A driving instructor from Leighton Buzzard took part in the Big Learner Relay to help raise money for Children In Need.

Kevin Field, who runs Kev Field Driver Skills, turned his car spotty and was part of the big relay on Tuesday, November 7, from Leighton Buzzard to Stony Stratford.

The Big Learner Relay Pudsey top Box has been relayed from one driving school car to the next over fifteen days, with a grand finale on Friday, November 17, at Knowsley Safari Park, Liverpool.

He said: “It was a fantastic Big Learner Relay. Driving Instructors coming together to raise money for a great charity.

“There was a convoy of eight cars travelling from Leighton Buzzard to Milton Keynes.

“Thanks to all the people who waved and showed their support to us on our journey, it was much appreciated.”

Shefford Town & Campton are now just four points clear at the head of the Premier Division supported by Sportsform standings after they were held to a 2-2 home draw by Marston Shelton Rovers.

Ricky Young and Ryan Lewis scored for the Town against Rovers replies via Jimmy Burraway and Wes Burrows.

Now up into second are Crawley Green Reserves who ran out the 3-1 winners at Sharnbrook to record their fourth win on the bounce. Temitayo Akerele, Sam Edwards and Cameron Veasey netted the vital goals against a lone home reply from Niko Balde.

Whilst now in third place are Wilstead who took their winnin grun to three games with a 4-2 home victory over Renhold United. Tom Stonehouse, Adam Budek, Ryan Davenport and Daniel Mead all found the back of the net against United replies via Michael France and Fernando Reis.

Following four straight defeats Flitwick Town returned to winning ways with a 4-2 victory at Wootton Blue Cross. Ritchie Bevan with a brace plus an own goal and a strike from Joe O’Donnell marked the Town scoresheet against Blue Cross replies via Sam Halfpenny and Ben Chryste.

Also enjoying life on the road were AFC Oakley M&DH and Ickwell & Old Warden. M&DH left it late before a 90th minute strike from Zach Ives took them to a 3-2 victory at AFC Kempston Town & Bedford College. Matt Barnes and David Mulvihill netting the earlier M&DH goals whilst on the home scoresheet were Kurtis Alleyne and Dan Mattin.

Also winning by the same 3-2 scoreline were Ickwell & Old Warden at bottom of the table Queens Park Crescents. Scott Alleyne with a brace and Ashley Drummond grabbed the goals to do the damage against a home brace in reply from Dominic Parrella.

Elsewhere Cranfield United took their unbeaten ways up to five games by sharing the spoils in a 1-1 home draw with Kempston Rovers Development. Josh Bamford was on the home scoresheet against a Rovers reply from Anas Bechkoum.

Division One supported by O’Neills

There is no change at the head of Division One supported by O’Neills following wins for the top four sides. League leaders Wixams extended their unbeaten run to six games with a 4-3 home win over Shefford Town & Campton Reserves. Gareth White, Matt Cornes, Mindaugus Siburkis and Alex Summers were all on their scoresheet against Town replies via Andrew Hayday twice and Sam King once.

Whilst second place Totternhoe Reserves are now unbeaten in their last seven outings after winning 3-2 at Sandy. Tom Howson netted twice and Adam Worthington the once against home replies via Phil Beale and Matt Johnson.

Still just goal difference behind in third are Riseley Sports, 3-0 home winners over Biggleswade FC Reserves. Jack Healy, James Crooke and Duncan Campbell all marked the home scoresheet.

Fourth place AFC Kempston Town & Bedford College Reserves retained their 100% away record with a 3-2 win at The 61FC Luton Reserves. Elliot West from the penalty spot plus Paul Obuch and Arkadiusz Boruch on the Town scoresheet against 61 replies via Pat Doherty and Thanasis Domakopoulos .

Now up into fifth are Flitwick Town Reserves the 4-1 home winners over Lea Sports PSG. Josh Arthur-Kent with a brace plus Sean O’Donnell and Dan Parker netting for the Town against a lone PSG reply via Joe Hennem.

Elsewhere Henlow are still awaiting their first home win of the season after being beaten 3-2 by Cople & Bedford SA. Ollie Hughes with a brace plus Lucas Banton netted for SA against a home brace in reply from Antony Bowskill. Whilst also winning on the road were Cranfield United Reserves who are now unbeaten in their last six outings after winning 4-2 at Meltis Albion. Joe Bygraves with a brace plus Andre Anderson and David Adderson were on the United scoresheet against Albion replies via Dan Smith and Adam Cranny.

Division Two

With leaders Renhold United Reserves sitting the afternoon out, second place Henlow Reserves took full advantage to close the gap on them at the head of Division Two to just a single point with a 2-1 victory at Elstow Abbey who were duly losing for the first time in six outings.

Matt Poulton opened the scoring for the Abbey just 27 seconds into the contest before goals from Josh Izzard and Chris Powell saw the visitors 2-1 in front at the break ahead of a goalless second period.

Just goal difference behind in third spot are Bedford Albion who took their winning ways up to six games with a 4-2 home victory over Atletico Europa. Michael Michalski, Ryan Kelly, Antony Foreman and Adam Lewis were on the Albion scoresheet against Europa replies via Mo Banda and Albert Adeyemi.

Whilst now in fourth place are Houghton Athletic despite having to settle for a share of the spoils in a 1-1 home draw with Westoning. Antony Simms was on the Athletic scoresheet and Thomas Cooksley replying for the visitors.

Luton Leagrave AFC now find themselves on the bottom of the league after they failed to win for the tenth consecutive outing when beaten 3-1 at home by Caldecote Reserves. Sam Julian, Nick Thomas and Martin Chappell netted the visitors’ goals against a lone home reply from Daniel Leighton.

Moving off the bottom spot but still awaiting their first win are Sundon Park Rovers who claimed a share of the spoils in a 3-3 draw at AFC Oakley Oakley M&DH Reserves. Bradley Duffet, James Grandidge and Ray Patrickson were on the M&DH scoresheet against Rovers replies via Tirell Jeffers, Ethan Tenn and Nick Buttigieg.

Also finishing all square but at 1-1 was the game between Marston Shelton Rovers Reserves and CS Rovers, Dean Clark netting for the home side and Connor Darocha for the visitors.

Division Three

Kempston Athletic are now three points clear in Division Three following their 4-0 home victory over AFC Kempston Town & Bedford College A. Josh St Clair Pierre, Nicholas Ememe, Craig Damon and Luke Mongiovi all found the back of the net.

Whilst now up into second spot and still unbeaten on home soil this season are Clifton, 4-2 winners over Caldecote A. Charlie Watson, George McMillan, Christian Farrugia and Cameron Lewis all netted for the home side against visiting replies via Roberto Salvaggio and Tony Norman.

The club dropping in the standings to third are Black Swan after they were defeated 1-0 at Harlington who are now just goal difference behind them in fourth place, Roan Wedderburn netting that lone goal of the game.

Now in fifth place are Bedford Albion Reserves who won 5-1 at Dinamo Flitwick to take their unbeaten ways up to six games. Tom Wade, Adam Wodecki, Brandon Hung, Matt Phelan and Josh Emmerson all netted to bring up the nap hand against a lone home reply via Tom Ford.

However the biggest win of the day went to Shefford Town & Campton A, 6-1 winners at White Eagles. Jacob Jevon with a brace was joined on the Town scoresheet by single strikes from Sam Lummis, Liam Radley, Michael Castle and Daniel Hammer against a lone Eagles reply via Jan Bucur.

Elsewhere Stevington Reserves claimed their first home win of the season in defeating bottom of the table Wootton Village 4-2. Daniel Jeffries with a brace joined on the home scoresheet by Matt Coles and Tony Riley against Village replies via Nick Burraway from the penalty spot and Dan Smith.

Whilst Flitwick Town A remain unbeaten on home soil this season after sharing the spoils in a 2-2 draw with Sandy Reserves. Joe Kwarcinski and Mark Bartlett were on the Town scoresheet against replies via Aaron Seldon and Recardo McKay.

Applications are now open for the 2018 series of The Great British Bake Off.

If you are brilliant with brioche, marvellous with meringue or super with Sponge, then why not put your baking skills to the test?

Producers of the show - which controversially moved to Channel 4 from the BBC ahead of the last series - are looking for a fresh batch of brilliant, amateur bakers to ‘dough’ battle and enter the tent for the ninth series of The Great British Bake Off.

Channel 4 confirmed earlier this month that Prue Leith, Paul Hollywood, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig will return to front the show next year.

“If you or someone you know, is ready to sieve the dream,” say the producers, “then why not take a whisk and apply now?”

Deadline for all applications is Sunday 7th January 2018.

You can apply online at www.applyforbakeoff.co.uk, phone 0207 067 4837 or email applyforbakeoff@loveproductions.co.uk

Beds Police and Crime Commissioner Kathryn Holloway has revealed there are six child sex exploitation investigations in Bedfordshire that are “ferociously absorbing” police resources.

Giving evidence about the state of policing before the Home Affairs select committee on Tuesday, Mrs Holloway gave details of two investigations.

She said: “Currently in Bedfordshire, there are six major child sexual exploitation investigations, all with the type of nuances that we’ve seen recently in Rotherham and in Rochdale, Oxford and Manchester.

“Historically, we have an investigation which covers offences involving young girls from a children’s home being taken to parties and raped by multiple groups of men. Four females reported this abuse when they were children.”

Elsewhere, Mrs Holloway also revealed there is a “lost generation” of children growing up under Jihadism.

She said: “We discovered through our Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit in the last year to 18 months, what is in effect a lost generation of children being brought up in households where there is Jihadist material and so on.

“They were unknown to police, unknown to education, unknown to social services and unknown to health.”

Mrs Holloway gave a robust defence of Bedfordshire Police’s performance and told the committee that it worked “miracles” in spite of its funding woes.

She said: “Bedfordshire Police has made £34.7m of cuts and if I tell you our overall annual revenue is £102m, you will see that is around a third of [our] annual revenue.

“It’s no wonder that Bedfordshire Police is an open secret as being in the worst position of any of the 43 police forces of England and Wales.”

Teams working on the six CSE investigations are said to be “limited” and social workers have been requested from local authorities to help carry out witness interviews.

Bedfordshire Police was the only force in the country to be rated “Inadequate” by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) last year and it currently holds a “Requires Improvement” rating.

Mrs Holloway said: “In July of this year, I had to make the first complaint against HMICFRS to question a lack of impartiality, balance and fairness.

“There’s nothing fair about putting together a report ... and making recommendations – implied as actions to take – which are known to be unaffordable and as a result unachievable.”

In a financial report sent to ministers, Mrs Holloway said the force needed an additional £10m to stay afloat.

She said: “If things remain unchanged, we face £11.4m to £12.5m of cuts in the next four years.... What is required is £10m extra per year.”

In February, the Leighton Buzzard Observer reported the story of a businessman who desperately called 999 for help as his colleague was being threatened with a metal bar by armed robbers, but police failed to attend.

The incident was brought up by South West Beds MP Andrew Selous during a House of Commons debate, as he made an impassioned plea for extra funding for Bedfordshire Police.

In response, Policing Minister Nick Hurd admitted the case provided “powerful” support to demands for more police funding in Bedfordshire.

The businessman told the LBO at the time: “God help you if you’re in Leighton Buzzard ringing 999, because the police won’t come in time.”

The Government’s Spending Review will be announced on November 22.

Town progressed to the semi-finals of the Buckingham Charity Cup with a very laboured performance on Tuesday night against a very hard working Unite MK 2-1 in Bletchley.

Town were by far the better side and created many more chances than their young opponents who worked very hard but were not able to create many real goal scoring opportunities .

Unite could have scored when a header went over the bar when a better directed effort would surely have found the net . Although Leighton had the greater share of possession they failed to really trouble the home keeper.

Town went ahead when Tom Silford beat the 'keeper from close range and this should have set them on the way to victory but a scrambled effort drew their hosts level. Substitute James Hatch got the winner near the end and Town played out the final minutes without any scares.

Although Town started this game without seven regular first team players, manager Reynolds needs to work hard to have the entire squad up for games of this nature if they are to continue to challenge for honours this season.

Following the successful launch in September of the Rotary Club of Leighton Linslade’s ‘Yes We Can’ disability sport project, the embryonic football squad were invited to attend a disability football event at the MK Arena hosted by MK SET in this their 10th birthday year.

The squad were successful in this their first outing scooping the award for the infamous penalty shoot out. The squad was also invited to attend the MK Dons v Fleetwood match as guests of the club and enjoyed this picture being taken at half time and being announced to the 8,000 strong crowd. Pictured are members of the squad and coaches as well as Rotary President Dick Johnson and Junior Vice President Peter Banwell.

The archery squad have also received achievement awards recently building on the inspirational visit of the Rio gold medalist Jess Stretton.

The project goes from strength to strength with football at Gilbert Inglefield from 6pm on Tuesdays, archery from 6pm at the Silver Arrows Eddlesborough on Wednesdays, and swimming at Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre on Saturday mornings at 10am.

Watch out for more sporting opportunities in the New Year with active discussions underway with at least two more sports. Anyone who wishes to either take part in disability sport or assist the Rotary Club and its current partners in delivering disability sport, should contact the Rotary Club via its Facebook page or website or call Mr Johnson on 01525 211484.

They may have been the Dunstable and Houghton Regis Business and Community Awards, but that didn’t prevent a few accolades being picked up by Leighton Buzzard!

A total of 20 awards were dished out at the ceremony at Dunstable Community Centre on Thursday, November 9.

They included the Customer Care Award to Jackson Phillips Automotive Services of King Street.

The family-run business was praised for its “long history of providing outstanding customer service”.

The citation added: “Their industry is not generally known for supplying a high standard of service, but this particular business has more than proved this is not the case for them, receiving a high volume of nominations.

“Customers praised their clear and unbiased advice, friendly, comfortable environment and consistently high standards of customer care.”

The company was also highly commended in Tradesperson Of the Year.

The Sports Achievement Award went to Leighton Buzzard Hockey Club who have “a small but dedicated core of volunteers who work extremely hard to provide sessions to an ever growing number of junior and senior players.

“The friendly welcoming club also encourage their senior members to get involved in training and supporting new starters and younger players, encouraging team spirit.”

The Apprentice of the Year was Joe Raymen of North Street-based IT support company JamCrackers who has “gone from strength to strength”.

His citation read: “He was extremely shy and nervous at first but has worked hard to learn new skills over the last 2 years.

“He is trustworthy and has a passion to learn more and grow his knowledge further.

“He is a valuable part of his company’s team and has helped the business to grow and improve.”

In the nearby village of Totternhoe, Teacher of the Year was presented to Gail Van Vuuren (Totternhoe Lower) whose commitment and dedication to her pupils was described as “exceptional” and “her energy and zest is infectious and her class moto ‘sparkle and shine’ inspires and engages her pupils daily.”

Sarah Norman from the same school was judged Highly Commended.

Volunteer of the Year was Mr Gifford (Tottenhoe) who has been a volunteer for over 40 years, dedicating his time to support his local school and also volunteering for the British Heart Foundation.

The citation added: “He is a much loved and highly respected individual by the children and the parents at Tottenhoe Lower School and his support helps the school to continue with fund raising.

“A very supportive, dedicated and special volunteer who gives so much of his time and all for free.”

Awards organiser Vicki Stonham, from Collective3 and Networking at Dunstable, said: “Now into our seventh year we are happy to have held a successful event, celebrating the local community and businesses from our towns and villages.

“Our winners are all deserving and have been nominated by the public.

“We are so grateful to all sponsors of the event, our committee, volunteers and judges, as without them we could not give every finalist a free ticket to attend the gala evening.

“We are supporting the Dunstable foodbank again this year and from money raised on the raffle and profit from the bar we hope to feed over 1,200 people this Christmas, which is all thanks for those attending.

“I only wish all finalist could be winners.”

The full list of award winners:

Disability Smart Award - Kids In Action (Dunstable)

Most Contributed to Dunstable Town - June Bryne (Tour organiser of Dunstable Council)

New Business of the Year - Perfect Personalised Parties (Dunstable)

New Business of the Year - Gents Barbers (High Street South, Dunstable)

Environmental Award - British Heart Foundation (Dunstable)

Apprentice of the Year - Joe Raymen (JamCrackers, Leighton Buzzard)

Hospitality Venue of the Year- The Bell in Studham (Studham)

Community Business of the Year - BIG Health & Fitness (Dunstable)

Employee of the Year - Sue Cox (Stoten Gillam in Dunstable)

Business of the Year - Lisa Roberts Catering (Ashton Square, Dunstable)

Customer Care Award - Jackson Phillips (Leighton Buzzard)

Teacher of the Year - Gail Van Vuuren (Totternhoe Lower)

Carer of the Year - Teresa Andrews (Houghton Regis)

Volunteer of the Year - Mr Gifford (Tottenhoe)

Lifetime Achievement Award - Roger Turner (Houghton Regis, former town councillor, is now the lead governor at the L&D)

Sports Achievement Award - Leighton Buzzard Hockey Club

Good Neighbour of the Year - Laura Ellaway (Houghton Regis)

Trades Person of the Year - DRJ Building Services (Dunstable)

Role Model of the Year - Clare Church (Dunstable WeightWatchers, Salvation Army Centre in Bull Pond Lane)

Young Hero of the Year- Shannon Lynch (Houghton Regis)

Retailer of the Year- The Cake House (Dunstable)

A man from Scotland has been jailed for five and a half years years after travelling around 370 miles with the intention of meeting a child for sex in Bedfordshire.

Robert Burns, 48, of Wyndford Road, Glasgow, was sentenced today (Friday) at Luton Crown Court after being found guilty of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

He was deemed dangerous by the judge and given an extended licence period of four-and-a-half years on his release from prison.

Burns used a website to chat to people, specifying on his profile that he liked ‘girls between 9 and 12’. After engaging in conversation over email he swapped phone numbers with someone he had met on the site, and made plans to travel to Luton with the intention to abuse an eight-year-old girl in June.

However on arrival he was arrested and was found to have sex related paraphernalia with him, as well as a cuddly toy and two dolls.

Investigation Officer Emma Shipton from Bedfordshire Police’s Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team said: “Throughout his interview, Burns answered ‘no comment’ to a number of questions, including why he was in the area, what his intentions were and who he was staying with.

“He travelled around 370 miles which included a seven hour overnight bus journey with the intention of meeting and sexually abusing a child. In his interview he stated that numerous messages where he had spoken about the meeting were ‘fantasy gone too far’, but his real intentions were clear as he arrived with four packets of condoms in his possession”.

“We are dedicated to keeping young people safe, and the sentence he has received reflects how seriously this kind of offence is taken. We continue to work hard to apprehend those who target young people in our county, and bring them to justice.”

To report concerns about child sexual abuse, contact police on 101.

Two young men were arrested after causing an uproar in a Leighton Buzzard street on Wednesday.

A Bedfordshire Police spokesman said: “We were called to reports of an altercation in East Street, Leighton Buzzard, at around 12.15pm on Wednesday.

“Officers attended and two people were arrested.

“An 18-year-old man from Leighton Buzzard was arrested on suspicion of burglary at the scene and was then later further arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm and a racially aggravated public order offences against a police officer. He has been released under investigation.

“A 17-year-old boy from Leighton Buzzard was arrested on suspicion of burglary and was released with no further action.”

A study of middle aged and elderly people found those with sleep apnoea had a build up of proteins in their brain that trigger the condition.

The discovery could lead to a screening programme for the disorder - with sufferers given oxygen masks, or mouthguards that keep their airways open in bed.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) affects around 2.5 million Britons, and is most common among the elderly.

Sufferers snore loudly, then stop breathing for a few seconds, then to start snoring again with a start.

The oxygen deprivation can cause low blood pressure - and the body’s catching up effort strains the cardiovascular system.

Senior study author Professor Ricardo Osorio said his findings follow recent evidence of a link between decreased REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and dementia. This is the dreaming phase, and the more there is, the more restful the sleep.

He said: “Our data support testing whether clinical interventions aimed at OSA, such as treatment with CPAP or dental appliances, could be implemented during the early phase in which tissue damage precedes clinical symptoms and neuronal dysfunction, to mitigate the progression of cognitive impairment.”

A CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine combats sleep apnoea by keeping the airways open, and forcing air in.

The study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine identified biomarkers for amyloid beta proteins in participants with OSA. These clump together in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

What is more, they increased over time in proportion to snoring severity, meaning those with more sleep disturbances per hour had greater accumulation of amyloid over time.

Psychiatrist Prof Osorio, of New York University, said: “Several studies have suggested sleep disturbances might contribute to amyloid deposits and accelerate cognitive decline in those at risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

“However, so far it has been challenging to verify causality for these associations because OSA and AD share risk factors and commonly coexist.”

In the study of 208 mentally healthy people, aged 55 to 90, his researchers performed lumbar punctures to analyse the amount of amyloid in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

They then used PET (positron emission tomography) scans to measure deposits of the rogue proteins directly in the brain in a subset of the volunteers.

None of the participants was referred by a sleep centre, used CPAP to treat sleep apnoea, was depressed or had a condition that might affect their brain function.

But more than half were found to have sleep apnoea - 36.5 percent with a mild form and 16.8 percent whose condition was moderate to severe.

Exactly half the original group, 104, were then followed for two years which found a link between OSA severity and an increase in amyloid deposits in the brain. This was shown by analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, and confirmed by PET scans.

Surprisingly, it did not predict cognitive deterioration in these healthy elderly adult, suggesting these changes were occurring in the preclinical stages of Alzheimer’s.

Study co author Dr Andrew Varga, a sleep expert and neurologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said: “The relationship between amyloid burden and cognition is probably nonlinear and dependent on additional factors.”

The researchers believe it may also be attributable to the study’s relatively short duration, highly educated participants and use of tests that fail to discern changes in cognitive abilities that are subtle or sleep dependent.

Prof Osorio said: “Recent literature in both mice and humans suggests disturbed sleep leads to higher levels of brain soluble beta amyloid peptides, which aggregates to form senile plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

“This pathological process might be present prior to cognitive decline, indicating that disturbed sleep can be both a consequence and a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

“This longitudinal study shows that obstructive sleep apnea, very common in the elderly, can be a risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease.”

He added: “Results from this study, and the growing literature suggesting that OSA, cognitive decline and AD are related, may mean that age tips the known consequences of OSA from sleepiness, cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunction to brain impairment.

“If this is the case, then the potential benefit of developing better screening tools to diagnose OSA in the elderly who are often asymptomatic is enormous.”

Earlier this year another US team that pooled data from 14 studies showed people with sleep apnoea were 26 per cent more likely to develop dementia.

The number of tests in England to diagnose people with sleep disorders has more than doubled in a decade - from 69,919 in 2007 to 147,610 last year.

Experts said the rise may be down to more awareness about the serious health risks of sleep apnoea, which include increased chances of heart disease and stroke.

In the US, sleep apnoea affects 18 million people, or one in 15 Americans, according to the American Sleep Association.

Lane hoggers, tail-gaters and frequent lane-changers are among the most annoying bugbears for motorists, according to new research.

Nine in ten drivers get annoyed by others, with tailgating being the most popular annoyance winding up over three quarters of Brits.

The detailed report - which lists 50 driving habits most unpopular with the UK’s easily-annoyed motorists - also listed road users cutting in at the last minute, those who pull out of a junction too slowly and failing to stop for a red light also infuriate drivers.

Unsurprisingly, nearly two thirds of those polled admitted their own driving can be affected by irritants on the road, and at times they don’t drive as safely as they should themselves when trying to avoid other annoying drivers.

David Carter from Accident Advice Helpline, who commissioned the study said: “It’s understandable for motorists to get frustrated but we are all guilty of causing danger to other road users when driving.

“It’s important to not let your emotions get the better of you when other motorists are driving dangerously, as this won’t always end well.”

Drivers who ‘rev’ at traffic lights, those who are slow to pull out and taking too long to park are among the top 50 bugbears.

‘Rubberneckers’ who slow down traffic to inspect accidents annoy three in ten Brits, while four in ten get irritated by those who skip red lights and those who don’t stop at zebra crossings.

Middle lane hogs

And 54 per cent of drivers feel annoyed by others who insist on hogging the middle lane.

But it’s not just other motorists causing problems, with roadworks, speed traps and cyclists using the road instead of the purpose-built cycle lanes infuriating drivers.

For some it’s what’s going on inside the car, with passengers and their terrible music taste getting hold of the radio annoying motorists.

Of the average eight hours a week spent driving, nearly a fifth of this time is spent getting annoyed by fellow road users.

And 57 per cent said they get distracted by the poor decisions made by others.

Three in ten find they won’t drive as safely because of the behaviour of other motorists, which is resulting in six in ten having a ‘near’ miss or accident because of another driver.

And eight per cent admit the same applies as a result of their own poor driving decisions.

David Carter added: “We deal with the aftermath of accidents and know first-hand the devastating effects that car accidents can have on people’s lives. If drivers are getting irritated on the road there’s a chance that this cause an accident which can alter people’s lives”.

Even more detail can be found at: https://www.accidentadvicehelpline.co.uk/blog/driving-irriations-gets-drivers-fuming/

TOP 50 DRIVING IRRITATIONS

1. Tailgating

2. Drivers who don’t signal

3. People texting and driving

4. Drivers who leave their full beam on

5. Parking over two spaces

6. Lane hoggers

7. Slow drivers

8. Drivers who don’t say thank you

9. Drivers who use the empty lane to get to the front of a queue of traffic and cut in last minute

10. People who go through red lights

11. Cyclists who go through red lights

12. Fast drivers

13. Parking on an angle so you can’t possible park next to them

14. Traffic jams

15. Drivers who don’t stop at zebra crossings

16. Road works

17. People who fly past you when one lane is shut and try and squeeze in half a mile ahead of you when you’ve been patiently waiting in the queue

18. When lorries overtake other lorries and cause a massive tailback

19. Cyclists who ride on the road when there are purpose built cycle lanes right nearby

20. Drivers who undertake

21. People who sit in the far right lane when they aren’t overtaking

22. Breaking suddenly

23. Lane-changers

24. Sunday drivers

25. Rubber neckers/slowing down traffic to look at an accident

26. Drivers who don’t wear seatbelts

27. Hidden speed cameras

28. Getting trapped behind a bus/tractor

29. Drivers of white vans who think they’re Lewis Hamilton and do 100mph in the fast lane

30. Drivers who never let anyone out

31. People who change their speed really erratically

32. When you catch all the red lights

33. Drivers who refuse to overtake something slow like a cyclist or horse

34. Hesitant drivers who won’t pull out of a turning even though you have flashed your lights eight times and waved them out three times

35. Speed traps

36. Drivers with loud music and the windows down

37. People who have their fog lights on - in the summer

38. Drivers who leave their indicators on

39. Average speed cameras

40. 50mph signs on the motorway

41. Dithering at junctions

42. Drivers who beep

43. Drivers who stop to let cars through despite there being plenty of room

44. People who pull away really slowly

45. Drivers who ‘rev’ at traffic lights

46. Drivers who keep stopping to let people out

47. People who drive at 60mph in the middle lane and get the hump when you undertake them at 70mph in the slow lane

48. People who turn into roads really slowly

49. Drivers who take too long to park

50. When you change lane in traffic because the other lane is going quicker - and the lane you change into stops dead

While many of us are in constant touch electronically with friends and family, the old tradition of sending (and receiving) Christmas cards to far-flung places is one that we still hold dear.

But a physical letter’s journey is still subject to the delays caused by the huge distances between here and our far-away relatives and acquaintances.

So, it’s best to get your cards and presents in the post good and early, to avoid disappointment.

And Royal Mail has published its recommended latest Christmas posting dates for air mail.

Post to the Middle East and Africa should be dispatched by Saturday December 2, while cards or gifts to Australia or New Zealand should be mailed by Saturday December 9.

The last recommended posting date for the United States and Canada is December 14, while cards and presents to Denmark, Norway, Slovakia and Switzerland can be posted up to Friday 15 December.

Closest to home, letters and parcels going to the The Republic of Ireland and France have a final sending date of Saturday December 16 if they’re to arrive in time for Christmas. .

These last posting dates apply to both standard international services and those which have tracking and signature.

Origins of a new era for Assassin’s.

I’m a big Assassin’s Creed fan and even I was growing tired of the copy and paste nature of the series.

Yes you could argue the formula works so why make drastic changes but it has at times felt like all that has changed is the location.

Well Assassin’s Creed Origins changes all that... and then some.

As far as I’m concerned this is comfortably the best, most engrossing, engaging, fluid and enjoyable Assassin’s yet in the finest setting.

Egypt is brought to life in breathtaking style with great thought to the various cultures in a wonderfully well-woven storyline. The awesome level of detail and sheer expanse makes just watching someone else play an enthralling spectacle. The story and script is the bedrock of everything good about ACO, though.

The lead character keeps you fully engrossed in the main story thread while there are also lots of memorable side-events and missions to enjoy along the way.

The combat system has been overhauled while the RPG element of the game is more advanced and prevalent than every before.

In previous AC titles I have become quickly frustrated with the clumsy camera/controls/parkour system.

Although approaching missions in stealth mode is the weak link this time around, all other areas are vastly improved and leaping up structures is now much smoother and less buggy.

Egypt can at times be sparse - perhaps a by-product of trying to make things a little too realistic - which is another negative but in no way spoils the overall experience.

ACO is quite simply stunning and boasts more mission variety than any other game in the series. The new combat system is infinitely better and rewards thought over button mashing.

Levelling up and weapon variety all add to the allure and despite encountering the odd annoying glitch I always wanted to keep playing so good was the storyline, a lot like the best in class Grand Theft Auto games.

The audience enjoyed a mix of music at a concert held in aid of the mayor’s charity fund.

Leighton mayor Cllr Syed Rahman hosted a free concert at the Hockliffe Street Baptist Church in aid of his Mayor’s Fund.

First on stage was the Woburn Jazz Band, who played a selection of big band arrangements, jazz standards, Latin and foot tapping funk.

During the second half The Rock of Ages Choir entertained the audience with their retro rock’n’roll covers from the 50s and 60s.

Among the invited guests were mayors and clerks from neighbouring towns and town councillors.

Cllr Rahman is grateful to all who supported this event, and would like to thank the Baptist Church for their hospitality, those who helped with the refreshments and all those who went along to make the event a huge success.

He is especially grateful to the Woburn Jazz Band and, in particular, the Rock of Ages group, who also made a donation to support his charities.

The event raised more than £900.

A company based in Leighton has backed an unusual awareness campaign.

Peli BioThermal, the global name in cold chain packaging, celebrated the return of two intrepid riders who cycled for 12 months in a global challenge to help raise awareness about diabetes.

As an official partner of the project, called ‘For A Piece of Cake’, Peli BioThermal donated its Crēdo ProMed, a robust, temperature-controlled portable medical transport bag specifically designed to ensure protected pharmaceutical products remain intact.

The product is used by emergency responders and medical couriers globally.

The bag provided vital pharmaceutical protection en route, enabling diabetic cyclist Chiara Ricciardi to finish the trip while safely storing her insulin on her bike.

Chiara, who has type 1 diabetes, embarked on the journey, cycling 18,000km from Italy to Singapore, with fellow rider Riccardo Rocchi, in a bid to shine a spotlight on the medical condition affecting over 400 million people worldwide and to promote exercise as a method of reducing the daily insulin requirement for people like herself.

During the trip, Chiara significantly reduced the amount of insulin she needed to regularly inject.

Peli BioThermal’s Crēdo ProMed was a permanent fixture on her bicycle throughout the journey ensuring her medication remained intact without the need for external cooling for days at a time as they cycled across through extremes of temperature.

Riccardo said: “The protection of insulin for one year, on a bicycle in very hot climates, was a challenge that we had never faced before. Insulin is vital for Chiara, so this wasn’t a small concern.”

Chiara added: “The Crēdo ProMed was crucial to our trip and it performed perfectly. When the temperatures increased in the hottest climates we also put in the box for protection, the sensors and strips used for measuring my blood sugar. For 385 days it carried my insulin ensuring the correct temperature for it, no matter the external condition.

“The regular cycling drastically reduced the amount of insulin injected daily. I passed from 45/50 units per day to 20/30 units.

“We showed people with diabetes and their families that the disease shouldn’t stop anyone from following their dreams.”

Rushmere Country Park has played a starring role in a new video.

Up-and-coming freeriding star, Matt Jones, filmed Frames of Mind on his own purpose-built trail at the country park.

The film, which uses rotoscoping techniques, shows how Jones visualises tricks and pushes mountain biking freestyle skills to the limit, providing a fresh view into how elite athletes use sports psychology to compete at the highest level.

The film sees Red Bull’s young gundemonstrate unique tricks, including world-firsts in freestyle mountain biking: Bum Slide, 270 Rim Bonk, Hitching Post Flip to Feet, Decade Tsunami, Superman Backflip to tuc no-hander.

Within the film, advanced editing technique ‘rotoscoping’ was used by Cut Media to enable the audience to see what was going through Matt’s mind as he prepared for seemingly impossible tricks.

This required an intricate process, cutting out countless sequential frames in order to create the floating ‘traces’ seen in the final production.

As an athlete in a high-risk sport, Matt Jones works closely with top performance mentor Gary Grinham to help him maintain a winning mentality in the run-up to competitions and in his comeback after injury. Gary commented: “The most important thing you must do is accept the worst possible outcome. You will never perform your best if, while you are competing, you are thinking about getting hurt. Once this is done, it will allow you to perform free and without worry.” Their partnership was the inspiration behind the film. Matt was forced to visualise his tricks with very little physical practice when he broke his wrist following a crash at Crankworx Rotorua, weeks before filming started.

Matt, now 23, has been mountain biking since the age of 10, spending as many hours building jumps as he has riding them. He first emerged on the British dirt jump scene while still at school, before winning his first international competition in 2016.

He said: “Landing a trick you’ve been building up to is the best feeling.”

To find out more about Matt and watch his film ‘Frames of Mind’ go to www.redbull.com/framesofmind

An annual art and craft show is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Town Farm Art Show takes place at the beautiful home of Cheddington-based painter, Christine Bass, and features her local landscapes alongside the work of 10 other artists and makers.

This year’s show will be held from Friday, November 24, to Sunday, November 26, from 10am-4pm on all three days at 6 Town Farm, Cheddington, LU7 0TT.

The show has developed around a nucleus of six regular participants but, over the years, has showcased the work of more than 30 artists and makers.

One visitor summed up the reaction of many when she emailed to say: “What a treat it is to have all this talent on my doorstep in Cheddington.”

It has become the ‘go to’ destination for people looking for that unique gift – either for themselves or for a loved one.

The artwork is displayed throughout the house and garden and, in addition to the chance to buy some special presents, visitors are also able to chat with the artists and craftspeople about their work.

An additional attraction is that donations for the mulled wine and home-baked festive treats are in aid of Rennie Grove Hospice Care.

Check your pockets, piggy-banks and down the back of the couch now, folks.

A rare 50p coin featuring Sir Isaac Newton recently sold on eBay for £120 (240 times its value) - and you could have one worth £245 in your spare change without even knowing it.

That’s right, it’s worth checking the design of any 50p coins you have to see if it could be one of the rarest and most valuable ones in circulation.

While the most sought-after 50p - the Kew Gardens design - can fetch up to £245 on the likes of eBay, other rare 50p coins usually achieve a premium of around 10 to 12 times face value (£5-£6) when they are sold on.

It goes without saying, perhaps, but the rarer the coin the more it’s worth, and experts at Changechecker.org have created a scarcity index that tracks which circulating 50p coins are the most scarce and collectable.

The index uses a unique combination of mintage, collecting and swap data to give the most up-to-date picture of today’s 50p coin collecting market.

The aforementioned Kew Gardens 50p tops the scarcity list. With a mintage (the number of coins issued) of just 210,000 it is the rarest coin and, therefore, the most in-demand.

The next nine scarcest coins are all from the 2012 Olympics.

Football, Triathlon, Judo, Wrestling 50 pences will sell for between £8 and £21 on eBay or up to £33 for a set of four.

If you discover you have a rare 50p, you can either choose to sell the coin on eBay or through a specialist like ChangeChecker.org.

A Royal Mail ad intended to raise awareness of the threat of identity theft has been banned for being too scary.

The “excessively threatening and distressing” video seen on Twitter showed a gang of men in balaclavas armed with baseball bats enter a bank shouting: “This is a robbery”.

Staff and customers in the bank were made to get on their knees with their hands held up and were threatened with the baseball bats.

One female member of staff was grabbed repeatedly by the shoulder and the wrist and asked her full name and date of birth by one of the raiders.

Throughout the scene members of the public, including a child, were shouted at aggressively by the assailants, with some appearing scared and others crying.

The ad - entitled ‘Heist’ - was seen at around 9pm one night in August on ITV Player during an episode of Coronation Street.

Seven viewers complained to watchdogs that the ad was “likely to cause fear and distress” without justifiable reason, particularly for those who had been victims of violence.

Others said it was “inappropriately placed” at a time when children could have been viewing.

ID theft

Royal Mail said the ad was intended to be the start of a wider campaign to highlight the dangers of identity fraud outlined the risks of oversharing on social media, and offered information and services to help people protect themselves.

They said that ID fraud was an area of growing concern in the UK with almost 173,000 cases in 2016, the highest level since records began in 1993, and a 59 per cent increase from 2013.

Royal Mail claimed that the level of violence depicted in the ad was “proportionate” in light of its purpose and was not excessive.

And the firm said it had instructed ITV to only show the ad after 9pm.

ITV said they had not received any complaints about the ad.

But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found the ad to be in breach of rules regarding harm and offence as well as responsible advertising.

Serious crime

An ASA spokesman said: “While we understood that the scenario of a bank robbery was chosen to emphasise the seriousness of the crime, we noted that this was not among the common scenarios in which identity fraud was perpetrated.

“As a result, we considered that consumers would not be able to clearly see from the ad how they could protect themselves, for example by avoiding certain actions that could make them potentially vulnerable to identity fraud.

“We noted the ads’ reference to the Royal Mail’s ID fraud centre, but it did not appear until the very end of the ad, during which time the scenario was presented without explanation or context.

“Furthermore, because the setting of the ad was recognisable and showed ordinary people, including a child, being shouted at aggressively by ‘criminals’, lying on the floor and trying to hide behind furniture, and looking visibly frightened, the impact was heightened and there was an added sense of threat.

“Because of this, we considered it to be reminiscent of other crimes or situations that people may have experienced that extends beyond the bank robbery depicted and therefore could trigger negative emotions for those who had been victims of violence.

Threatening

“We did not consider that the use of baseball bats made the ad less violent than if knives and guns had been used, as the bats were often shown held in a threatening manner by ‘the criminals’ or positioned next to ‘customers’ heads.

“We understood Royal Mail and ITV’s view that the ad served to highlight a serious and growing crime and to assist customers to find information to protect themselves.

“We noted from the results of the test sample of viewers that the ad may have increased ID fraud awareness for those who had seen it.

“We also noted that Royal Mail had amended the Twitter ad so that a warning appeared accompanying the video and that they did not intend to use the ad again.

“However, we considered that the overall presentation of the ads, as seen by the complainants, was excessively threatening and distressing to the extent that it overshadowed the message the ad intended to convey.

“We concluded the ad was likely to cause fear and distress to viewers, in particular to victims of violence, without a justifiable reason.”

He added: “We told Royal Mail to ensure that in future their ads did not cause fear or distress without justifiable reason.”

Hugely popular discount supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl have issued recalls for snacks over allergy fears.

Aldi has recalled its Clancy’s Barbecue Flavour Coated Peanuts because they contain cashew nuts, which are undeclared on the label.

This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to nuts.

While a reaction to peanuts is one of the best-known food allergies, peanuts are from a different plant family, the legumes, and in fact grow underground.

However, cashews are part of the tree nut family alongside almonds and walnuts, and have been found by some studies to cause an even more severe allergic reaction.

Of course, it is quite possible to be allergic to both types of nut - hence the product’s recall.

A company spokesperson says that the product - in a 200g pack size, with ‘Best before’ end: 07/2018, and Batch code: 7292 7291 - was only available in three regional areas (Neston, Darlington and Goldthorpe, but anyone having purchased a pack from the batch is advised to return it to the store from which it was bought.

Meanwhile, Lidl is recalling three varieties of its Alesto Snacking Pockets because the labelling is not in English.

This means the product is a possible health risk for anyone who has an allergy to cashew nuts, almonds or hazelnuts, and/or a sensitivity to sulphite dioxide/sulphites.

The affected products, all in 25g packs, are:

Alesto - Summertime Strawberry & Nut (Seriously Berry). Allergen: Cashew nuts

Crunchy Seed & Nut. Allergen: Cashew nuts, almonds

Alesto - Golden Fruit & Nut. Allergen: Sulphur dioxide, hazelnuts

The company have advised anyone having purchased the items to return them to the store from where they were bought for a full refund.