Three people have been jailed for nearly 20 years over a £30,000 cocaine venture planned by a convicted drug-dealer already serving time behind bars.

Domenico Masciopinto was serving a 14-year sentence at HMP The Mount when he masterminded the £30,000 cocaine deal, which spanned from Luton to Bedford.

Masciopinto, 38, orchestrated the deal using a mobile phone to frequently contact two associates in the outside world, Daniel Digiacomo, 27, of Farrer Street, Kempston, and Jason West, 35, of Malthouse Green, Luton.

Digiacomo was arrested moments after SOCU officers witnessed the drug deal in a supermarket car park. Officers recovered nearly a kilo of high quality cocaine and £29,435 in cash from both parties involved.

West was identified as the supplier of the cocaine but evaded police capture for four months.

Detectives eventually found him living in a £99-a-night luxury serviced apartment in Milton Keynes. Among the items found in the flat included around £5,000 in £50 notes and a diamond encrusted Rolex.

Digiacomo was a co-defendant in the investigation for which Masciopinto was sentenced to 14 years for dealing cocaine and heroin in Bedfordshire in 2012. Digiacomo had since been released on licence.

Masciopinto, Digiacomo and West all pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to supply a Class A drug, namely cocaine. Masciopinto received a seven-year prison sentence, which will be added onto his existing sentence. West received a sentence of six years and eight months, while Digiacomo was sentenced to six years behind bars.

Two others were also sentenced at Luton Crown Court on Thursday for their role in the criminal operation.

Kelly Imlay, 30, of Bunting Road, Luton, pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. She met with West in Luton on the day of the offence, 28 September 2017, and was handed a package. She then made her way to the car park in Lurke Street, Bedford.

Once Imlay had parked in Lurke Street, West contacted Digiacomo by phone to coordinate the transaction between him and Imlay. Digiacomo then walked to Imlay’s car from a nearby block of flats.

Having got in the car for only a few moments, Digiacomo got out and was quickly detained and searched by officers.

Their search found Digiacomo carrying 995g of cocaine at 79% purity, more than £1,100 in cash and three mobile phones. Imlay’s car was stopped nearby shortly afterwards and £28,335 of cash was found, along with a handwritten note with Lurke Street’s postcode on.

Phone records show Masciopinto continued to contact West soon after the other suspects had been arrested, with no further use of the phone after 10.24pm on 28 September.

Imlay received a sentence of two years, suspended for two years. She will have to complete 250 hours of community service and wear an electronic tag for 12 months.

Bobbie Keet, 25, of St Peters Road, Bedford, Digiacomo’s partner, was found guilty at trial of possessing criminal property and money laundering offences under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Keet was found by officers loading her car with expensive items from her and Digiacomo’s flat a few hours after the initial arrests. She sought to remove nearly £2,500 in cash, a number of fake Rolexes and three pairs of Louis Vuitton shoes.

She received a 12-month community order and will undertake 100 hours of unpaid work.

Detective Inspector Justin Dipper, from the force’s SOCU, said: “The success of this investigation was the result of weeks of detailed investigative work. The fact we were able to recover such a significant quantity of drugs and cash is testament to the team’s hard work and ability.

“The way two different criminal networks came together in pursuit of this criminal enterprise shows how drug trafficking impacts the whole of Bedfordshire. The fact Masciopinto helped arrange the deal from behind bars shows a shocking lack of remorse for his previous crime.

“The amount of cash and luxury items we have seized as part of this investigation shows the scale of this criminal operation. Drug dealing was funding these lavish lifestyles and it is right the courts have imposed such harsh sentences on those involved.”

A professional wrestler has got to grips with a great way to help the homeless in Leighton Buzzard.

Lee Malone, who runs Sacrifice Pro Wrestling and has lived in Leighton Buzzard for 13 years, decided to use the funds from the company’s November and December shows to support Leighton Linslade Homeless Service.

Last week Lee, 28, from Sandhills, presented goods bought with the November proceeds of about £200 to Paul Latimer, project coordinator at the Black Horse homeless shelter in North Street.

Now he’s urging locals to get behind their next show at the school he used to attend, Cedars Upper, on Saturday, December 29 to give the shelter an even bigger boost.

Lee, who is a former HOPE Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, and the current Ultimate Sacrifice Champion, said: “The funds of our November and December shows are completely going towards this cause and buying them gloves, hats and other warm clothes for the winter.

“We’ve taken the November funds and bought a whole bunch of stuff that we dropped down. The more people that come to our show on December 29, the more we can buy for the Black Horse’s homeless shelter.

“Wrestlers are coming from all over the country to be a part of this huge end of year spectacular. Everyone volunteering – or sacrificing – their time to raise money for the homeless in Leighton Buzzard.

“I commute through Leighton town – most wrestlers will have some kind of day job – and I see more people begging for money every day. It feels like more than ever, I want to know what we can do to help.

“Every show we run is for charity. We’ve helped Autism Bedfordshire, Dogs 4 Good, Circa UK and more. No wrestlers, staff or anybody else takes a wage. We put our bodies on the line for the hope of doing some good in the world.”

Tickets for the show are £5 for children, £7 for adults and £20 for a group of four. Doors open at 3pm for a 3.30pm start.

The event will also feature other Leighton-born stars like Kai Payne, Chase Williams, Owen Charles and John Grimm.

Get your tickets at www.HOPESacrifice.bigcartel.com or visit www.Facebook.com/SacrificePro.

Lee added: “The last two years, wrestling has had a major resurgence in the UK. So much so that my coach had to stop training me because he was just signed by The WWE.

“I wrestle most weekends, up and down the country. Friends of mine just wrestled at Wembley. This isn’t an underground thing any more.”

The NSPCC’s Local Campaigns Manager Emma Motherwell talks about how neglect can have an impact on a child’s physical health, and how this can affect their lives long-term…

Physical neglect is a type of maltreatment which happens when parents or carers can't or won't provide for the physical needs of their child with age-appropriate care.

A child needs basic physical care such as warmth, shelter, adequate food and rest, grooming and protection from danger.

If these needs aren’t being met, it’s unsurprising that this can jeopardize a child’s physical health.

Children who have been neglected can experience short-term and long-term health problems, and some that might that last throughout their life.

Neglect often is an act of omission; but neglecting children’s needs can be just as damaging as other forms of abuse. Tragically, neglect is a factor in 60 per cent of serious case reviews, which happen when a child dies or is seriously injured due to maltreatment.

Sometimes, physical neglect will cause noticeable symptoms. From untreated injuries to persistent illness, neglect can mean a child’s physical health will be conspicuously below that of their peers.

Neglected young people will often miss medical appointments, such as GP visits for vaccinations.

They might have injuries or medical issues that are left untreated, or poor dental health and hygiene.

This is called medical neglect, and parents who do this sometimes refuse medical care for their children or ignore recommendations suggested by doctors or nurses.

Neglected children may repeatedly sustain accidental injuries, which could be a sign they are often left unsupervised, or they may get recurring illnesses or infections, for which they are not given the appropriate medicines to treat them, and could be exacerbated by unsuitable clothing. They may

also be noticeably tired on a regular basis.

Some neglected children are malnourished, due to not having enough of the right food.

Malnourished children could have poor muscle tone or prominent joints, a thin or swollen tummy, or faltering weight or growth. In extreme cases, they may not reach developmental milestones, which is also known as failure to thrive.

If a young person has skin sores, rashes, flea bites, scabies or ringworm, it could be a sign they live in an unhygienic home environment due to neglect.

Neglect can also have an indirect effect on the physical health of a young person as, sadly, neglected youngsters are more likely to have problems with drug or alcohol abuse at some point in their lives.

Specifically, neglected teenagers may exhibit alcohol-related problems in their early or late teens.

Children who are being neglected are often afraid or reluctant to tell anyone because they think they will be blamed or that no one will believe them.

It is up to us and to our communities to recognize and report the signs of physical neglect, and make sure children’s health and wellbeing are protected.

If you spot something that concerns you, but you’re not sure what to do about it, call the NSPCC’s Helpline confidentially on 0808 800 5000, and a trained counsellor will help to make the appropriate

next step.

The first business has opened its doors to the public at Leighton Buzzard’s new Grovebury Road Retail Park.

Subway, which also has a town centre outlet, launched on Wednesday, December 5 and is bringing 10 new jobs as a result of its new branch.

The shop looks a bit lonely on the desolate retail park at the moment with none of the other outlets anticipated to open until January 2019.

Other stores on the horizon are M&S Foodhall, KFC, Pets at Home, B&M Retail, Topps Tiles and Costa Coffee.

As the LBO reported in October, the final store could be Aldi, rather than Wickes.

The discount supermarket wants to take over Wickes’ position as an anchor tenant, subject to planning permission being secured, with Wickes having agreed to step aside.

The retail park originally gained planning permission in November 2013, with a condition that the presence of “convenience food retail” in the warehouses was forbidden. However, last year, with M&S keen to put a Foodhall on the site, Central Beds Council agreed to amend the Section 106 agreement to allow its presence.

Retail park developer Claymore Phoenix is now seeking permission for a similar concession for Aldi and CBC will make its decision shortly.

Despite targeting the Grovebury Road site, Aldi intends to keep open what would be a smaller base in Vimy Road as well.

And, in fact, it has recently applied for planning permission to extend the town centre store and alter its car park layout.

The plan is due to be discussed at Leighton-Linslade Town Council’s planning and transport committee meeting on Wednesday, December 12.

It wants to increase the retail floorspace from 920sq metres to 1,255sq metres, improve the appearance of the building entrance and extend the existing glazed entrance canopy.

Suggested amendments to admission criteria at some Central Bedfordshire schools aims to reduce their difficulty in recuiting and retaining staff.

Central Beds Council is seeking views on the proposed changes for all Community and Voluntary Controlled (VC) schools in September 2020.

The current oversubscription criteria for most of these schools prioritises certain children, such as those who are in care and children who live in the catchment area with brothers of sisters already attending the school.

The consultation proposes to add the following to the oversubscription criteria:

> Children who appear to the Local Authority to have been in state care outside of England, but are now adopted.

> Children of staff at Greenleas School, Southcott Lower, Heathwood Lower, Dunstable Icknield Lower, Fairfield Park Lower, Thomas Johnson Lower and Shefford Lower.

Executive Member for Families, Education and Children, Cllr Steve Dixon, said: “The proposed changes will ensure that children who have been in care and then adopted are assured of a school place.

“Also, as many schools have had difficulty recruiting and retaining staff, prioritising the children of staff helps to recruit and retain high quality teachers at our schools.”

There is also a proposal to reduce the published admission number at Linslade Lower from 45 to 30. This was put forward by the school’s governing body in order to better manage class sizes and staffing.

CBC says: “We have looked at the school places available in the area and this change can be accommodated.”

Have your say at www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/consultations until 5pm on 29 January 2019.

Parents can also collect a paper copy from Greenleas, Southcott and Heathwood and Linslade Lower.

A teenager whose bomb hoaxes caused the closure of several Bedfordshire schools, has been jailed for three years today (Friday).

Schools in Stotfold and Dunstable were among those targetted by George Duke-Cohan.

The 19 year old from Hertfordshire, also made a bomb hoax concerning a United Airlines flight travelling from the UK to San Francisco in August this year.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of making hoax bomb threats at Luton Crown Court in September 2018 following an investigation by the National crime Agency.

Duke-Cohan sent the bomb threats that resulted in a number of schools in the UK being evacuated in March 2018 for which he was arrested just days later.

In April whilst under investigation, he sent a mass email to schools in the UK and the US claiming that pipe bombs had been planted on the premises.

On 9 August, the hacker group known as ‘Apophis Squad’ claimed on their Twitter page that flight UAL 949 had been grounded due to their actions.

National Crime Agency investigators working with the FBI identified that whilst on pre-charge bail for the threats to schools, Duke-Cohan made bomb threats to the US-bound flight via phone calls to San Francisco Airport and their Bureau police.

In a recording of one of the phone calls which was made while the plane was in the air, he takes on the persona of a worried father and claims his daughter contacted him from the flight to say it had been hijacked by gunmen, one of whom had a bomb.

On arrival in San Francisco the plane was the subject of a significant security operation in a quarantined area of the airport. All 295 passengers had to remain on board causing disruption to onward journeys and financial loss to the airline.

In an operation supported by Hertfordshire Police, Duke-Cohan was arrested by NCA officers for the third time at his home in Watford on Friday 31 August.

Officers recovered multiple electronic devices belonging to him, the use of which was in contravention to the pre-charge bail conditions imposed on him.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Marc Horsfall said: “George Duke-Cohan made a series of bomb threats that caused serious worry and inconvenience to thousands of people, not least an international airline.

“He carried out these threats hidden behind a computer screen for his own enjoyment, with no consideration for the effect he was having on others.

“Despite being arrested and having conditions imposed restricting his use of technology, he persistently broke those conditions to continue his wave of violent threats.

“Law enforcement take such offences extremely seriously. The sentence handed down to Duke-Cohan today highlights the consequences of such offending.

“This investigation proves that operating online does not offer offenders anonymity. Duke-Cohan now has a criminal record which will harm his future career prospects and this should act as a deterrent to others.”

Three teenage burglars have been sentenced today (Friday) after they were caught pretending to be asleep in bed when police officers caught up with them.

Mark Boyce, 19, of Greenacres, Slapton Road, Little Billington at the time of the offence (but lately of Southwood Road in Dunstable), Patrick Casey, 19, of Aldbanks in Dunstable (but recently of no fixed abode), and Seth Lee, 19, of Wheatfield Close in Leighton Buzzard, were sentenced to a combined total of seven years and two months at Luton Crown Court.

Additionally, a 16-year-old boy was also found guilty of the same offence and will be sentenced at a later date.

Lee was sentenced to 40 months, Casey to 24 months and Boyce to 22 months imprisonment. Boyce received additional credit and a shorter sentence because he decided to return a watch stolen in the burglary and brought it to the court.

In the early hours of June 15, police received reports from members of the public of a group of young people acting suspiciously in Waterdell, Leighton Buzzard.

The officers attended and with the support of the National Police Air Support tracked the four teens to a house in Meadow Way.

Officers gained access to the house and found Boyce, Casey, Lee and the 16-year-old undressed and pretending to be asleep in bed, alongside a large number of items of stolen jewellery. Although they were found sharing two beds, they denied knowing one another or having any involvement in the burglary.

Detective Constable Andrew Boston, who investigated this case, said: “This was one of the more unusual cover stories for a group of burglars that I’ve encountered, but unfortunately for them our officers didn’t buy it.

“The property recovered in the bedrooms where we found the offenders was identified as having been stolen from another house in the nearby neighbourhood. This allowed us to build a strong case against the offenders, who brazenly attempted to deny their involvement in this burglary.

“Hopefully this will serve as a warning to others who think they are above the law – we are committed to catching anyone who looks to profit from other people’s misery.”

Numerous Heath and Reach villagers were unable to use their landlines yesterday, after they claim an engineer accidentally flicked a wrong switch.

During the morning (Thursday, December 6) residents reported that their landlines were down, with businesses missing out on calls from customers and families being informed that their phones had said they were ‘engaged’ when people had tried to ring them.

Villagers told the LBO that they made calls to BT but say they were all baffled to be given the same advice - that there must be a problem with their individual phone/s and that the company could “send an engineer” round for £85.

However, it has now been claimed that one customer was informed by BT that an engineer had flicked an incorrect switch and that it had led to all the landlines being engaged.

Hazel Markland, 45, claimed: “It was down yesterday and it’s been chaos here!

“I phoned the providers who told me: ‘There’s nothing wrong with your line. We want to check your phone but you need to book an engineer’ - and then if you do that they will charge £85!

“Obviously, when you look on Facebook there’s person after person after person who has the same problem.

“I was also in the hairdresser’s and for business it’s really bad; it just showed that their landline was busy.

“However, someone has said they were told by BT that a previous engineer had left a button down, which meant the numbers in the village registered as engaged.”

Luckily, Hazel says this morning (Friday) the issue was resolved, but that residents are still confused and claim BT should have realised there was a wider problem afoot and not put it down to individual telephones.

They also say customers with other providers were affected and it has not yet been confirmed whether the alleged engineer was from BT or where the rumoured mistake took place.

The LBO has approached BT for a comment.

Staff were ordered to lie on the floor at gunpoint by three masked robbers who targeted a Leighton Buzzard shop on Sunday morning.

Bedfordshire Police is appealing for information regarding the raid at the Co-Op store in Clarence Road just after the store opened at 7am.

The three offenders, one carrying a small black handgun, entered the shop. The man with the gun threatened a staff member and demanded he open the till, and the three staff members were told to lie on the floor whilst the culprits took a quantity of cash, cigarettes and alcohol.

Two of the men left the store in an unknown direction, and the third is believed to have turned right towards Plantation Road.

Two of the men were described as black, of medium build, and wearing black Puffa jackets with white zips. The gunman is described as a light-skinned black man, of medium build, and wearing a black, shiny Puffa jacket.

All three men had the hoods of the coats up, and were wearing balaclavas obscuring their faces. In addition, two are thought to have deep voices with local accents.

Detective Mandy Godfree, investigating, said: “This was a distressing incident in which three members of staff were threatened at gunpoint. We are following a number of lines of enquiry and are keen to speak to trace the men involved.

“If you were in Clarence Road early yesterday morning and saw anything suspicious, or saw anyone matching the description of these offenders, please get in touch, as any information could be vital in our investigation.”

Contact police on 101 quoting reference 96 of 9 December, or use the online reporting centre.

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Another Co-Op store in Leighton Buzzard was targeted by criminals last week.

At just before 4am on Monday, December 3 police were called to a report of a break-in at the Co-op in Stanbridge Road.

Three men broke into the store by smashing the glass front door before making off with a large quantity of alcohol. Police say they are not linking the incidents at this time.

Anyone with any information should contact police quoting reference 40/41554/18.

A mum who launched a petition to get a new pedestrian crossing installed in Wing has claimed that the chair of Wing Parish Council resigned because of a lack of action on Wing’s 2015 traffic report document.

Sarah Roe stood down from the council shortly after the October 30 meeting but claims her resignation had nothing to do with the report in question.

A new chairman was appointed at a parish council meeting on November 15.

Ms Roe’s resignation came just a week after improvements to the pedestrian crossing on Stewkley Road started.

The new crossing was installed following a petition started by a group of mothers from the village in early October after a child was struck by a vehicle at the crossing.

The petition received more than 750 signatures.

Juliet Bush, one of the mums who started the petition said: “The new-look crossing has already made an impact as it is slowing down traffic because of the size of the hump.

“The second crossing (by The Surgery) is not completed - it is just a hump at the moment which is not ideal but it will eventually be a second crossing.

“I am pleased that this has made a difference - but I still feel more could be done.

“We will continue to lobby for changes to the speed limit and more traffic calming measures throughout the village.”

Bucks County Council say that work to complete the installation of the second crossing will continue during the February half-term.

Juliet claims that Ms Roe resigned because of a lack of action in relation to the Wing Parish Council traffic report, a document published in 2015 setting out aims for the next three years in relation to traffic issues.

This website has seen a copy of the report which under the heading ‘Wing Parish Council wish list’ talks about plans for ‘new crossings and improvements to old crossings’ and cites the Stewkley Road crossing.

Juliet claims that during a meeting Ms Roe could “not answer what had happened to money that was supposed to be set aside for this project.”

Juliet said: “The report was written following a consultation with the community and I feel that very little of what was included in the report has been done.

“Personally I think there was a deliberate attempt by some members of the parish council to bury it.”

Ms Roe said: “My resignation had nothing to do with the report - my reasons were personal.”

Police are investigating a serious collision on the A4146 near Leighton Buzzard which left a woman in hospital.

Officers were called at 8.10am this morning (Monday) to a serious road traffic collision involving two cars.

A woman in her 30s was taken to a hospital in a serious, but not life threatening, condition.

The road was temporarily closed, but it has since been reopened.

PC Dan Taylor, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit, said: “We would like to speak to anyone who might have seen this incident or was in the area around the time of the collision.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Bedfordshire Police on 101 quoting reference number 66 with today’s date.

Staff are facing redundancy at a Leighton Buzzard GPs surgery caring for more than 22,000 people.

It has emerged that both medical and administration workers at Leighton Road Surgery’s two sites received a letter informing them of upcoming redundancies due to financial woes.

The medical centre merged with Grovebury Road Surgery last year in order to combine resources. One affected worker, who received the letter on Wednesday, November 28, said: “Clinical staff have been given notices of redundancy as well as admin staff.

“It’s understaffed enough as it is. Some staff are already intending to leave and those who have gone have not been replaced. There’s going to be fewer minor illness patients being seen.

“All they are saying about these redundancies is that it’s due to financial issues. The senior partners took annual leave the day after the letter was sent.

“Things are absolutely at an all-time low. People are sick of it and looking for other jobs.”

In response to the LBO’s enquiries, Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group stated: “Leighton Road Surgery is conducting a business review on its services and the way they are delivered from the practice and as part of this is undertaking a team restructure.

“Whilst the consultation is ongoing and we are in discussion with staff it would not be appropriate to comment further on any potential redundancies. Patients remain our priority and patient safety will not be compromised by the restructure.”

In September, the LBO reported that the surgery had U-turned over its controversial new appointment system and reverted back to its old method, issuing an apology to patients.

Residents had previously been told that in order to get an appointment, they had to first book a telephone consultation with a doctor, who would assess whether they needed to come in for a face-to-face discussion.

Patients then complained to the LBO, alleging that the new triage system had made things even worse, claiming that the phone lines were “gridlocked”, that callers got cut off whilst on hold.

Despite this, Bedfordshire CCG later clarified that phonecalls with doctors were still being used for patients wishing to book an appointment on the same day.

Christmas dinner, wrapping presents, decorating your home – there’s lots to think about this Christmas. But one thing Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS) are urging residents in Bedfordshire and Luton to put top of their Christmas lists this year is fire safety.

The extra distractions of Christmas make it especially important to be vigilant during the festive season.

Christmas trees in particular can be dangerous, watch this national fire safety campaign short video to see how quickly a Christmas Tree fire can spread http://youtu.be/hMtjGfr0tYs

Pete Buckingham, Community Safety Manager, says: “Christmas is a time for festive cheer with family and friends. But fairy lights, candles and decorations mean it is also a time to take extra care to keep our loved ones safe from fire”

“To ensure you have the merriest of Christmases, keep fire safety at the top of your list. Ensure you place candles in suitable holders and away from curtains, never leave cooking unattended and, of course, test your smoke alarms.

“The colder weather brings its own menaces too. Take care when using portable heaters or open fires to keep warm.”

Here are some simple tips from the national fire safety campaign to help you and your family enjoy the joys of Christmas safely:

>Ensure you have working smoke alarms installed on all levels of your home.

>Never leave cooking unattended. The majority of fires start in the kitchen so this is a high risk area.

>Never leave burning candles unattended.

>Put your cigarette out, right out. Make sure your cigarette is fully extinguished and take care when under the influence of alcohol or tired.

>Never use heaters to dry clothes.

>Don’t overload sockets. Ensure only one plug per socket. Always turn off plugs when they are not in use.

>Ensure you switch off fairy lights and unplug them before you go to bed or leave the house.

>Always use a residual current device (RCD) on outdoor electrical equipment.

Visit www.bedsfire.gov.uk for more safety advice.

East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) is one of 13 NHS Trusts that will be leading the way in a national programme to introduce electronic prescribing and administration (ePMA).

The trust, that provides mental health and community services in Bedfordshire, is one of 13 NHS Trusts that will be the first to receive a share of £78m to support ePMA.

ELFT is receiving £740,000 for the project, which will be rolled out from the start of 2019.

The use of ePrescribing removes the need for handwritten prescriptions and reduces the risks of medication error.

Dr Paul Gilluley, Chief Medical Officer for ELFT, said: “Our Trust places tremendous value on the role of digital technology in supporting our fantastic staff and their work to provide the best possible patient care.

“The move to ePrescribing means we can do away with paper prescription charts, nurses will not have to decipher illegible handwriting and drug information and clinical prescribing decision support will be readily available.

“It will save time, improve safety and bring about improved outcomes for patients.”

They have released CCTV footage of the incident in the hope that someone may have seen something before or after the break-in, which happened on the High Street just after 12am.
Bedfordshire Police are investigating the incident but the business believes more can be done by police.
The offenders broke in through the front door, turned off the CCTV, caused a mess inside and then stole a bag of change.
A spokesperson for Sorelli said: “The staff came in and someone had used some cutters to cut the padlocks off the shutter and climbed through the window.
“We saw two of them on bikes and think that one was keeping watch as one of them comes in and turns off the CCTV.
“They made a right mess in here and they smashed one of the internal doors, but all they took was a bag of coppers that was probably less than £20 and three half full bottles of spirits.
“This is the second time it has happened here, it may be the same people as last time, but again it seems like the police can not do anything about it.
“The police did not seem interested when they came to take forensics, and there have been a spate of burglaries in the area again. The businesses feel like the police are not doing anything to stop this from happening, again.”
A spokesman for Bedfordshire Police said: “The offenders broke in to the premises and caused some criminal damage before stealing a small amount of cash.
“Forensic officers have attended the scene and the enquiries are ongoing.”
If anyone has any information about the incident, call police on 101, quoting reference 40/43129/18.

The future of two Leighton-Linslade swimming clubs’ ‘Level 5 and under’ lessons still hangs in the balance.

The tide could be changing for Leighton-Linslade swimming clubs as Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) and Stevenage Leisure (SLL) have proposed to take over lessons for young children.

Linslade Crusaders Swimming Club and Leighton Buzzard Swimming Club, who practise at Tiddenfoot, have both been informed that as of January CBC and SLL are proposing to run all lessons for those at Level 5 and under.

However, upon hearing the news, Linslade Crusaders started a petition that has so far reached over 1,710 signatures in a bid to keep running their own ‘Learn To Swim’ sessions and keep their beloved club family together.

The club is also “really disappointed” with the reasons CBC/SLL have given for the take over [see below] and say the arguments are “impractical”.

A Linslade Crusaders spokesman, claimed: “Parents currently have a choice of where to send their children but this will be taken away.

“With regards to swimming clubs they are not currently consistent across the county; they have different cost structures and pool availability, plus all the pools are different. We struggle to understand why CBC/SLL have chosen to use consistency [as an argument for change].

“Our swim lessons meet the national standards and are all taught by qualified teachers and coaches with additional support from older swimmers who are also often qualified coaches.”

Finances and Options

Meanwhile, the club claimed that CBC/SLL do not intend to offer one extra hour of Learn To Swim, but that they will just be fitting extra lanes into current times, and not offering extra places - only adding to the length of waiting lists.

Additionally, the club expressed serious concerns that Tiddenfoot’s full rate £22.50 (per month) compared to the Linslade Crusaders’s rate £12 (per month) would cause children to lose out, arguing that some parents will not be able to afford the cost even with any discount CBC/SLL offer.

The club has also been offered extra hours (6am-8am), as well as opportunities for galas, but it says that the times are too early for many children and that Tiddenfoot isn’t equipped for galas.

Leighton Buzzard Swimming Club

The other club affected is Leighton Buzzard Swimming Club. A spokeswoman said: “Leighton Buzzard Swimming Club is in ongoing discussions with CBC and SLL to find a solution that is in the best interest of our Club’s youngest members and for the long term future of our Club.

“LBSC has been in existence for nearly 100 years introducing and providing competitive swimming opportunities for the local community at all levels up to a national level. Our aim is to continue to be around for many more years and we remain optimistic about finding a positive outcome.”

The Linslade Crusaders spokesman, concluded: “You can imagine the scenario where ourselves and LB Swim Club have to try and compete for eight to 10 year olds as they finish their swim school: this would not be healthy.

“We’ve been doing this for 36 years with no issue from Swim England (who we are accredited with) and our lessons are fully compliant with their standards.

“To quote Swim England: ‘Clubs are the backbone of swimming. They provide opportunities to learn how to swim, develop skills and swim socially’.”

Both clubs have appointments to meet the council this week.

Response

A Central Bedfordshire Council spokeswoman, said: “We want to encourage more people at all levels to get into swimming. We believe that the swimming clubs still have a vital role to play in nurturing talented competitive swimmers, and they can still use the pool at Tiddenfoot for this purpose.

“We are making these changes because we want to have one consistent approach to swimming lessons across all of our leisure centres, with lessons which meet the standards and curriculum of the national body, Swim England. Tiddenfoot is the last of our leisure centre sites to make this adjustment.

“We are adjusting the pool timetable at Tiddenfoot and will be running more sessions to increase the number of children able to take our swimming lessons. This will make room for the children moving over from the club lessons, and for others on the waiting list.

“Those moving over from the club lessons will be eligible for reduced fees for three months. After that, they will move to the standard price, unless they are low-income families. Low-income families will pay a lower reduced fee for a longer six-month period. Their fee will then move to our standard concessionary price for such families. Importantly, fees include free unlimited swimming to allow the child to practise and gain confidence in the water.

“To support the clubs, they have been offered 12 hours extra pool time to help them to grow and develop their competitive swimming. The clubs have also been offered access to the pool at free or reduced hire prices, so that they can run additional club galas to help them raise income.

“If parents want their child to learn to swim, they already have a wide choice. There are a number of private lessons run from pools across the area. Parents can choose those other lessons, or the lessons at Tiddenfoot Leisure Centre run by our contractor. The swimming club does hire other pools and could choose to run their own lessons from those pools if they wish.”

Contradictory?

However, commenting on the council’s last point, the Linslade Crusaders spokesman claimed: “This is contradictory to them using standards and Swim England as a reason for this. What they are saying is that its OK to run the lessons as long as not at our pool. Tiddenfoot has a variable base small pool which is ideal for learn to swim and building childrens confidence. We only hire other pools because Tiddenfoot can’t give us pool time.”

https://www.change.org/p/save-our-swimming

Plans to build 20 flats in Leighton Buzzard town centre will be opposed by a neighbouring historic pub following a public exhibition last week.

On Wednesday, December 5, the Golden Bell in Church Square hosted the exhibition of developer Mayfair 500’s plans to build 20 flats to the rear of the neighbouring Post Office building.

Although it allowed its venue to be used for the exhibition, the Golden Bell had already announced online its intention to oppose the development.

Landlady Lisa Drew told the LBO: “The exhibition was very well attended.

“Lots of local people and businesses are very unhappy about the residential aspect of this development and there was a degree of anger.

“Most people would rather it was used for facilities or commercial purposes, perhaps a doctor’s surgery, or parking or more retail – all of the things which the town centre desperately needs.

“The feedback forms [provided by Mayfair 500] were not fit for purpose. They were gathering feedback on what people specifically thought of the development plans, rather than what they wanted overall.”

One of the arguments used against the plans has been the impact on the proposed Land South of High Street scheme. Last week, LB First chairman Gennaro Borelli told the LBO that a residential development could harm the commercial potential of the site.

Mrs Drew added: “We’re fully in support of developing the land. I would welcome the competition from other restaurants and pubs.

“If it’s used residentially, none of those people are going to be able to make doctor’s appointments or find school places, as we’re already at capacity.

“And it backs on to two historic pubs [The Golden Bell and the Black Lion], both of which will be jeopardised.”

A spokesman on behalf of Mayfair 500 said: “We were really pleased with the high turnout at last week’s consultation event. It was great to have the opportunity to speak to the local community, answer their questions, and hear their views.

“We are still in the process of receiving and reviewing feedback, which helps us evolve the plans before submitting an application in the new year as planned.

“The site has long been earmarked for development and was part of a disposal of sites for re-development by the former owners.

“We are in ongoing discussions with the local authority to provide a scheme that realises the site’s potential and kickstarts the longed-for regeneration of the wider land to the south of the High Street.”

A CBC admission that the long-awaited South Side development is no longer a “priority project” was met with dismay in October.

In an email to Cllr Roy Johnstone, regeneration officer Stephen Mooring wrote: “It is important to stress that currently the Land South of the High Street does not feature in the list of priority projects for the council...

“So in the near term resource is focused on the delivery of other projects.”

All the most-loved pantomime ingredients are there - the slapstick comedy, the “Oh no you won’ts”, the songs that make you want to dance in the aisles, and the innuendo-filled jokes that get the mums and dads giggling helplessly.

But where this Robin Hood production scores a real bullseye is the technology. How DID they get that life-size Tyrannosaurus Rex to look so thrillingly real? And as for the 3D interlude, well suffice to say I put my arm round my eight-year-old companion just in case the ‘monsters’ scared him - only to find myself clutching him for my own comfort as owls, bats and balls of fire seemingly whizzed towards my head.

The boy, of course, watched in ultra-impressed, non-terrified awe and told me it was the coolest thing he’d ever seen.
Even his 13-year-old brother (hard to impress at that age) declared the whole panto “awesome” and wanted to see it again. Praise indeed.

Shane Ritchie, once you got your head round the fact that he wasn’t Alfie in EastEnders, was superb, managing to be funny, endearing and be a macho hero all at the same time. His partnership with Peter Piper as Friar Tuck was side-splittingly funny and their fat suit dance is not something you will ever easily forget.
Phil Hitchcock’s Merlin proved that a magician and illusionist can be a talented and funny actor too.

You know a magician is good when the kids are still asking “How did he DO that?” hours after the curtain has gone down.

Robin Hood’s Merry Men were all they should be - merry and extremely entertaining. The fact that half of them were professional acrobats from The Acromaniacs could only be a bonus. The comedy from Little John (Jamie Kenna) and Will Scarlett (Michael Quinn) had the theatre in stitches at times.

Smaller, more local, and very cute heroes of the panto were the children of MK-based Dancebox Studios, who formed an energetic and talented part of the ensemble throughout the performance.

Pete Gallagher was a boo-ingly impressive villain as the Sheriff of Nottingham, and Zoe George as Maid Marion had us all clutching our seats when her life was in danger.
But of course Robin Hood, complete with his golden arrow, saves the day in time for a perfect, rip roaring panto ending in the form of a wedding to Maid Marion.

We trooped out with our own little merry men, bedazzled, thrilled and entertained. The eight-year-old had just one complaint. “He didn’t KISS her when they got married,” he said,
Robin Hood runs until Sunday January 13. Tickets can be book via atg.tickets.com/Milton Keynes

Council Tax payers are to stump up extra cash in order to meet Bedfordshire Police’s £8m settlement increase this year, it has been revealed.

In an announcement earlier today, the force hailed the settlement as a victory for PCC Kathryn Holloway and Chief Constable Jon Boutcher.

But of the quoted £8m increase amount, just £1.3m has been granted by the government in extra core grant with an additional £1.1m towards pensions.

The remaining £5.6m will be paid by Council Tax payers, with the PPC raising the precept to the maximum allowed amount of £24 per year for a Band D home.

Mrs Holloway estimated that the additional money will be used to fund 160 new Police Constables in the coming financial year, with 100 more in each of the following two years.

She stated: “This is an achievement not only for me as PCC and my Chief Constable, Jon Boutcher, who have so robustly and publicly made our case, but for the whole of ‘Team Bedfordshire’ – our MPs across party politics and especially Andrew Selous in the South West, who led the charge in Parliament!

“I also want to thank those in our town councils, like Biggleswade and Sandy, who, when I asked them to do so, wrote to the Chancellor to make their views known and every councillor and member of the public who supported us by doing likewise as they did not just criticise Bedfordshire Police, or offer just words, but action.

“This feels like the greatest achievement of my professional life to get this far – it’s certainly been the hardest battle – to land the arguments about Bedfordshire Police with those who hold the purse strings, especially as it comes less than a month after I won my unique £4.57m Special Policing Grant bid for emergency funding, to meet unprecedented costs already incurred by Bedfordshire Police, to fight gun, gang and knife crime.”

South Luton MP Gavin Shuker tweeted: “Good news that Beds Police is to get more funding – long overdue - and we now wait to see exactly what the PCC plans to do with that money and if it gets approved.

“Concerned it places additional burden on the local taxpayers of Luton though.”

South West Beds MP Andrew Selous added: “This is a wonderful early Christmas present for the people of Bedfordshire and a huge boost for our determined Bedfordshire Police officers.

“I look forward to the additional 360 officers that Bedfordshire Police will be able to recruit over the next three years with this funding increase.

“I also want to reduce the demand placed on the Police by mental health and social services issues as it is not fair to the public to expect the Police to have to deal with these issues to the extent they do.”

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “We still need to fully analyse the figures to understand what this means for Bedfordshire Police, but any increase is encouraging and today’s announcement shows the government is aware of the financial pressures forces are under nationally.

“Ultimately this increase in funding will allow the organisation to grow.

“The ability to raise council tax precepts is a matter for our Police & Crime Commissioner Kathryn Holloway, but I’m sure she will want to explore this option to increase the number of officers we have on the front line in our communities.”

The UK’s biggest bakery retailer has set its sights on a business park off Grovebury Road, Leighton Buzzard.

Greggs has submitted a planning application to Central Bedfordshire Council for an outdoor pod building adjoining a 112-space car park on the Chiltern Trading Estate.

One man who contacted the LBO was concerned at the impact on businesses nearby.

He said: “I’d heard nothing about it until someone pointed out a flyer attached to a tree.

“I usually use the kiosk at the business park and I’m very concerned about the impact [this] will have on their business.

“There’s the Route 66 Diner just a little bit further ahead. I don’t see why we need a large food business weighing in.”

The application has passed its original deadline date and CBC has yet to make a decision on it.

According to the planning statement: “ Greggs has identified Chiltern Trading Estate as an ideal opportunity to expand its offer within Central Bedfordshire.

“It should be noted that the existing Greggs at Unit 15 of the Quadrant Shopping Centre in Dunstable town centre together with the Greggs at No. 3 Market Square in Biggleswade town centre, will both remain trading.

“Due to its size and nature, the proposed Greggs Café will complement the surrounding employment uses and will not adversely affect the role and continuing viability of Chiltern Trading Estate.

“The proposal will also generate 13 jobs (3 full-time and 10 part-time), which ... will further strengthen Chiltern Trading Estate as a whole.”