A thief has been jailed for 16 weeks after carrying out a shoplifting spree in Leighton Buzzard earlier this month.

Ashley Bird, 33, of North Street, was jailed on Tuesday after pleading guilty to five counts of shoplifting at Luton Magistrates Court. This was in relation to offences committed between August 2 and 12.

Bird began his spree stealing £60 of clothing from M & Co on August 2, followed by £30 of alcohol from Waitrose on August 6 and two electric razorblades taken from Superdrug on August 9.

On August 11, Bird stole two portable speakers worth £70 from Wilkinsons. The following day, he returned to the shop to steal three Gilette razorblades worth £60.

Sergeant Liam Mitchell said: “Bird had been causing issues amongst retailers in Leighton Buzzard for some time, and was identified on CCTV through the good work and local knowledge of PCSO Rachel Carne.

“I am pleased we have been able to secure a custodial sentence for him, during which I hope he’s able to reflect on his activity and deters others from thinking it is acceptable to shoplift.”

A popular playscheme celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.

The Cheddington scheme has been run by volunteers for the last 25 years, for children aged five to 12 who attend Cheddington School or who live in the local area.

This year they were joined by many of the leaders who founded the scheme, or who have helped over the years, to celebrate with a Friday barbecue and water fight!

Loads of great craft activities were sampled each day such as jewellery enamelling, plaster moulding, mug and tile decorating, clay and salt dough modelling, dragon egg making, catapults, silk painting, ice candles, wax art, pom-poms, badge making and the always popular cooking.

Outside a full sporting and games programme was run including football, tennis, rugby, giant Jenga and Connect4, plus a bouncy castle or bungee run most days. There was also a circus workshop with Colonel Custard from The Magic Castle and a drum workshop with UmbandaDrumming from Theblackcatmagicband.com for all to enjoy.

The week was finished off with a barbecue, disco and the traditional giant water fight on Friday afternoon.

The organisers would like to thank Cheddington School for allowing the use of their facilities and grounds; The Cheddington Townlands Trust and the parish council for help with funding; Bucks Play Association for their support and, of course, all the willing volunteers.

Next year’s dates will be announced soon. Visit https://cheddingtonplayscheme.co.uk, or the Facebook pages.

A group of youngsters set up their bikes on the Market Square in Leighton Buzzard for a cycling fundraiser.

The group, including four Vandyke Upper School pupils, are taking part in the National Citizen Service and organised a 12-hour static bike challenge to raise money for Medical Detection Dogs.

The challenge entailed having at least two people from the team (and occasionally a member of the public) on the exercise bikes cycling until the event was over.

Their efforts raised £254.63 for the charity, which could help them buy accessories such as dog bowls, tags, leads, collars, crates/pens, car harnesses and vet beds.

Team leader Jess Amey said: “The best moment for us as a team was when we finished the event and we counted the money we raised and all the effort and dedication we had put in paid off.

“The most challenging part was trying to get people interested in our event as well as keeping morale up in the final few hours.

“My group and I chose this charity because it’s local and receives no government funding, also we believe it can help a lot of families in the community.”

The team is organising a fundraising fete at Parsons Close recreational ground on September 1, from noon to 7pm, with stalls, tombola and a teddy swap. Visit Facebook (Dogs Save Lives NCS), Instagram (dogssavelivesncs) and Twitter (@MedicalNCS).

A major blaze wreaked havoc in Linslade woods for nearly two hours as fire officers worked to put it out.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service received the call about the fire near Leven Close in Linslade at 9.48pm on Friday, August 10, and managed to put it out by 11.40pm.

A spokesman said: “We arrived to find a fully developed fire involving 15 conifers, multiple garden sheds and several fences well alight. Luckily no one was injured, but a lot of damage caused.

“Spectacular as it looked, this could easily have ended far worse. Two hosereels and thermal cameras were used to extinguish, then check for any hot spots. The crew also remained afterwards to check residents smoke alarms were working properly.

“Many thanks to the guy who provided the flask of tea when we were all done!”

Several residents reported hearing a loud bang before the fire started.

The spokesman added: “There were reports of a bang as crews arrived, but unfortunately given the intensity of the fire, it was very difficult to know for sure how it started.

“There was nothing to suggest this was started suspiciously though.”

The LBO in conjuction with LB First is today launching a search for a worthy community champion to turn on Leighton Buzzard’s Christmas lights this year.

It may be only August, and Christmas may seem such a long way off, but planning for the 2018 Christmas Festival is already under way.

In recent times festival organisers have sourced a well-known celebrity to launch the three-day event at the Friday night lights switch-on and fireworks display.

But in 2017 a more local approach was adopted when Leighton Buzzard resident, and Britain’s oldest poppy seller, 102-year-old Wally Randall was approached to be guest of honour at the ceremony.

To rapturous applause, Wally joined the carnival princesses as well as Andrew Selous MP to switch on the lights.

And festival organisers are keen to continue the local approach by finding another deserving Leighton Buzzard ‘VIP’ to perform the honours on Friday, November 30, 2018.

That’s where LBO readers come in. We’d like you to send us your nominations by emailing news@lbobserver.co.uk detailing your own name/email address/telephone number, who your local VIP is, and why they deserve to turn on the lights. Alternatively send us the form in this week’s LBO.

Once we have collated all the nominations a shortlist will be drawn up and readers will have the chance to vote on who should get the honour of turning on the lights.

Gennaro Borrelli, chairman of independent traders’ group LB First, said: “After the success we had when Wally Randall turned on the lights last year, we decided it would be a great idea if we asked the public to put forward their community champions through the LBO for the 2018 event.”

Steve Sims, deputy editor of the LBO, added: “We know there are plenty of people out there who go the extra mile for the community of Leighton Buzzard and this is a great way or giving them recognition for all their hard work.”

A Leighton Buzzard bodybuilder who battled two strokes and horrific injuries following a motorbike accident is jumping back into action to trek across the Alps and raise £4,000 for the air ambulance crew that saved his life.

Andy Jay, 41, was involved in a 40mph head-on collision with a car on June 12, 2015 on the A4147 Hemel Hempstead link road.

The father-of-three had “two massive strokes” at the scene, suffering from a broken right femur and forearm, shattered right elbow, six broken ribs, vertebrae fractures, a punctured right lung, lacerations to his kidneys, pancreas and liver, a contusion to the spleen and a type A aortic dissection, being rushed to hospital by the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance.

Having since made a remarkable recovery - even seeing off pneumonia and sepsis - determined Andy is now taking on his Mont Blanc Alps trek from September 6 to 10, something that will not be an easy journey.

His wife, Sally, 44, remembers the day of the accident: “I was at home and about to go on a hen do, when two policemen pulled up on our drive.

“We were having a massive extension to our house, so I thought they were there to complain about all the earth outside!

“But one policeman took his hat off and I thought, ‘that’s not good...’

“The police said ‘Do you know this [Andy’s] number plate?’

“‘Is he dead?’ I said.

“ ‘No, but you need to come with us.’

“I replied by saying that I was going on a hen do; the police just told me that Andy had hurt his leg and arm - that was it. I didn’t think it was serious until they said they were going to blue light me. That’s not a leg and arm I thought - that’s something else.”

Andy had been taken to The Royal London Hospital and was fighting for his life, facing CT scans and surgery.

He was put into a coma for five days to allow his brain to recover, and afterwards moved to ICU for ten days, before being sent to a stroke ward and then repatriated to Milton Keynes Hospital on July 5.

However, when in Milton Keynes Andy caught pneumonia because of his collapsed lung and was transferred to Harefield Hospital on August 5 so that it could be reinflated.

Finally, the brave husband and father was moved back to Milton Keynes Hospital, where he faced a battle with sepsis - and all this before he was relocated to the stroke ward to begin the “slow” and “frustrating” of journey relearning to walk - and learning to write with his right hand instead of his left.

After standing up for the first time since the accident on August 12, courageous Andy was back home by October 30.

Sally said: “When Andy came round from the coma, he thought he had been in a spaceship and he told me about his nurse, Ella, who had been driving it.

“In the end, he was so fed up of having drugs, he refused anymore; when he was at Harefield he had an 18cm needle stuck into his lung without painkillers - but he said ‘it made me feel alive’.

“Meanwhile, during the time he was in hospital I was taking bits of the kitchen in - bits of worktop, bits of tiles - the staff must have thought I was bonkers, but I wanted Andy to be part of our rebuild.

“After he came back to Milton Keynes, I thought we’d end up in ICU again but he just focussed and thought, ‘right, I’m going to get myself working’.”

Now home in Leighton Buzzard, Andy has therapy and daily exercises.

The stroke has left him with weakness on his left hand side, meaning he relies on an ankle foot ortosis (AFO) to be able to walk because of foot drop, while he cannot use his left hand functionally.

However, nothing will stop Andy from helping the air ambulance, and the determined father will walk for eight to nine hours per day.

He said: “Many people may not be aware that the Air Ambulance is a charity that receives no government funding. The cost per mission is just over £2,700 that I hope to raise by taking part in the trek.

“This is going to be a tough challenge for me because of the disability I now have, but if people could please spare as much or little to this cause they will be helping to fund a mission and in turn helping to save somebody else’s life.”

Sally said: “The NHS staff were absolutely amazing - they absolutely saved his life 100 per cent.

“Andrew was a bodybuilder, 18 stone, and used to go to the gym every day - if he hadn’t been as big as he was he would have definitely have died.

“I want him to be able to trek and for his children to see that if you put your mind to it you can achieve anything. He’s overcome so many things and he’s still their dad.

“He had to give something back and I’m so proud of him doing this.”

Andy is now at Northampton University studying to be an occupational therapist, and he and Sally have three children: Harrison 17, Elleanor 14, and Matthiew 12. Andy’s dream is to open a gym in Leighton Buzzard which offers disabled facilities.

Thanks to the kindness of the community, Andy has increased his original target from £2,700 to £4,000. To donate, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fund
raising/andy-jay76.

Find out more about the challenge at https://ehaat.org/fundraise/master-mont-blanc

A businessman from Leighton Buzzard is celebrating after expanding his salon in Leighton Buzzard.

Luke Cave owns the Toni and Guy Salon on Waterborne Walk and recently re-launched the salon after a £25,000 refit and expansion.

The 31-year-old has run the salon for two years and has thanked his loyal customers for their support.

He said: “The last two years have been crazy for us, each year we’ve grown about 25% in clients hence needing more space and more staff.

“I’ve spent in total about £25,000 on the refit but without all our existing client base I wouldn’t have been able to do this, all the money the salon has ever made has been re-invested back into the salon as my end game is to have a beautiful salon where clients love to be and staff love to work.

“My best memory was achieving my dream of having a super size salon to grow into over the next couple of years, offering our guests that visit us the ultimate salon experience in a beautiful place that’s not too small and is more spacious.”

The salon is a Toni and Guy franchise that Luke owns, his employees have to be educated through the Toni and Guy Academy in London every year to stay up to standard and the salon uses the brands products and software and are offered regular guidance.

Luke added: “My plan over the next few years is to continue to grow my team and client numbers and create a fabulous place of work and a luxury salon for guests to come and relax in.

“I love my job, my staff and all our clients we see every day, without them we wouldn’t exist.”

A five-year-old boy from Leighton Buzzard met PAW Patrol pups when he was presented with an award for Helping the Community.

Kaidan Rowdon, of Heath and Reach, was one of eight winners to receive an award at the PAW Patrol Little Heroes PAW Awards 2018.

He won The Rocky Award for Helping the Community after raising hundreds of pounds for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity that supports bereaved families of soldiers.

Kaidan was presented with his award at the Gloworm Festival on Sunday, August 19, where he met former JLS singer JB Gill and PAW Patrol pups Chase and Marshall.

He said: “It was ‘squilliant’ (better than brilliant!) getting my award and medal!

“I loved meeting my favourite pups and JB. He was really nice too, he let mummy take his photo with me.

“I still can’t believe I won. The other children were very nice, one saved a doggy!”

For more about Scotty’s Little Soldiers visit www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk.

Dunstable and Houghton Regis residents “don’t feel safe in their own homes”, it’s been claimed.

They say the town lacks a visible police presence, with some resorting to tackling issues such as drug dealing themselves, a meeting heard last night (Wednesday).

One resident voiced their frustrations simply saying: “We are all taxpayers, ratepayers and residents, and we are all scared.”

And another labelled Dunstable “a lawless town” in which the amount of “low level crime was quite frightening”.

Bedfordshire Police Chief Constable Jon Boutcher attended the meeting at Dunstable Community Fire Station, which was arranged by the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Kathryn Holloway.

She later tweeted: “A raw meeting at Dunstable and precisely why I arranged for it to happen because we need to hear from and see those affected by crime, not just crime figures. We have to fight this together.”

Recent statistics from Bedfordshire Police show that the ratio of crime per head in Dunstable and Houghton Regis is now higher than in Luton.

There is one crime for every 47 people in Dunstable and one in 59 in Houghton Regis compared to one in 63 in Luton and one per 100 in Leighton Buzzard.

Mr Boutcher said Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary asks for specialist officers to be assigned for issues such as hate crime, internet and cyber crime and child sexual exploitation.

“Officers who used to be in the communities end up getting dragged out into the specialist areas,” he explained.

“If we don’t allow this to happen we get criticised by HMIC.

“But you can’t do the specialist work if you don’t talk to communities and see those communities.

“We don’t have any (financial) reserves as we have spent it all on recruitment,” he added.

“Inevitably we lose people annually to retirement and people’s lifestyle changes, such as moving away from the area.

“We should be dealing with a lot of things far better than we are now, but that comes down to numbers.”

He described an extra £2.9m secured from the government as “wholly inadequate” and said pressure has been put on the Home Office minister for a fairer settlement for Bedfordshire.

Around 150 residents, including several local councillors, packed into the fire station for the meeting.

Speaking afterwards, Central Bedfordshire Labour Parkside councillor Antonia Ryan said: “Residents were raising issues about not feeling safe in their own homes, work places or even to let their children go out.

“This cannot go on. We don’t blame the police for staff shortages, lack of equipment and poor resources.”

Councillor Ryan accused the Government and its austerity programme, which by its “reluctance to fund policing effectively, actively encourages crime”.

She labelled it “ironic” that the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Conservative South West Bedfordshire MP Andrew Selous “can see this government isn’t responding to the rise in crime throughout Bedfordshire”.

And she said: “It’s appalling any civilised society should have its elected representative and its PCC admitting this government cannot afford to police the county effectively.”

She called on the government to go, adding Labour has pledged to give the police adequate funding.

Also speaking after the meeting, Mr Selous described it as “a very heated meeting”.

He said the police representatives present were “in no doubt about the strength of feeling about how bad things have got” in Dunstable.

“All the focus should be on crimes which are major concerns to local people.

“There’s an issue of prioritisation by Bedfordshire Police, which needs to be looked at.

“This should not be dictated by the police inspectorate nationally.”

He backed the “need to return Dunstable Police Station to a 24 hour operational hub”.

And he acknowledged there’s a danger of a vigilante approach by residents “when there’s not an adequate police presence”, saying: “I hear talk of it, but I’ve not seen examples.

“We need concerned parents who know where their children are, can teach right from wrong, and who are responsible citizens.

“The message from the public is they want to see more officers and want to see them on the streets.”

Local resident John Wake, who used to serve in the county police force, said afterwards: “There’s a huge amount of anger among the people of Dunstable.

“They’re unhappy about the lack of a police resource and the lack of a visible presence, which leads to a lack of confidence in the force

“Crime is out of control locally. Between the wife and I we’ve busted ten drug deals close to our property where I’ve physically had to get in amongst them.

“You get pedal cyclists four abreast, riding on one wheel, up the High Street, with no police patrol, no officers nearby, and no CCTV.”

Describing the lack of a visible police resource as “shocking”, he added the burglary unit for the county is four-strong, two in the north and two in the south.

Dunstable resident Sharon Hinds said after the meeting that the majority of residents attending had issues over burglary and vehicles being broken into.

She thought the police representatives wanted to talk about issues such as knife crime, but as she works in children’s services locally she said it wasn’t a huge issue in the town.

“I don’t think the police have got enough resources for tackling the right problems locally,” she added.

A daring Billington grandmother with no fear of heights abseiled 100 metres down Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower, in aid of two causes close to her heart.

Julia Haviland, 78, was cheered on from far below by friends and her supportive husband, Geoff, as she completed her 12 minute descent on Sunday, August 5.

The thrill-seeking grandmother was raising money for Marie Curie Care and the St Michael and All Angels, Billington, ‘fabric fund’ (general maintenance), Julia being a proud volunteer for the cancer charity, and a hardworking church warden.

She said: “The great day dawned and I was feeling apprehensive but excited.

“It was quite a thrilling experience!

“The most scary part is letting go of the rail and relying on just a rope. The wind was blowing, too, and that shook me around a bit.

“Most people take three or four minutes, but I decided to take my time and enjoy the view of the historic dockyard, waving to my friends when I was part way down.”

Julia’s daredevil efforts have raised over £1,100 , which will be split between the two causes, and unbeknownst to the warden her whole abseil was filmed live, so as her daughters and grandchildren in Australia could watch, too!

The daring feat also took place the day before Julia and Geoff’s wedding anniversary, and the couple have lived in Billington for 23 years.

Julia added: “I was inspired by watching abseilers at Coventry Cathedral and want to thank everyone who has sponsored me, as I have gone well over my original target of around £515.”

Students and teachers at The Cottesloe School in Wing say they are celebrating a tremendous set of GCSE results.

The school continues to go from strength to strength and this year’s results are some of the best-ever, with 83% of pupils achieving a pass in English, and 77% achieving Maths.

Indeed, there has been a significant increase in the number of pupils achieving both English and Maths.

Andy McBurnie, headteacher, said: “I would like to pay credit to the hard work and high aspirations of students and staff; I am thrilled for the students who thoroughly deserve their results.”

This is the first year of the newly reformed GCSE grades in most subjects, and pupils and teachers have risen to the demands and challenges of the new GCSEs.

There were an impressive number of grades 8s and 9s and many outstanding individual performances. Under the new GCSEs only 2% of pupils will be awarded grade 9. Achievements of particular note were:

Chelsea Isiekwe achieved 5 grade 9s

Joe McNicholas: 4 grade 9s, 3 grade 8s, 3 grade 7s

Ruby Barratt-Hayes: 4 grade 9s, 2 grade 7s and 2 grade 6.

Amelia Fogden: 2 grade 9s, 5 grade 8s, 1 grade 7

Tom Penhearow: 2 grade 9s, 2 grade 8s, 2 grade 7s, 3 grade 6 (plus a BTEC Distinction* in business)

Charlie Baldwin: 2 grade 9s, 3 grade 8s, 2 grade 7s

Students at Cedars Upper School in Linslade are celebrating today after receiving their long-awaited GCSE results.

The school, which is part of the Chiltern Learning Trust, recorded impressive results as 47% of students achieved a Level 5-9 in both English and Maths, an improvement upon last year’s excellent results and well above the national average.

There were also very strong results in many subjects such as Chemistry, Biology, Physics, French, Art, Media, Child Development, Economics, Textiles and Music.

There were some outstanding individual performances with many students achieving top grades across the board. These included:

James Axford, Artemis Bekiari, Liz Clarke, Madeline Cook, Brendon Cummins, Dylan Evans, Joshua Gale, Emily Heale, Molly Horne, Henry Pike, Charlotte Lewis, Sean Rumble, Catherine Thomas and Hannah Wells.

Steve Palmer, Headteacher at Cedars said: “We are proud of, and delighted for, the students who have achieved these results after months of hard work and dedication.

“This is another year of consistently strong results, with significant improvements on previous year’s results. Such impressive achievement across such a wide range of subjects shows just what a really strong comprehensive school can provide and coming after our excellent A level results last week, this gives us another step forwards as a school.

“I would like to thank the local community, staff, pupils and parents for the support and commitment they have shown the school.”

Cedars’ open evening has already been scheduled for Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at 6pm.

Hats off to the class of 2018! So said Vandyke headteacher Tim Carroll as students opened their GCSE results on Thursday.

“So many students have worked so hard and deserve their successes this morning,” he said.

“They have done brilliantly. It is the first year when in most subjects the reformed courses are graded 9 to 1 and there has inevitably been some anxiety about the changes and being the first cohort through.

But he added: “They have more than met the challenge and have been a super group of students to work with. Staff understandably feel proud of them and their achievements today.”

Will Fitzsimmons said that his results “blew his mind” as he scored the new top grade 9 in all three Sciences, Maths and both English Literature and English Language. “I collected my results but I wanted to open them on my own first. I did tons of revision and my teachers were always there to help so I felt well prepared. I am going into the Sixth Form to study Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Further Maths.”

Rhiannon Stiller said,: “I felt a bit shaky coming into school for my results but now I am ecstatic. I am especially happy with my 7 in French and I got 8 in Maths and 9 in both of my English courses and 8 and 9 in Double Science. I am in shock I think! I worked really hard and I hit my peak at the right time.” Rhiannon will be studying History, English Literature, Philosophy and Maths in the Sixth Form.

Josh Huntley will be studying Travel & Tourism with Psychology and English next year. “My 9 in English Literature is an amazing result,” he said. “But I am most pleased with my 7 and 6 in Science because I struggled in Science and so glad to have made it through with good grades.”

Mary Joy Prosser said: ”I am so excited to be going to Sixth Form now. I will be studying Law, Psychology, Business Studies and Finance. I did well in my mock exams but these were for real.

“I was not too anxious waiting to get my results because I knew I had done my best and had prepared as well as I could. I went to lots of revision sessions in school but got a lot done on my own also. I am especially pleased with a 6 in Maths and the 7 and 6 in the two Sciences.”

“I was not phased by the long wait for the results,” said Lauren Bisby. “My 9 in History is most pleasing but I am delighted also with my grade 8s in Maths, English Literature and English Language. I am going to do Media Studies, Psychology, Maths and Geography next.”

“It was a tense morning for me,” said Luke Brown. “But I am happy with my results especially 8 in English Literature and lots of 7s. I enjoyed most of my lessons because I have a drive for knowledge and the subjects are interesting. I am looking forward to specialising in the Sixth Form though and will be taking English, Chemistry and Biology.”

Abi Moore had been nervous waiting to get the results. “I was with my friends and they waited while I opened my envelope. I was worried I might not get the grades to get into Sixth Form but I have. I am excited about joining the Sixth Form and I will be studying Health & social Care, Law, Media Studies and English Language.”

Mr Carroll added: “For students from all starting points the results today are terrific. For the school, after outstanding A-level results last week, GCSE results are record-breaking with a remarkable 40% of students gaining the highest grades 9-7 in English - that’s A*/A in old money. 85% gained 9-4 in English – that’s the old A*-C measure - while in Maths 69% gained 9-4 and 71% gained 9-4 in at least two Science subjects.

“Lots of subjects have the best results ever making it an impressive performance by students across the piece. Drama, French, Geography, History and Media Studies are particular strengths with outstanding results. Many students now go on to the Vandyke Sixth Form while others move on to college or apprenticeships. We wish them all well.”

Two armed robbers made off with cigarettes and money after targeting a post office in Leighton Buzzard this morning.

A Bedfordshire Police spokesman said: “We were called at 5.37am this morning (Thursday) to reports of a robbery at the Stanbridge Road Post Office in Leighton Buzzard.

“Two men armed with kitchen knives entered the store and made off with cigarettes and money.

“Anyone with any information should contact the police on 101, quoting reference number 63 of 23 August.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Kathryn Holloway has been challenged to allow plenty of time for public input at next week’s meeting in Leighton Buzzard, or risk the wrath of residents who want to have their say about crime.

The PCC “roadshow” rolls into town on Thursday, August 30, with locals invited to attend Mentmore Road Pavilion in Linslade for a 6.30pm start.

The event is scheduled to last two hours, but Leighton Buzzard town and Central Beds councillor Ray Berry fears it will be a case of the PCC preaching to the audience about what has been achieved in her two years in the post.

Cllr Berry revealed he had attended a briefing in Bedford earlier this summer which transpired to be a briefing on her successes during time at the helm.

He said: “It was down for two hours, and it was five minutes short of that when she stopped. There wasn’t time for questions in open discussion. If you wanted questions you had to ask privately afterwards. She is coming here to do as presentation, she doesn’t want an open discussion.”

A PCC ‘roadshow’ in Dunstable on Wednesday saw an agenda for the evening handed out but it was apparently cast aside to allow the public to have more of a say.

Cllr Berry said the town council had received comments from the public asking why the Leighton Buzzard meeting wasn’t being well publicised and pointed out: “The town council and Beds Police went as far as we could to try to hold a joint meeting.

“The PCC chose to go it alone and it is up to her to publicise it, which she has failed to do. She has not told people when and where other than the piece in the LBO. Does she really want the public to be there?”

He added: “I believe the role of the PCC is unnecessary, I don’t believe it works. When is she going to start to do something that actually shows what the job is worth?”

He was also critical of the PCC’s invite for mayors and councillors to join in with the ‘Give A Day To Policing’ initiative and spend a day or shift on the frontline with officers.

He claimed the offer, which runs up until September 5, hadn’t gone out to Leighton-Linslade councillors directly, although it was publicised in last week’s LBO after a media release was issued.

He added: “This is in the school holidays. I am a grandparent, why pick this time?”

The PCC had originally agreed to face the community at Astral Park Community Centre on July 30 after being on annual leave when an earlier public meeting saw senior officers take questions from the public in the library in June.

But the July date was called off at the request of councillors due to it clashing with a council meeting.

Cllr Amanda Dodwell has also been hugely critical of the current policing situation, describing the police hub at the fire station as a “token gesture” and claiming that recent meetings held by senior officers in the town showed that the force could manage without a PCC.

South West Beds MP Andrew Selous also recently stated that crime in Leighton Buzzard has increased by two thirds since October 2012 and has demanded that Beds Police restore cover to the levels before community policing hubs were introduced.

Mr Selous, who chaired the policing public meeting in Leighton Buzzard in June, is concerned that the changes have resulted in the withdrawal of 30 officers from the town and the loss of a 24/7 presence.

A spokesman for Mrs Holloway denied Thursday’s meeting had been poorly publicised, adding: “We are using social media to advertise and our own email lists we have of the public who are interested.”

She said the format of the evening would have “plenty of time for questions”.

On Cllr Berry’s criticism about the ‘Give A Day To Policing’ invitation, she added: “No Councillor has been approached directly, it has been an open invite.”

A EuroMillions prize worth £96,827.80 has yet to be claimed from a ticket bought in Central Bedfordshire.

National Lottery players are today being urged to check and double-check their tickets for the chance to claim this life-enhancing prize.

The search is now on to find the owner of the winning ticket, bought in Central Bedfordshire, who matched the five main numbers and one Lucky Star number in the EuroMillions draw on Friday, August 10.

The winning EuroMillions numbers on that date were 18, 20, 36, 43, 44 and the Lucky Star numbers were 3 and 9. The lucky ticket-holder has until February 6, 2019, to claim their prize.

Anyone not in possession of their ticket, for whatever reason, but who believes they have a genuine claim can still make a claim in writing to Camelot, but it must be within 30 days of the draw.

If no-one comes forward with the winning ticket before the prize claim deadline, then the prize money, plus all the interest it has generated, will go to help National Lottery-funded projects across the UK.

Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery said: “We’re eager to find the mystery ticket-holder and unite them with their winnings – this amazing prize could really make a huge difference to somebody’s life. We’re urging everyone who bought a EuroMillions ticket in this area to check their old tickets again or look anywhere a missing ticket could be hiding.

“Try checking in the pockets of clothing, in wallets, bags and down the back of the sofa – someone out there could literally be sitting on a fortune! We have the champagne on ice and our fingers crossed that the lucky winner comes forward to claim their win.”

With all National Lottery draws, players have 180 days from the day of the draw to claim their prize if they have the winning ticket. Anyone who has any queries or who believes they have the winning ticket for any of the National Lottery draws within the 180-day deadline should call the National Lottery Line on 0333 234 5050 or email help@national-lottery.co.uk

A community risks being split in half if a solution isn’t found to the boundary issue linked to the eastern expansion of Leighton Buzzard.

With a sizable chunk of the planned new housing actually falling in the parish of Eggington, those residents will nevertheless look to Leighton Buzzard for services, while paying nothing towards them, a meeting of Central Beds Council’s general purposes committee heard on Thursday.

Three representatives of Leighton-Linslade Town Council spoke at the committee meeting and called for a way forward to tackle the future expansion issue, with attempts to ensure a combined response having proved fruitless so far.

Leighton-Linslade town councillor Clive Palmer, from Southcott Ward, said: “Many residents of the town are unanimous that the eastern urban extension, always conceived as part of Leighton-Linslade, must be included in the town boundaries, where it is not so at the present time.

“Our residents would not understand any other course.”

Leighton-Linslade town clerk Mark Saccoccio said the council has “lobbied in support of the urban extension recognising the benefits measured growth would bring to our community”.

He told the meeting: “One reason for doing this is in order to deliver additional burial capacity in the form of a new cemetery, which this parish desperately needs.

“By accident and not design almost half of the proposed extension will find itself in the adjoining parish of Eggington.

“Despite the best endeavours over many years no pragmatic solution has been found so far and makes it very difficult for both councils to plan for the future.

“Planning is not about risk it’s about delivering certainty for those residents,” he added.

“So we require the unequivocable support of Central Bedfordshire Council to re-energise those talks between my council and Eggington parish.”

Town Council leader Ewan Wallace said: “I would be concerned about Eggington’s ability to deliver the services and manage them. What we would like out of this process is this authority to act as a facilitator with Eggington.

“I have tried many times to engage with Eggington, and we need that honest broker for that conversation.”

Conservative Leighton Buzzard South councillor Amanda Dodwell admitted she was one of the councillors who put forward the original recommendation for Leighton-Linslade, but subsequently changed her mind.

“We should do the Central Bedfordshire wards at the same time as the town wards,” she said. If we do that in 2023 that would be the best way forward where we could do the whole thing together.”

She described the boundary to the east and Eggington as: “the elephant in the room. This is the issue we can’t discuss”.

“It’s been referred to as the Leighton Buzzard eastern extension and part of it will fall in the parish of Leighton-Linslade,” she said.

“But then we’re going to split the estate in half, and the rest of it’s going to go off into Eggington.

“And that makes no sense. We’re going to split the community in half.

“We’ve a parish council in Eggington that’s not got the infrastructure to run the services this new community is going to need.

“People who move into the houses will look towards Leighton Buzzard and believe they are part of the town.

“Leighton Buzzard is going to have the burden of actually providing the services for the new community because we are the largest town.

“They are going to use our services, but they are not going to pay any tax towards those services.

“Somehow or other we need to sort this issue out,” she added. “We need to put them into one parish.

“We need Central Bedfordshire Council, as the senior authority, to intervene because we need to find a way forward.”

Conservative Dunstable Watling councillor Nigel Young warned: “The development of the land east of Leighton Buzzard is imminently going to get started.

“The rate of building will generally not be more than 100 (homes) a year, that’s ten years of development.

“If during that time play areas are allocated it’s important to this council they are adopted by the town or parish council.

“I don’t know whether Eggington has said ‘yes, it’s going to adopt those areas’.

“If there’s any doubts at all about whether the responsible parish or town council will look after those play areas that would lead me to come down on the side of Leighton-Linslade on that specific issue.”

Councillor Dodwell was told the recommendations being considered by the committee could not be altered, but had to be accepted or rejected.

It was suggested a combined approach to the committee should be initiated by Leighton-Linslade and Eggington.

In the absence of any such agreement, an approach should be made to Central Bedfordshire Council’s chief executive, Richard Carr.

The committee agreed the parish name of Leighton-Linslade should stay as it is, while the parish boundary will remain the same.

A further review of the area will be held when a substantial number of the new homes overlapping into Eggington parish have been built.

These recommendations will be considered by the full council next month. If they remain unchanged they will be ratified from April 1, 2019.

A proposal to cut the number of town councillors in Leighton-Linslade is set to be abandoned following local opposition.

The town council was unhappy with plans to reduce the size of the local authority from 21 to 19 members, as part of a review of communities. Other suggestions to abolish the parish ward of Leston and to extend Brooklands ward to include Leston are also due to be scrapped.

A review of the size of town and parish councils, as well as several boundary issues, were being considered by Central Bedfordshire Council’s general purposes committee on Thursday.

The authorities affected and local residents were given the chance to have their say. And where councils argued against a reduction in size, committee members voted in favour of maintaining the status quo.

Under the plans outlined originally, Southcott Ward in Linslade would have had one fewer councillor, with a second member lost if Leston ward disappeared.

That would have seen the 19 councillors made up of Barnabas 3, Brooklands 2, Grovebury 4, Planets 2, Plantation 3, Southcott 3 and St George’s 2. But town council representatives spoke at the committee meeting to oppose the loss of councillors.

They pointed out that town councillors were unpaid volunteers and that 21 councillors was not excessive as the workload could be shared. The consultation result showed 82% of people opposed reducing the number of Leighton-Linslade town councillors (82%).

At the meeting, the town council representatives also called for a way forward to tackle the future expansion issue on the eastern fringe of Leighton Buzzard. See story here...

Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has been accused of making racist comments during a heated public meeting in Dunstable.

Kathryn Holloway compared the budget spent on overseas aid with the amount spent on British policing, saying she “felt very strongly about it,” and saying she thought others in the room should as well.

“We spend as much, in fact slightly more on overseas aid than we do on the entire British policing budget,” she told the meeting at Dunstable community fire station.

“Now I suspect you might feel quite strongly about it. I feel very strongly about that.”

The meeting was called by the PCC as part of her roadshow to explain work she had carried out since she became commissioner.

But residents in Dunstable also used it to vent their frustration at what they say is a lack of policing in Dunstable and Houghton Regis.

Her comments were condemned by Houghton Regis councillor Tracey McMahon who called it a “low blow” on social media.

She said: “The ‘Foreign Aid’ card was a low blow I thought. Many people are under the misconception that this is UK taxpayer money that is just given away. It’s not. Aid is given in the form of loans. The UK government and ‘other’ investors actually make money from ‘giving’ aid. Foreign Aid is a money making mechanism for the government. No wonder they pay more into it than our police service. The police service doesn’t make money!”

Another commented: “Lets fan the flames of racial tension, why dont we. I will be putting in a formal complaint when i find out who is the boss of the PCC. Unacceptable and irresponsible.

Another person at the meeting later commented: ”I was very dismayed to hear this as tensions have been high lately to immigrants etc. This was a very manipulated response from her & she shouldn’t do that.”

Another person said: “The commissioner has been fully aware of the situation in our town, so to have created a diversion tactic by pulling out the funding and foreign card instead of responding head on is a low blow. This tactic has worked to distract us. Funding is a factor but not a full preventor. It’s like she’s saying until I get a further £10m I’m happy for my town to be infested with ASBO, theives, Peado and the rest. There are more effective ways to work with a set budget and divide our force up. This is what I wanted to hear from Katherine Holloway last night.”

When approached by the Dunstable Gazette Mrs Holloway said: “There is nothing whatsoever that is racist about stating the simple fact that the government spends as much on foreign aid as it does on the entire policing budget for England and Wales.”

Watch out, watch out, there’s a Wookie about, because a short time ago, at Ivinghoe Beacon not far far away... the film crew and actors for Star Wars Episode IX were spotted!

Rumours have spread like wildfire since August 13, when white vans with the ‘Pinewood MBS Lighting’ slogan were spotted in the area, while on Monday and Tuesday drivers reported seeing filming on the hillside, including horses and even Chewbacca!

It looked to be just rumour until pictures emerged on social media showing stars John Boyega (Finn), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), and Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) on set at Ivinghoe Beacon.

Bridget Knight, parish clerk of Ivinghoe Parish Council – who didn’t know at the time of speaking to the LBO on Thursday if the initial rumours were true – said: “I’d say there were three car parks that were chock-a-block. There were about 20 lorries, loads of cars, seven golf buggies, and someone said they saw a Chewbacca [Wookie].

“I asked the security guard a couple of times but he wouldn’t tell me anything.

“They have packed up and left now. Normally, when filming takes place here, we see the presenters or actors in the local pub – but this was all very secretive!”

The photos on social media show Joonas Suotamo being given an umbrella to keep his Chewbacca suit dry, and John Boyega and Oscar Isaac standing together in costume.

Chewbacca was spotted at the top of the hill holding what appeared to be a gun, standing next to horses covered in long, grey fur. Suotamo was also photographed without his Chewbacca head mask on.

The LBO approached Pinewood Studios for a comment but they have not responded yet.

The National Trust, which owns the land, was also contacted but was unable to comment.