Aspley Guise 9-2 and Whipsnade 5-3, losing only to John ‘O Gaunt.

Former Leighton Captain Syd Pniewski and wife Jill won the Rushmere Ladies invitation at Aspley Guise with 41 points, beating former Leighton and two-times Woburn Captain Peter Bachelor and wife Sue on countback. Leighton Vice Captain Jeremy Taylor and partner Rosie won the guest prize, also with 41 points.

Newspaper publisher Johnston Press today hailed a strong half-year performance including a double-digit hike in digital advertising revenues and audience numbers.

The owner of this newspaper and hundreds of other local titles and news websites, plus national newspaper The i, reported 4.6 per cent rise in overall revenues, excluding classifieds, for the 26 weeks to 1 July.

Digital advertising revenues jumped by 14.8 per cent, excluding classifieds, year-on-year, while digital audiences grew 15 per cent to a record high of 26.5 million unique users a month.

The group also highlighted an increased contribution from The i newspaper, which it acquired in April last year, with circulation revenue rising from £4.4 million to £11m and advertising revenues from under £1m to £3m.

Advertising revenues were flat for the period – print and digital combined and excluding classifieds – having experienced “heavy declines” during 2016.

The group reported an operating profit for the period of £4.9m, compared with a half-year loss of £211.7m last year when there were major write-downs.

Chief executive Ashley Highfield said that to get to the point where print and digital advertising taken together, and excluding classifieds, were flat rather than in decline was “a really important milestone” and “a hell of an achievement”.

The group said its focus on larger titles that have “significant” print and digital reach had resulted in strong profit contributions led by the national-category titles, including The Scotsman and The Yorkshire Post.

The firm cautioned that trading conditions across the industry continued to be “difficult”, especially in classified advertising, but added that it was seeing the monetisation of its growing digital audience gain momentum.

The continuing improvements in trading trend seen in The i newspaper in the first half are expected to continue in the second half “as advertisers seek out a quality, impartial, concise, daily national news provider”.

According to the latest results, the group had total cash of £28.8m as of 1 July, while net debt was down by 8.7 per cent during the period.

Highfield said Johnston Press had no plans to make significant asset sales in the coming year.

“We have got no plans to make any significant divestments at the moment,” he said. “We were very pleased with the divestments we made last year in terms of the sale prices of Isle of Man and East Midlands titles. We put the money in the bank and are in a sound position.”

He added: “I can never rule out that we might do something with one or two smaller titles. But I genuinely have no plans at the moment.”

Highfield said the strong performance from The i, with its succinct format, was partly due to many readers “being time-poor but they still want a quality experience”.

He said the paper had also benefited from what was seen as a UK general election result showing the electorate “don’t really like to be told what to think”.

Group net debt has come down from £209.4m to £191.2m at the reporting period end.

Highfield told investors: “This is a business which we have long believed needed to transform, but once done, could return to growth.

“Thus, since 2012 we have been making the necessary and at times painful changes to transform Johnston Press into a truly cross-platform business.

“Whilst trading remains challenging, the business has responded and, as a result of our substantial efforts and clear strategic focus, I am very pleased to announce that we have posted revenue growth in the business (excluding classifieds) of 4.6 per cent during the half.”

Analysts at Liberum issued a “buy” note on the shares saying The i and digital initiatives were driving the performance.

A Leighton Buzzard woman has pleaded guilty to fraudulently using her father’s Blue Badge.

Marilyn Howard, 63, of Finch Close, admitted the charge via letter at Luton Magistrates’ Court yesterday (1 August).

She was fined £187, ordered to pay £250 towards prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £30.

Ms Howard was caught out during a Central Bedfordshire Council operation tackling Blue Badge fraud on 22 February.

Officers spotted a car parked in a space restricted for Blue Badge holders in Bridge Street car park, in Leighton Buzzard.

Although a Blue Badge was on display, when officers checked they found that the Blue Badge holder was at home and did not realise that his daughter had borrowed it.

Ms Howard claimed that she had needed to park in that spot due to an emergency with her passenger.

And on 9 December, officers spotted a car parked in a space reserved for Blue Badge holders in Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard.

Although the Blue Badge on display was valid, when officers checked they found it was registered not to Frank Lynch, the man parked in the space, but his wife.

Mr Lynch, of Watford Way, Hendon, later told officers that he had taken the badge while his wife was sleeping. He confirmed that he is not disabled and had no right to use the Blue Badge personally.

Mr Lynch admitted Blue Badge fraud at Luton Magistrates’ Court yesterday (1 August) and was fined £440, ordered to pay £250 costs and a £44 victim surcharge.

Councillor Richard Wenham, Executive Member for Corporate Resources and Deputy Leader of the council, said: “Ms Howard had no justification for using her father’s Blue Badge as he wasn’t present, which is why she has been prosecuted for fraud.

“I hope this acts as a reminder that we take Blue Badge fraud seriously here and will take action against anyone found using one unlawfully.”

If you suspect someone of illegally using a Blue Badge you can report it the council by calling 0300 300 8035 or emailing car.badges@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Virgin Media customers are set to see their monthly bills rise by nearly 5 per cent this autumn.

The 4.7 per cent price hike is expected to affect around five million households and will see the cost of their media packages rise from between £1.99 and £3.99 per month.

Broadband, phone and TV plans will see their bills rise from £3.49 to £3.99 per month, while broadband only and broadband and phone packages will pay an extra £1.99 to £2.99 per month

Virgin Media is now in the process of contacting all customers about the price hikes.

‘Investing more in ultrafast network’

A Virgin Media spokesperson said, “We do everything we can to balance keeping our prices competitive while investing to meet the ever-increasing appetite for broadband and content.

“Online usage increased by more than 35 per cent in the last year and streaming now accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the total traffic on Virgin Media’s network.

“We’re investing more in our ultrafast network to continue offering the UK’s fastest widely-available speeds.

“This all comes on top of must-see TV programming – from Virgin TV Exclusives to the only place where you can watch all of the live football action from both Sky and BT Sport in a single package.”

The changes will take effect on 01 November 2017, however, Virgin Media customers can cancel their contract within 30 days of receiving notification about the increase without facing a penalty.

Police have issued an urgent appeal to find a woman by issuing a distinctive photograph of her with her tongue sticking out but giving few other details.

North Yorkshire Police are hoping social media sharing will help identify the woman but say they cannot say any more about her or the investigation for “operational reasons”.

They said she is not a suspect but may have vital information. Her picture - which shows her sticking out her tongue and sporting a round sticker saying “Adult Admission” - has been shared thousands of times on Facebook and re-tweeted hundreds of time on Twitter.

Police forces around the UK have helped share the message.

A force spokesman said he could not add anything to the message on Facebook, which said: “Officers have issued an urgent appeal to identify a woman they would like to speak to who could have vital information that would assist an ongoing investigation.

“Officers stress that she is a potential witness and not a suspect in any crime.

“It is not known who she is or where she lives and by sharing the appeal on social media, police are hoping that the woman, or someone who recognises her will get in touch.”

The message went on: “For operational reasons we are not able to provide any further details about the investigation, but again stress that she is not a suspect.

“The woman, or anyone else with any information, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police urgently on 01609 643588 during office hours or 01904 618691, select option 1 and speak to the Force Control Room, any other time. Or email eamonn.clarke@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk”

The message is headlined: “Urgent Appeal”. The Twitter version of the appeals says: “PLEASE RT: We need urgent help to identify this woman. She is not a suspect but may have vital info. She could be anywhere in the country.”