Central Bedfordshire Council is planning to make pavement repairs in two areas of Leighton Buzzard later this year.

It comes after the Leighton Buzzard Society invited the council to join them on a walk around the town centre to highlight the problems, in particular the High Street and Market Square.

The chairman of the Leighton Buzzard Society, Maurice Crow, created a petition in April in a bid to get the council to improve the appearance of the pavements in the town, and repair the damaged bricks.

When he launched the petition he said: “It has been a continual problem for a few years now, and although they are now fixing the cracks, what they are fixing them with is not good enough.”

Another resident called for the council to repair the ‘dangerous’ pavements on the lower side of the High Street. She said: “The pavements are really dangerous, it is uneven, there are holes and bricks missing. It is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.”

Maurice will be presenting his petition to the council at a meeting on Thursday, July 19. He said: “We have 600 signatures and they have said we can present it at the council meeting. I understand there is a regeneration fund and our hopes are that the pavement repairs can be sourced from this.”

A council spokesman said: “Following a walk-around with the Leighton Buzzard Society we are planning to make repairs to the High Street and Market Square later this year.

“A number of areas of block paving requiring repair have been identified and will be replaced to help to make the paving look more attractive and improve the appearance of the town centre.”

Thinking of escaping the rat race and upping sticks to the countryside?

If so, one of these top five dream cottages in our region could make the perfect spot to enjoy a more relaxed and tranquil approach to life.

All five properties are in ideal rural locations and are available through Michael Graham Estate Agents.

1. Cedar Cottage, in Wavendon, near Milton Keynes, is a Grade II listed, 16th century thatched three-bedroom detached-cottage with a modern clay tiled extension linked by a glazed entrance hall.

The property has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and was recently extended.

It was also rethatched eight years ago and many original features have been retained.

The property is available for £695,000. Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-WBS180111 for more.

2. Rectory Cottage is in Hardwick, near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, and is a Grade II listed, 17th century home.

The homely cottage includes five bedrooms, a second floor study, and four bathrooms.

It sits in a generous plot of 0.35 acres and has been refurbished and remodelled to a high specification.

The cottage is available for £1,000,000. Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-AYL170074 for more.

3. Pond Cottage is in Dinton, near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire and is a five-double bedroom detached home sitting in 5.6 acres of woodland.

The attractive property was once two adjoining farmworkers’ cottages.

It includes a private driveway and double garage with attached studio and enjoys gorgeous open countryside views.

The property is available for oieo £1,000,000. Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-AYL130384 for more.

4. Brambledown is in Monks Risborough, Buckinghamshire, and is a 1920s ‘Arts and Crafts’ style detached cottage.

The picturesque property includes four double bedrooms and two reception rooms.

It sits amidst a secluded leafy plot of one acre and the property has plenty of potential for development, subject to planning permission.

Brambledown is available for £950,000. Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-RIS180097 for more.

5. Ivy Farm Cottage is in Great Horwood, Buckinghamshire, and is a Grade II listed, 18th century thatched property.

The five-bedroom detached home sits in a plot of just under one acre.

It includes two en suite bathrooms, two shower rooms, and five reception rooms.

The cottage is available for £900,000. Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-STS170162 for more information.

In stark contrast to allies such as the United States and Canada who monitor their ex-military personnel for life, the United Kingdom has no reliable system in place to track suicides among the nation’s 2.6 million veterans despite evidence that thousands struggle with serious mental health problems, including PTSD.

JP Investigations wrote to the 98 coroners in England and Wales, along with their equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland, to ask for records over the last three years on the number of suicides committed by people who had served in the armed forces.

Just one was able to provide the data while 25 others replied saying no such information was kept or could not be searched for. Several coroners backed calls for such data to be kept in a readily-accessible format.

In response to a request made under the Freedom of Information Act, the Ministry of Defence told JP Investigations that it “does not hold information on the causes of death of all UK Armed Forces veterans”.

A senior NHS executive acknowledged earlier this month that “we can do better” on collecting data on veterans taking their own lives.

Suicide remains rare among military veterans and the last comprehensive study, completed in 2009, found the overall rate was comparable to the general population. Separate studies conducted among veterans of the Falklands War and the Gulf War found risk of suicide was lower than for the population as a whole.

But, despite the yawning gap in official records, there is evidence that a disturbing number of ex-soldiers - in particular among those who fought in the most recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan - are taking their own lives or attempting to do so.

Johnston Press has established that at least 16 veterans are feared to have committed suicide since January, of whom at least seven are known to have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. At least two of the deaths involved individuals who were also part of British special forces while five were former members of the Royal Marines.

Among the former soldiers to have taken their lives this year are 29-year-old Kevin Williams, who was the youngest British soldier to fight in Iraq when he was deployed on his 18th birthday. He took his own life at his home in Basildon in March after being diagnosed with PTSD and failing to keep appointments for treatment. His comrade and friend, John Paul Finnigan, 34, who served alongside him during some of the toughest fighting in Iraq, also killed himself 12 weeks later.

Our figures mean that ex-soldiers and sailors are killing themselves at a rate of one every 11 days. During the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014 the rate of British fatalities due to enemy action was one death every 14 days.

The Government last week confirmed to JP Investigations that it has no suicide data relating to veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan but insisted it is “committed to undertaking this work”.

Campaigner Rose Gentle, whose son Gordon was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2004 and who has since become a leading voice on the treatment of veterans, strongly backed the investigation’s findings. She said: “The Government is embarrassed in case the true figures come out. It’s wrong that the information on veteran suicides is not available.

“The situation for boys leaving the services is just as bad as it ever was. They come out of the services and many are struggling. They have lots flashbacks, they’re so depressed and just can’t handle it. A lot of them are lost, a lot don’t know where to turn.”

Figures from a published study by Combat Stress, the oldest and largest veterans mental health charity, are that 19 per cent of veterans it currently treats have moderate to severe suicidal thoughts.

Relatives, campaigners and professionals - including two coroners - told our investigation that they believed official figures for the number of suicides were vital to understanding the extent of serious mental health problems among veterans and focusing resources designed to assist former personnel experiencing a mental health crisis and prevent them from taking their own lives.

After years of criticism, the Government has begun to put significant resources into mental health provision for both serving personnel and veterans, amounting to £22m a year for the next decade. Among measures launched in the last 18 months is an online “Veterans’ Gateway” to streamline access to help and a tailored NHS service to help personnel leaving the armed services. A Veterans’ ID card to allow ex-servicemen and women identify themselves and access services is also in the pipeline.

But a large number of those interviewed by JP Investigations were sharply critical of the absence of reliable data, arguing that such information would be straightforward to collect from inquest proceedings or NHS records.

In America, where the death records of every veteran are collected by a dedicated Washington department, the suicide rate increased by 35 per cent between 2001 and 2016. A study by the Department for Veteran Affairs found that in 2015 the suicide rate was 2.1 times higher among US former military personnel compared with the civilian population.

In Australia, an official report in January this year found the suicide rate from 2002–2015 was 14 per cent higher among male veterans than all Australian men, after adjusting for age.

A Canadian government study based on records from 1976 to 2012 found that its veterans were at a “significantly higher risk of death by suicide” compared to civilians. The age-adjusted suicide rate for male veterans was 40 per cent higher compared to civilians and for female veterans the figure was 80 per cent.

There is no such equivalent information for the United Kingdom.

A leading clinician at Combat Stress, which is currently treating more than 3,000 veterans, said reliable suicide data was vital to understand whether Britain was experiencing a similar sharp increase to its allies and the lack of this data is a “red light” for those working with ex-servicemen and women.

Dr Dominic Murphy told JP Investigations: “We don’t actually know those rates. From the mid-noughties onwards there has been a higher rate of suicide among American, Canadian and Australian veterans and some of our European allies and we just don’t know [the situation] in the UK because the last study was in 2009.

“One could argue that it might coincide with the end of… the active war fighting phase in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are still low prevalence rates but any increase is very worrying, it is a very negative outcome. For me it is a red light that we need to actually fill this gap with data.”

A former head of the Royal Navy expressed his surprise at the lack of suicide records. Admiral Lord West, who is now a Labour peer, said: “Not to have the statistics of what’s actually happening, it would be very silly. Otherwise how could you take any action if it’s necessary?

“I’m very surprised there’s no kind of record of [suicide from] mental illness that stems from their time in the military. I think it would make absolute sense to do that.”

Northern Ireland MP Jeffrey Donaldson, a veteran and former member of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, told JP Investigations that his own contacts with veteran groups led him to believe that the number of suicides among ex-services personnel is increasing and called for an “urgent review” by the MoD of record keeping practices.

He said: “Whilst there will be varying circumstances in each of these suicides, the current trend is very worrying and the deaths of these brave people is an indictment of a system that is failing to provide many veterans with adequate support and treatment.

The Government need to undertake an urgent review of their record keeping to ensure that the MOD are continuously monitoring the levels of suicide amongst veterans. Having access to such statistics won’t resolve the issues linked to suicide amongst veterans but it will help identify the scale of it and thus assist with targeting resources where they are most needed.”

A veteran turned psychologist, who has set up a pioneering service to treat ex-military personnel which has the backing of senior generals, told JP Investigations that the failure to collect data from inquests or NHS mental health trusts made it appear that the Government was deliberately ignoring the extent of the problem.

Simon Maryan, a former Royal Marine who jointly heads Veterans United Against Suicide UK, said he had he seen a rise in suicides and suicide attempts since the beginning of 2017.

He told JP Investigations: “When you leave the forces in the UK the Ministry of Defence essentially washes its hands of you - you become the responsibility of the civilian sector.

“It is unforgivable that we have no proper way of recording whether a suicide involves a veteran. It should be a mandatory requirement for the Ministry of Defence and coroners to ask if someone who has committed suicide had been in the services. It is not a difficult thing to do - it's a tick box.

“Not recording these figures makes it very easy for the MoD to turn a blind eye. How they can they tackle a problem if they don’t know its scale and nature. If it is possible to record these figures in America or Australia, why not in the UK? It is a derogation of duty of care - bluntly, they have screwed these guys up, they should fix them.”

The statistics currently available on suicide rates among veterans rely on so-called “cohort studies” focused specifically on veterans from the Falklands War and the Gulf War, and information held by mental health trusts treating veterans.

Two coroners told JP Investigations they believed a systematic approach would be beneficial.

Dewi Prichard Jones, Coroner for North West Wales, said his own experience indicated that young maladjusted male veterans with short service records were at highest risk of suicide - a finding confirmed by other studies.

But he said a more comprehensive system was needed: “It would probably help to tackle this as is done in the US and Australia but it will be a matter of resources and priorities. Suicide is a favoured topic of public discussion at present. If they could track veterans and do something on suicide that would be very helpful.”

The MoD told JP Investigations that provision of veterans’ mental healthcare is “primarily” the responsibility of the NHS and devolved administrations. It added that it had “no ability” to direct coroners or the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland.

A MoD spokesperson said: “While rates of suicide are significantly lower in the Armed Forces than the general population, any suicide is a tragedy for the individual, their family, friends and colleagues and we take each case extremely seriously.

“The reasons people take their lives can vary and are not necessarily linked to their service. Help is available for serving personnel, their families and veterans, including through the two 24-hour mental health helplines provided by Combat Stress.”

Dr Dominic Murphy, a senior clinical lecturer at Combat Stress, says that the lack of data on the issue is a “red light” for those concerned about veterans’ welfare.

His research of the charity’s mushrooming client base has reflected what is already known - that young men from unstable backgrounds who leave the services after a short period are most at risk from suicide.

What he does not know is whether the rapid increase in demand for the charity’s mental health services might also suggest a rise in suicides among the UK’s veterans.

'WE DON’T KNOW THOSE RATES'

“We don’t actually know those rates. From the mid-noughties onwards there has been a higher rate of suicide among American and Canadian and Australian veterans and some of our European allies and we just don’t know [the situation] in the UK because the last study was in 2009.”

Although suicide is “not very common” the rises among UK allies have been “significant”.

The rises among UK allies have been over a similar time frame.

“One could argue it might coincide with the end of the wars, the active war-fighting phase in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are still low prevalence rates but any increase is very worrying, it is a very negative outcome.”

He adds: “For me it is a red light that we need to actually fill this gap with data.”

His understanding is that UK coroners don’t routinely ask if the deceased was a veteran when they do kill themselves.

The Johnston Press Investigations Team wrote to coroners across the UK and those who replied confirmed that they had no means to record that someone was a veteran after an inquest.

“The fact that you wrote to all the corners and could not collect any data just shows that we don’t really know what is going on.”

By contrast the health care systems of Canada, American, Australia have a veterans affairs agency which tracks them on a national database and allows access to different health provision, he says.

HIS STUDY

He has just completed a study of 400 of the 3185 clients currently being treated by Combat Stress, looking at how often they have suicidal thoughts or ‘suicidal ideation’.

The results have been accepted for publication in the Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corp.

“Our data suggests that 19% of our [client] population currently experience moderate to severe suicidal ideation”.

Some of the risk factors for suicidal thoughts he found among his client base are being a young single male, an early service leaver ( less than four years of continuous service), unemployed and having had more difficult childhood experiences.

Such veterans often grow up without adult role models who can regulate their emotions well.

“It just means people get really stressed and can’t calm down.”

This finding confirms research by other academics.

RED FLAGS

It is a “red flag” if his clients have made any actual plans or attempted to take their life or self-harmed in the past.

“Protective factors” that mitigate against suicide are whether they have loved ones and whether they have more positive thoughts to balance out the negative ones.

“Often this is friends, family, children, pets - if people don’t have those again that is very concerning. So you can see why people who aren’t in employment or relationships is kind of worrying.”

He adds: “For such people, they cannot see a future where they are not suffering from mental health problems.”

“When you are in the military you have quite a high status, you have a job you are quite respected, you have got peers around you. You then leave the armed forces and you may not be working, you may not have any friends, social support around you. That loss of status can be very difficult for people, as it would be for anyone; loss of meaning and loss of direction.”

Combat Stress has three treatment centres in Great Britain. Veterans in Northern Ireland may receive community-based treatment or attend a centre in Great Britain.

Leighton Buzzard’s only homeless shelter is hitting back at “malicious” online comments made after Central Bedfordshire Council imposed a further cull of its overnight numbers.

The Black Horse shelter in North Street was told it must reduce the numbers staying overnight from nine to seven people, in order to comply with fire safety regulations.

The shelter relies heavily on housing benefit to help towards its £130,000 annual costs.

CBC has instructed tenants to fill in a licence agreement confirming they live at the Black Horse in order to receive housing benefit.

However, inaccurate claims have been spread online that tenants are being forced to pay £245 rent per week and threatened with eviction if they don’t sign the paperwork, with “highly paid co-ordinators” in charge.

But Leighton Linslade Homeless Service, who run the shelter, has stated that no-one has been evicted or threatened with eviction for not signing.

The shelter has just one paid member of staff, supported by a team of volunteers.

A Leighton Linslade Homeless Service spokesman said: “It is devastating to have the hard work that has been put in by a large number of volunteers to provide the only facility for homeless people in Leighton Buzzard publicly trashed by ill informed comments widely circulated on Facebook.

“These comments can only damage the interests of the charity and our ability to provide support to some of the most vulnerable persons in the town.

“I can only describe these comments as malicious”.

They added there was no reason not to sign the standard agreement, with no direct cost to residents due to most of the licence fee being paid through housing benefit.

The Black Horse shelter was founded by Leighton Linslade Homeless Service in the absence of any dedicated homeless service locally.

CBC later admitted it had not predicted homelessness would become a problem in the town.

In its early stages, the shelter housed up to 18 people each night, however this was halved down to nine people after CBC began to regulate it. This number has now again been reduced to seven.

Responding to comments made online, Cllr Amanda Dodwell said: “I have confirmation with the Black Horse that the current weekly rental charge is £137.93.

“Our revenue and benefits colleagues have confirmed that only £15.78 of this charge is ineligible (must be covered by the resident), as it includes services and food (2 meals a day). Unfortunately, the weekly rental is expected to increase this year but the evaluation is still under way by the Rent Office and I am, therefore, unable to confirm the new figures.”

A spokesman for Central Beds Council was unable to comment before our deadline.

At their recent AGM, Leighton Town Acting Chairman McGregor resigned from his post after a combined total of just over 20 years service to the club as vice chairman and chairman.

Alan Penman will replace McGregor as chairman for the forthcoming season.

A statement read: "The club would like to thank Iain for his committed and loyal service over such a long period of time.

This weekend, Leighton Town take on Luton Town in the Beds Premier Cup. Kick off at Bell Close is 3pm.

Open your attics, search the second hand shops and bring along your most prized possession, because the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow is coming to Wrest Park tomorrow!

On Thursday, July 19, BBC One will be filming for its next series and presenter Fiona Bruce and the team of Antiques Roadshow experts will be waiting to welcome you and give free advice and valuations.

Robert Murphy, series producer of Antiques Roadshow, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming thousands of visitors when we bring Antiques Roadshow to Wrest Park.

“It’s a great free, family day out and you can see how we make one of BBC One’s most popular programmes – you never know, it might just be your item that turns out to be something very special.”

Wrest Park is a spectacular country house, designed to look like a grand French chateau and has one of the most complete 18th century landscaped gardens in the country.

Operating as a military hospital and convalescent home during WW1, the house has a remarkable history. 

Fiona Bruce, said: “Can this year be even better than our last? We’ll have to go some way to top the most valuable Faberge ever seen on the programme, a correction to Darwin’s theory of evolution by the great man himself and one of the best collections of show business memorabilia ever seen by our experts. 

“But I have every confidence we’ll do it and the thousands of people that come along to see us will pull some extraordinary things out of their bags/trolleys/bits of newspaper/suitcases/boats - and one year even out of a cart led by a dog. I can’t wait.”

Doors open at 9.30am and close at 5pm. Entry to the show is free and no tickets or pre-registration are required. For parking arrangements please check the BBC website.

Visitors are welcome to just turn up on the day, but they can also share their stories about the special items they are bringing along using Share Your Story on the Antiques Roadshow website.

Alternatively, email: antiques.roadshow@ bbc.co.uk or write to Antiques Roadshow, BBC, Whiteladies Road, Bristol BS8 2LR.

Please check www.bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow for any updates before setting off.

More information, frequently asked questions, and parking information, can be found at: www.bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow or on the show’s Facebook page.

Thunderstorms and heavy showers could hit our area on Friday afternoon and into the evening, according to the Met Office.

A yellow severe weather warning has been issued for our area and much of the South East by the Met Office this morning.

The warning for heavy rain and thunderstorms is in place from 2pm Friday (July 20) until midnight.

The Met Office warning reads: “High temperatures may set off some heavy showers and thunderstorms, which in some places could be slow-moving and persistent, bringing a risk of flooding.

“Should they develop, in the heaviest showers some places could see 30mm of rain in an hour, which would likely bring flooding impacts particularly should this fall on an urban area.

“There would also be a smaller chance of impacts from lightning strikes. As is the nature of showers, many places will miss them altogether, and it is not possible to say precisely where they will occur, but the warning area highlights the region at greatest risk.”

The owner of a bike that was stolen from a a business car park in Leighton Buzzard, is appealing for the public’s help.

Adam Tompkins, of Baker Street, cycles to work, in Grovebury Road, every day and was shocked when he noticed his bike, a blue Voodoo Limba, had been stolen from the secure car park on Monday morning.

He said: “I cycle every day and park it in the secure car park, padlocked and chained securely, the car park is locked so only employees can access it, the gates open now and again to let traffic in and out.

“There was a fire alarm test on Monday morning, matching up with the time the man leaves on my bike on the CCTV.

“It’s very frustrating, he just cut the padlock off and then rode off out through the gates.

“My manager checked CCTV and we have a picture of him but it’s not very good.

“I haven’t heard anything from the police yet, I only got the bike in April, I hope someone recognises the man or has seen the bike.”

Adam described the man as in his 40’s, with a bald head.

Police are investigating the incident.

Summer has truly arrived and as the temperatures continue to rise everybody is looking for any excuse to have fun in the sun.

And whether it’s heading out for a family picnic, enjoying a leisurely stroll at a favourite beauty spot, taking to the water or simply unwinding with a cooling drink or an ice cream in the garden we want to capture on camera what sums up the perfect summer’s day for our readers.

So we have chosen Saturday, July 21, as our One Summer’s Day – and all we are asking is for the sun to shine and for you to send us a snap of what you are up to.

We will feature all the best photos on our website at www.leightonbuzzardonline and in the LBO too.

And the best one, as chosen by our editor, will be put up against One Summer’s Day pictures taken by readers of our sister titles across our Johnston Press publishing group to find a national winner!

And you don’t need to be a professional photographer, as long as your shot reflects your day of fun in the sun, it will be considered for the prize-winning top spot.

Editor Olga Norford said: ‘We’ve had a sizzling start to July and are looking forward to many more sunny days to come. We want you to capture what makes a brilliant summer’s day and so are looking for you to capture that perfect moment.

“Look for a splash of colour, look for expression, look for fun - look for anything that sums up your summer’s day. We very much look forward to seeing your entries.”

To take part in One Summer’s Day, email your picture to news@lbobserver.co.uk or message our Facebook page. Please include your full name, address and daytime contact number, plus a brief description of what and who is in your picture and the time it was taken. All digital images must be high resolution and 1MB or above in size.

And remember, only photos taken on Saturday, July 21 will be considered.

Cainhoe Manor is steeped in history.

On top of a small hill surveying open countryside, the location perfectly befits a property that was once a hunting lodge for King Henry VIII - and where Catherine of Aragon was exiled near the end of her marriage to the controversial monarch!

This Grade II listed house, in Gravenhurst, Bedfordshire, not only has a richness of history and character that’s hard to beat but, thanks to a 25-year long refurbishment programme by the current owners, also has a great modern interior allowing for the best of both worlds.

The sense of majesty at Cainhoe Manor begins with a fabulous reception hall that doubles as a drawing room.

The bespoke kitchen, orangery and garden room are light and bright and perfect for dining overlooking the garden.

For more formal occasions, a separate dining room boasts a traditional fireplace and ceiling friezes.

A solid oak staircase leads to the two upper floors and bedrooms where a long oak panelled corridor runs the entire length of the first floor.

The master bedroom suite has exposed oak floors and panelling and one of the five further bedrooms was used by Catherine of Aragon during her captivity at the Manor before the annulment of her marriage to Henry VIII.

State-of-the-art designer bathrooms are all newly fitted to the highest standard and the whole property has been re-roofed, re-plumbed, rewired and re-pointed.

Outside, you’d be hard pushed to find something this property can’t offer.

Designed by award-winning Chelsea Flower show designer Julie Toll, idyllic gardens surround the property.

Extensive grounds of just over four acres include a swimming pool with a smart pool house and sun terrace, a new stable block and a detached Coach House, currently used as a garden machinery store but prime for conversion into a self-contained annexe.

Cainhoe Manor sits in the bucolic hamlet of Gravenhurst with the nearest shop two miles away in the village of Shillington.

The market town of Hitchin is eight miles away, with rail services to London Kings Cross taking around 30 minutes.

The property is available for £2.7 million through Michael Graham’s Bedford office 01234 220000.

Visit michaelgraham.co.uk/property/rps_mig-OHO165715 for more.

An announcement from Ubisoft this week has signalled a real change of tide in the world of video games.

After 500 million mobile downloads Hungry Shark devoured enough data to persuade the right people it should be launched on consoles.

This week Ubisoft released Hungry Shark World, from the acclaimed Hungry Shark mobile franchise, on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox One X and Nintendo Switch.

Historically since the meteoric rise of mobile phones and tablets, popular video games would often be dumbed down or ported onto mobile.

But the meteoric rise of the platform now sees some games being developed for mobile FIRST and consoles very much an afterthought.

Developed by Future Games of London, a Ubisoft branch, Hungry Shark World lets players rise through the ranks of the food chain, starting as a small shark with a little bite and progressing into the meanest predator in the ocean.

Players eat as much as they can to take on a variety of fearsome bosses, including gruesome goblin sharks, prehistoric predators and giant squids.

Hungry Shark World introduces four unique worlds to explore, including tropical islands, sunken temples, vast cities and frozen icebergs.

The game features more than 250 missions and 20 distinctive sharks to upgrade, each with its own characteristics and personality.

HSW is specifically made for console and the game features fully optimised gamepad controls. The game will also support 4K display and provide enhanced graphics on both PS4 Pro and Xbox One X platforms.

As a kid of the 80s and 90s I’m not much of a mobile gamer but this is a big sea-change - pardon the fully intended pun - for the industry, particularly if it does well on console.

Hungry Shark World is available to download now for £7.99.

Leighton Buzzard’s splash park is closed today (Friday) for repairs to its surfacing, just a year after the entire rubber flooring was replaced.

But the work to the popular Parson’s Close Recreation Ground facility, which first opened in April 2011, won’t be costing Leighton-Linslade Town Council any money as it is under warranty.

A council spokesman said: “Depending on use and atmospheric conditions, wet pour should last for years.

“However, there may be times when routine maintenance is required. For example repairs are required when wet pour surface shrinks or expands. This is a natural occurrence of wetpour as rubber expands and contracts throughout the fluctuating seasons. However, it may take many years for the effects to become visible.

“Unfortunately, the essential necessary repairs being undertaken today is happening sooner than we would have anticipated. However, this is being undertaken under guarantee from the supplier who installed the replacement surface last year, so the town council is incurring no costs.”

A middle school was forced to close a day early for the summer holidays after a water main burst in Leighton Buzzard yesterday (Thursday) - but it turns out it didn’t really need to.

The water leak was near the mini roundabout at the junction with Vandyke Road and Meadway and the burst main meant there may have been problems with Gilbert Inglefield Academy’s water supply today (Friday).

The LBO has been told that the school was made aware yesterday that the repair work was taking place overnight and that the water would be back on before it was due to open this morning.

But the Academy told the LBO it made today’s closure decision at 5pm yesterday, and at that time it had received no update from Anglian Water on the progress of the repairs.

Steve Adams, headteacher, said: “The decision was not taken lightly, we had been advised by the water board that there was a probability that we would be without water, and we decided to make the call to parents and staff at 5pm.

“At this point we had not heard from the water board regarding an update and we were working in a tight time frame, the decision had to be made to let parents know.

“Once the message had gone out to parents and staff, the office staff left.

“We then received a message on the answer machine from the water board at 5.29pm to say the repairs were taking place over night and the water should be back on in time for the morning. I was out at a school trip and returned to school at 9pm.

“A decision like this, to close the school is never taken lightly and we waited as long as we could to make it.”

The burst water main has now been repaired and the road will now be resurfaced.

An Anglian Water spokesperson said: “Yesterday (Thursday) we had a burst main in Leighton Buzzard which we repaired in the early hours of this morning.

“To allow our teams to complete the repair work safely we installed temporary traffic lights. Customers were back on water by 4.30am this morning.

“The traffic lights are still in place to allow the road to be resurfaced which will happen today, after which the traffic lights will be removed.

“We’re really sorry for any inconvenience this has caused customers or road users.

“After any interruption to supply the water may look a little cloudy or discoloured for a short while.

“Customers should run their taps for a few minutes until it clears, more information can be found here: www.anglianwater.co.uk/cloudy.”

To the locals it's the 'The Sunniest Place in Denmark' yet the Danish island of Bornholm, with its picture-postcard fishing villages, dense beech and conifer forests, stunning beaches and rugged granite cliffs, is little known to us in Britain.

Landing at the island's small airport close to its west coast capital Rønne – which is by far the largest town – we were met by Destination Bornholm guide Helle Mogensen following our short 25 minute flight aboard a turbo-prop ATR72 from Copenhagen which is operated several times a day by Danish Air Transport (DAT).

Our visit was timed to coincide with the Summer Solstice and also with Denmark’s largest culinary competition, ‘Sol over Gudhjem’. It's a competition which marks the beginning of a week in celebration of the island's produce and one which features no fewer than 65 food, drink, farm and agriculture-based businesses.

From its humble beginnings in 2009, the whole competition came about following a somewhat derigatory comment from the island's only Michelin-starred chef, Mikkel Marschall... and it went something like "nobody on the island knows how to cook!"

Today Mikkel is not only the ‘Sol over Gudhjem’ competition's instigator, but he has remained in charge of proceedings and has also managed to attract a host of big named sponsors.

With a handful of Denmark's top celebrity chefs invited to take part annually, they create menus using local Bornholm produce and products, the results being judged by some of the Europe's best known culinary experts and for the 2018 competition, top English chef James Lowe from Lyle's in London was on the invited panel.

Now in its 10th year, ‘Sol over Gudhjem’ – it roughly translates as 'Sun above God's Home' – it all seems very casual and is a bit like Masterchef in flip-flops! It's held alongside the town of Gudhjem's picturesque harbour, the annual competition now attracts up to 10,000 spectators to its quayside home while it has now become something of a Danish institution.

At a shade larger than the Isle of Man at 588 sq kms (227 sq miles) – as against 572 sq kms – and with a population of almost 40,000, Bornholm sits in the middle of the Baltic Sea, some 210 kms (130 miles) to the east of Denmark's capital Copenhagen.

At just 20 miles from the south-eastern coast of its Scandinavian neighbour Sweden and approximately half as much again from the north Poland coastal town of Kolobrzeg, the island of Bornholm is well know to the Danes, many of whom enjoyed their first encounter with it on a school trip.

We were staying on the opposite side of the island some 30 minutes drive from the airport at the impressive Stammershalle Badehotel – www.stammershalle-badehotel.dk – with its views out to Denmark's easternmost archipelago of Christiansø and Frederiksø which are around 20 kms distance. The islands can easily be reached by ferry from Gudhjem's quayside in a little over an hour... but be warned, it can be extremely rough!

The Stammershalle Badehotel was built in 1911 in classical Scandinavian style and is perched high up on the craggy northern coastal cliffs. The hotel has 16 comfortable ensuite bedrooms – strangely I was in No19! – and all are decorated in traditional Nordic style. There's a very comfortable lounge area and superb dining room which is accessed down some extremely steep steps.

On arrival at the hotel, Helle, the Destination Bornholm (www.bornholm.info) press manager, had arranged for coffee and some delicious strawberry-topped cakes in the lounge as we learned about our pre-planned four-day itinerary.

With the Baltic Sea just yards away, we decided on a pre-dinner dip from the wooden jetty opposite the hotel and while the sea temperature was well below what I call ideal – probably less than 15 degrees! – it mattered not as we quickly headed for the hotel's luxury sauna!

Like most Bornholm hotels, the Stammershalle Badehotel prides itself on its food and it certainly doesn't disappoint on that score as head chef and gold medal winner Marcus and waiters Isolde and Magnus ensured that we were soon tucking into a fabulous six course dinner following a glass of Champagne.

First it was Norway lobster and cauliflower served with red currants, before more courses consisting of smoked mackerel, calf's tongue, Guinea fowl, elderflower ice cream and then cherries in chocolate with macarons and all this accompanied by a variety of wines from around the world… and all absolutely delicious!

From its Baltic fishing village heritage, Bornholm has reinvented itself as an eco-friendly, foodie destination and it is also keen to become 100% green and carbon-neutral by 2025.

With so little traffic, the island is said to be a cycling paradise on pretty flat terrain. With more than 170 miles of dedicated cycle tracks which both criss-cross and circumnavigate the island, we actually borrowed bikes from the hotel although I must admit I struggled and gave up after half an hour… I clearly prefer horsepower over pedal power!

Accompanied by local guide Ross Culiner, a jovial Canadian who married a Bornholm lass, we headed north to one of the island's best-known tourist attractions on our second day, the magnificent early 12th century ruins of Hammershus. Said to be northern Europe's largest castle, it is perched atop a huge granite outcrop offering magnificent views along the coast.

Originally built for a Danish bishop, it's actually 74 metres (243ft) above sea level and dates back to around 1255. Over the next few centuries, it grew to include a great stonewall stretching 750 metres (2,460ft) around its grounds and it was also strategically important to the Hanseatic League, a northern European trading confederation which was still in operation some 300 years later. With views over to southern Sweden clearly visible to the north, a brand new Hammershus Visitor Centre was finally opened in March this year.

We then drove inland, passing through the Almindingen forest which is home to a herd of secretive and shy European bison which were brought to the island several years ago from central Poland. Close by there is also a trotting track which is very popular with the local equestrian fraternity.

Stopping off to visit the largest of Bornholm's four unique round churches at Østerlars – they also served as Baltic fortresses besides being a place of worship – it was then on to Svaneke, the island’s (and Denmark's) most easterly and probably prettiest town with its red-roofed houses and equally attractive harbour.

Svaneke is well known for its liquorice while it also has an excellent brewery (Svaneke Bryghus) and a traditional boiled sweetmaker (Svaneke Bolcher) while glass blowing and ceramics are also regular attractions for visitors.

"The locals all agreed that the town should remain as it is today and not allow any development which goes against the look of the place," said Ross as we walked past so many colourful merchants' houses. We also visited the town's impressive Lutheran church which was being repainted in the traditional red-oche colour following our lunch stop at Svaneke Røgeriet – www.roegerietsvaneke.dk – an impressive five chimney stack smokehouse known locally as the 'Five Sisters'.

And it was at Røgeriet where we were finally introduce to Bornholm's specialist iconic dish 'Sol Over Gudhjem'. It consists of smoked herring on fresh rye bread topped with a raw egg yoke and is accompanied by chives and radishes. Besides that we tucked into smoked cod, mackerel, salmon, prawns and shrimps accompanied by one of the many local brews.

Local fishermen take their herring catches to be smoked at the smokehouse for around five hours in the traditional way, with no artificial smoke flavourings being added… and judging by the huge piles of chopped wood, they are kept pretty busy!

Following an afternoon tour of the Copenhagen Distillery with its deep fresh spring water well, we were introduced to the micro-brewery's sales manager Jesper Mathiesen… and we were more than happy to sample the various flavoured gins designed by fellow owner Sune Urth who is also responsible for research and development of the product.

En route to the distillery we called in at Plantation near the village of Rø where a series of glasshouses are looked after by both the physical and mentally disabled. They grow cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, etc alongside fields of delicious strawberries which we were allowed to pick ourselves.

We also sampled Sea Buckthorn cocktails at Høstet (it means harvested in Danish) – www.høstet.dk – owned by Mads and Camilla Meisner who explained the process of turning bright orange berries into jams, marmalades and delicious juices which can be added to spirits… especially Copenhagen Distillery's gin!

Mads explained: "We planted the Sea Buckthorn bushes back in 2010 and it took three years before we had results. Buckthorn is rich in nutrition and is regarded as a super food. In order to get the berries, you need male and female plants. To collect them, we cut off the branches and freeze them with the berries still on them. We then defrost everything and the berries fall off. They are then pressed. It's a very exotic taste which can be used as a juice or made into preserves which chefs seem to love."

That evening we were invited to meet the following day's seven 'Sol Over Gudhjem' competition contestants who were introduced to a large crowd at the farming museum close to Gudhjem at nearby Melsted. And that's where we enjoyed another meal – I loved the sausages and pork dumplings! – while one of the sweet courses was actually one of the winning desserts from the previous year's competition.

For the competition itself, three of the celebrity chefs would be preparing desserts for a prize of 10,000 Danish krone – around £110, one krone is worth around 12p – while the top main course dish prize for the other four was 50,000 krone (£550) plus the use of a brand new 12 cylinder, bi-turbo Mercedes Benz coupé for up to four weeks!

The dessert competition the following day was won by a man who never takes his hat off, Brian Mark Hansen. He's from the Michelin-starred Søllerød Kro restaurant in Copenhagen. "Naturally I'm delighted that the judges liked my creation while my kids seem just as excited as I am," grinned Brian while standing on a table holding a giant-sized cheque.

Meanwhile there were huge cheers when the 2018 'Sol Over Gudhjem' champion was declared, for the diminutive Thai-born Dak Laddaporn Wichangoen, head chef at the Michelin-starred Kiin Kiin Copenhagen restaurant, became the first ever female winner of the competition.

While the crowds gathered around her in celebration, I finally had the chance to briefly chat with her the following morning, as she – like most of the competitors – was also staying at Stammershalle Badehotel. "I still can't believe I've won," she said.

"It was such an honour to be judged the best against three other top chefs who are also friends. My only worry now is that I've got the Mercedes for four weeks as part of my prize but I'm not sure where in Copenhagen I'm going to park it."

I also bumped into Mads from Høstet shortly after the competition had ended and he was holding a special award. "I'm really thrilled that we've won the best product award for our Sea Buckthorn juice," he said. "In a previous year our marmalade got the same award."

Having lunched at a former twin-chimneyed smokehouse called Norresan close to Gudhjem harbour, we then drove to the south of the island close to the village of Dueodde where we spent time on one of the best beaches I've ever seen. Covered in glistening white sand so fine that it's used in egg timers and hour glasses, it seems to go on for miles while a short distance away is a wonderful camp site set among the pine trees.

With no appreciable tide in the Baltic and a gently sloping beach, the area is clearly safe for bathing and popular with families with young children. It also offers miles of easy walks with hardly any traffic… and that also applies to the rest of the island.

Before heading to the airport for our transfer back to Copenhagen, we visited another new venture accompanied by Elisebeth Falk from the Danish Agriculture & Food Council and Destination Bornholm's cruise coordinator Peter Juhl who, just days earlier, had walked to Santiago de Compostela in Spain having taken 33 days to complete the 800 kilometres of the Camino Way.

Meeting Kasper Rasmussen who claims he's not a real farmer, he certainly has his sights set on producing what is usually extremely expensive Japanese Wagyu beef. Although officially a schoolteacher, as his brother runs the family farm, Kasper has taken the bold step of inseminating some of the farm's black and white Holstein cattle with foetuses imported from Japan... and so far since December last year, the Holsteins have delivered seven healthy dark brown Wagyu calves which are all looked after by three very friendly Jersey cows.

The previous evening we dined at Nordlandet - www.hotelnordlandet.com - a clifftop restaurant close to the conjoined villages of Allinge-Sandvig offering views all the way back down the coast towards Gudhjem. The restaurant offers true Nordic gourmet cuisine with much of the contents being foraged in the Bornholm countryside.... and it was all absolutely delicious!

Meanwhile our final lunch was at an equally attractive location set high above the tiny steep-hilled hamlet of Vang where there are just a dozen fishermen's cottages plus an old watermill. Once again the Le Port Restaurant – www.leport.dk – had wonderful views from its terraces perched high above the tiny harbour… and as expected, the food and its presentation was absolutely exquisite.

From what I saw (and tasted), the island offers a truly wonderful gastronomic experience while our only disappointment regarding the whole trip was that the planned Summer Solstice beach party celebrations – which were due to have been held on Saturday 23 June – had to be cancelled.

The island – which is absolutely perfect for a weekend break – has had just a few drops of rain since early April and that means that everywhere is tinder dry. It would be a disaster should a spark from just one of the bonfires get out of hand so everyone agreed that calling off the beach parties was the sensible thing to do… that common sense approach clearly being very Danish!

BORNHOLM FACT FILE

Where to stay:

Alan Wooding was the guest of VisitDenmark – www.visitdenmark.co.uk and https://bornholm.info/en/ – and stayed at the Stammershalle Badehotel http://stammershalle-badehotel.dk/en/ which offers double rooms from £107 including breakfast.

Where to eat:

Nordlandet https://hotelnordlandet.com/en/ – a Nordlandet Evening includes 4 courses, 3 wines, water, coffee and petit four and costs £112. A two course meal starts at £41.

Stammershalle Badehotel Restaurant http://stammershalle-badehotel.dk/en/the-restaurant/. A menu based on seasonal produce starts at £53 and wine pairing can be added for an additional £41.

Nørresan in Gudhjem offers light sandwiches in a refurbished smokehouse. Prices start at £12. https://da-dk.facebook.com/norresand/

A ‘smoke duet’ shared platter for two people at Svaneke Røgeri is £36 and the classic ‘Sol over Svaneke’ open faced sandwich is £8.

Restaurant Le Port offers lobster bisque with leeks and turbot at £15 – https://leport.dk/?lang=en

What to do:

Hammershus https://bornholm.info/en/hammershus/. Admission to the Visitor Centre is free.

Bornholm Food Festival in June where food producers open their doors to the public. Prices vary.

Visit the strawberry farm for free, visit the beekeeper for £18 or take a trip to Svaneke Brewery and sample a selection of craft beers for £6. https://bornholm.info/en/event/bornholms-madfestival/

Visit one of Bornholm’s four round churches. Most of them have free entrance, some will have a small entrance fee around £1.2. https://www.visitdenmark.com/bornholm/activities/bornholms-round-churches

How to get there:

There are 155 weekly flights from London (Luton, Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick) to Copenhagen. Flights with SAS from London Heathrow start at £108 return. Flights from Copenhagen to Bornholm with DAT (Danish Air Traffic) start at £96 return and take around 30 minutes.

Island Bus Tour:

Plantagen vegetable & berries – organic gardening, beekeeping, production of jam, apple juice, and vinegar. Bertil Ekstrøm Bertil.ekstroem@brk.dk and Stig Westermann Stig.westermann@brk.dk

Bornholms Kildevand/Copenhagen Distillery www.copenhagendistillery.com

Høstet https://xn--hstet-vua.dk/shop/cms-english.htm

Food market:

Guide Hans Jørgen Jensen from LAG – an independent Bornholm organisation that supports the development of local projects hjj@lag-bornholm.dk and +4520423370.

Lehnsgaard Rapeseed Oil – Hans Kai Hansen www.lehnsgaard.dk and mail@lehnsgaard.dk

Bornholm’s Ismejeri http://www.bornholms-ismejeri.dk/ – Jonas Bohn & Vibeke Bengtson +45 56493740 info@bornholms-ismejeri.dk

Vandkefir Perler https://vandkefirperler.dk/ - Paulie Melnyk info@vandkefirperler.dk +45 22 58 91 35

Bornholm Hemp https://www.bornholmerhampen.dk/en/hampe/ - Signe Anker info@bornholmerhampen.d

Kasper, WagyuBornholm http://wagyubornholm.dk/ and kontakt@wagyubornholm.dk

More details:

For more details, see www.visitdenmark.co.uk and https://bornholm.info/en/

Eggington Foresters cricket team has been left “devastated” after its club was broken into and over £3,000 worth of vital equipment stolen.

Eggington Foresters Cricket Club, of Mill Road, Stanbridge, is appealing for urgent donations to help raise £3,500 to cover the costs of items that were taken, including a Ransomes Super Certes Walk Behind Mower and Apache AR601 Petrol Scarifier, grass seeds, fertilisers, line paint and a hose trolley.

After reviewing its CCTV, the club claims that on Tuesday, July 10, at c.7.30pm a man climbed over the fence of Eggington Foresters and stole some items; however, he then returned early on Thursday morning (July 12) at c.3am with a van and loaded it with club equipment.

Secretary, Wasim Yaseen, claimed: “It’s quite depressing, because it happened in the middle of the [cricket} season. When the man came back with the van he cut the gate lock and snapped the lock for the barrier.

“The club is voluntary and our money comes from membership fees and contributions, so the cost is all on us.

“We had plans for the club this year but these are now going to be put on the back foot.”

The sports club is for both children and adults and Eggington Foresters is passionate about giving youngsters opportunities, helping to keep children somewhere safe and away from crime and gangs.

The club has a committee of seven people and a JustGiving page has been set up as they appeal to the public for donations.

Wasim added: “All donations will go directly to EFCC who will be able to purchase the relevant replacements for them to continue to provide cricket facilities for all our young and old members.

“Thank you for your support no matter how small it is.”

A Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman, said: “A burglary at Eggington Foresters Cricket Club in Leighton Buzzard was reported to us on July 12 and our investigations are currently ongoing.

“If you have any information that may help our enquiry, please call us on 101 or use the online reporting service on our website, quoting reference 40/11096/18.”

Eggington Foresters JustGiving: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/eggingtonforesterscc

Children in Leighton Buzzard will get the chance to have fun in a national reading challenge this summer.

Libraries across Central Bedfordshire are taking part in the national Summer Reading Challenge. This year it will have a Beano theme to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the iconic British comic.

This year’s challenge will be called ‘Mischief Makers’ and will give children the opportunity to explore a map of Beanotown to find the mysterious buried treasure and become ultimate mischief makers! Dennis, Gnasher and friends will help them solve clues and collect stickers, having lots of fun and adventures along the way.

The Summer Reading Challenge is simple. Children are encouraged to read books of their choice during the holidays, with collectable incentives and rewards. There’s also a certificate and medal for every child who completes the challenge.

Young people aged 13-24 can also apply to become a Reading Hack volunteer and help out at their local library during the summer.

As part of the Summer Reading Challenge, all Central Bedfordshire libraries will host two accompanying storytelling events. The first - ‘Mischief Making Max’ - will see children enjoying an interactive adventure in the library. The second - ‘Motely Zoo’ - involves role play, storytelling and animal handling. Tickets cost £3 and £3.50 respectively from libraries.

To find out more, visit Leighton Buzzard library or www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/summer-reading-challenge

A man from Linslade has won a place in a popular cycle event and is using the opportunity to raise money for charity.

Peter McLeod has won a place on the Prudential London-Surrey 100 mile ride.

Each year well over 100,000 people submit to the ballot to gain a place on the ride, which is one of the biggest cycling sportives in the world and held on closed roads in London and Surrey, this year on July 29.

Peter said: “At 74 years old and a regular cyclist this still represents a significant challenge for me.

“I do various rides to raise money for charities but this particular one offers the opportunity to cast a wider net than usual.

“My choice of the charity to support was a reflection of experience of my wife and I. Both of us lost parents to cancer. We are also always moved by the plight of children with cancer. I have chosen the Lennox Children’s Cancer Charity, who provide practical, financial and emotional support for kids and their families who are afflicted by this disease.

“At my age it is far from a given that I could have the opportunity to ride this sportive more than once in what remains of my life. I did get a place in 2016 and raised £520 for Willen Hospice. Gaining a place for the second time is quite precious, providing the basis to raise a similar funds for Lennox this time.”

To support Peter go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lennoxforkids

Work on resurfacing the crumbling Stoke Hammond and Western Linslade Bypasses (A4146) will start on Monday, August 13, Bucks County Council has announced today (Monday).

The £4.5 million investment in renewing the five-mile dual carriageway surface will take around eight weeks.

The work involves removing the entire surface course, which has a number of surface defects, and, in areas where investigations have found structural weakness, replacing some of the lower layers.

Cllr Mark Shaw, Bucks County Council Deputy Leader and Transport Cabinet Member, said: “Spending £4.5m on resurfacing the Stoke Hammond and Western Linslade Bypasses is another example of our commitment to invest in Buckinghamshire’s roads. This year we’re investing almost £25m in improving our roads.”

Up to three resurfacing teams will work at various points along the route. Each carriageway will close completely for around four weeks - starting with the Milton Keynes-bound lanes - to enable resurfacing of the road and roundabouts to be done more quickly. The Wing-bound carriageway will remain open until it’s resurfaced in September.

During closures, work teams will take the opportunity to do normal maintenance work.

Cllr Shaw said the decision to opt for alternate full carriageway closures gave contractors a clear run along the five-mile length, to get the job done more quickly, to better control costs, and to maintain road safety for motorists.

Signs go out from today (Monday 23 July) to alert motorists to the work and diversions.

Traffic from the Aylesbury direction on the A418 will divert from the A4146 roundabout at the Wing end, via the Leighton Buzzard bypass, A505, and A5 to meet the A4146 again at Kelly’s Kitchen roundabout just outside Bletchley.

Traffic from the Milton Keynes and Bletchley directions will divert on to the A5 at Kelly’s Kitchen roundabout, via the A505 and Leighton Buzzard bypass to join the A418 at the roundabout near Wing.

“I appreciate that road works aren’t possible without some degree of inconvenience, and I apologise in advance for this,” said Cllr Shaw. “While we anticipate these diversions will deal with most traffic, I’ve no doubt drivers with local knowledge will find their own way. However, we’ve got open ears, and we’ll always listen to affected parishes to see how we can help tackle any local issues.

“I believe this comparatively short burst of pain will be worth it for the many years of ‘gain’, and we’ll have a very good bypass road surface once again.”

During the eight-week project the 60-strong work teams will lay about 25,000 tonnes of surfacing material over 140,000 square metres of road - the equivalent area of 13 football pitches.

The work will be done by Eurovia Surfacing, and Transport for Buckinghamshire will oversee the project.

Updated information, along with detail of the works schedule, will be published on the road improvements page of the County Council website: https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/transport-and-roads/improvement-schemes-and-projects/

> The bypass was opened up to drivers in September 2007 but ever since the dual carriageway has been beset with large cracks and potholes.

Tests carried out along the bypass to measure its thickness and ‘give’ established that construction materials used were correct and compliant with national specifications in force at the time.

However, analysis has shown the surface course was more porous than expected and water penetration into the layer beneath reduced the stiffness of the asphalt.

The new surface, hot rolled asphalt, will seal the structure of the road and allow the course below the surface to fully dry, thereby restoring the stiffness of the road, and extending its useful life.

The county council and Carillion – the successor to Alfred McAlpine, who built the road – were working together up to the time they went into receivership, to identify a solution to the deteriorating road surface.

At the time it was anticipated they would have been liable for a proportion of the cost of the works, however, the county council feels the cost of pursuing a legal claim would not be a sensible use of taxpayers’ money in view of the very slim chances of recovery owing to their limited assets.

A motorist was left in a tight spot after squeezing his vehicle into what he believed was a valid parking bay at Leighton Buzzard Railway Station – but ended up with ticket.

Commuter Simon Mansfield-Sturgess has parked in the station’s car park regularly over the past ten years and has used the same space on several occasions.

So he couldn’t believe it when he received a ticket from Indigo Park Solutions, who said he had parked his Renault Twizy (an electric concept car) in an unauthorised space on Friday, June 8.

Simon, who has criticised Indigo for unclear signage, parked at the end of a row of cars where a bollard had recently been put in place, seemingly to deter motorists from using the space.

He contacted the company to ask for proof it wasn’t a valid space and questioning where the signs were to back up their argument. A month later he received a letter from the parking company explaining his appeal was rejected and he had to pay the fine.

He said: “When they did work to the car park a structural bollard was placed to the side of the space at the front, so normal sized cars can not fit in there, but my car fits.

“It is a small space, but it still has white lines and there are no signs saying it is not a space.

“Motorbikes use it and I have a small electric car which fits in it so I have used the space on several occasions, I have a permit which entitles me to free parking in the car park.

“There are some spaces in the car park which have yellow hashed lines across them where you are not allowed to park, but this did not.

“The photos they provided on my appeal clearly show my vehicle parked in a white lined space, so I cannot understand why it is unauthorised.”

Simon has paid the fine as he did not want to take the case to Magistrates Court or have to pay the full fee.

He told the LBO: “They are no longer required to offer an independent appeal and should I wish to take it further I would have to go Magistrates Court, which is a waste of the court’s time.

“I find it incredulous that I am only really entitled to an internal appeal, and that this has now been exhausted by simply asking for proof of the alleged offence.”

A spokesman for Indigo said: “Parking bays are clearly marked, and anyone parking outside these bays will receive a Penalty Notice.”