Traffic forum aiming to try to solve local transport problems

FEATURE

Bedford Borough Council has started work on creating a new Local Transport plan (LTP). Our reporter SIMON HUTCHINSON went along to see what solutions are in the pipeline for the future ... () [Read More]

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‘Unwell' vicar is rested after being ‘naughty'

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

A vicar has been banned for ‘inappropriate' behaviour towards a female member of his parish ... () [Read More]

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Bank robber flees in a puff of red smoke

A man who robbed Natwest bank was caught on camera with a trail of red smoke behind him ... () [Read More]

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Man is facing jail over sex assaults at job interviews

The ‘owner' of a restaurant sexually assaulted women he was interviewing ... (06/02/2010) [Read More]

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Parker left furious over ‘three-hour' charge for stay of exactly two hours…

A Bedford man is outraged after having to pay over the odds for a parking fee ... (06/02/2010) [Read More]

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Ex-Harpur Trust school employee arrested and bailed on internet child pornography rap

A former employee of a school has been arrested on suspicion of downloading indecent images of children ... () [Read More]

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Clampers land ex-POW with £125 bill while he donated cash to charity

BY CHRISTINA JOHNSON

An eighty-four-year-old ex-prisoner of war had to pay £125 to get a clamp removed from his car after handing over cash to charity ... () [Read More]

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Tories vent their fury over council tax rise

BY SIMON HUTCHINSON

Conservative councillors have slammed a budget for increasing council tax by 2.3 per cent ... () [Read More]

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MP's anti-Speaker stance dismissed as ‘vindictive'

BY SIMON HUTCHINSON

Mid Bedfordshire MP Nadine Dorries has been branded ‘nasty' and ‘vindictive' for refusing to uphold a House of Commons tradition ... () [Read More]

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Shocked Nadine told by inquiry ‘repay £1,000'

MP Nadine Dorries has been ordered to repay more than £1,000 in Parliamentary expenses ... () [Read More]

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Fundraisers suffer third robbery in two years

A hospice, which cares for people with terminal illnesses, has been targeted by robbers again ... () [Read More]

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Nursery is given a stay of execution

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

A nursery which was set for closure in March will stay open longer to reduce disruption to the children ... () [Read More]

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Walk-in NHS clinic proves a big success

An NHS walk-in centre has treated more than 30,000 patients since it was set up a year ago ... () [Read More]

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Man's unhappy stay at home led to attack

A former resident of a children's home assaulted the manager because he was angry at how he was treated there Jason Soares ... (06/02/2010) [Read More]

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Special measures school is facing a split

Plans to improve educational performance for pupils at a ‘special measures' school are being discussed ... () [Read More]

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Developers accused of greed for sitting on empty £250k bungalow

BY SIMON HUTCHINSON

Residents are becoming increasingly frustrated that an empty bungalow is being allowed to fall into disrepair ... (06/02/2010) [Read More]

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Huge jobless leap sparks MP's wrath

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

An MP has expressed concern over the ‘startling' unemployment figures in our region ... () [Read More]

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Operation Crack Down has fine dodgers in its sights

Court fine dodgers are being targeted in a new campaign ... () [Read More]

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Ex BMS pupil wins Euro short film prize

A Former Bedford Modern School student has won the Grand Prix du Jury in the European Short Film Competition at the prestigious Angers Film Festival in France ... () [Read More]

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Endangered birds flock to local field

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

An investigation has been launched into why the largest ever roost of corn buntings has settled in a farmer's field ... () [Read More]

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Car accident leaves duo fighting for their lives

Two men are in a life-threatening condition after the car they were in collided with trees and landed on its roof ... () [Read More]

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Bogus police officers con OAP

Detectives in Bedfordshire are warning elderly residents to be vigilant after a 97-year-old woman was conned by men pretending to be police officers ... () [Read More]

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Tax hikes aim to bring anomalies into line

Council tax in Central Bedfordshire is set to increase by up to 3.5 per cent in the next financial year ... () [Read More]

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EasyJet offer Pope free plane seat

Airline easyJet have offered to cut the multi-million pound cost of the Pope's trip to the UK by flying him from Rome and back for free ... (03/02/2010) [Read More]

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Police hunt Natwest raider

Bedfordshire Police are appealing for witnesses following an attempted bank robbery today. At 3.54pm a man entered the Natwest Bank in High Street, Bedford armed with a knife and threatened a customer ... () [Read More]

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Benefits backlog eviction concern

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

A disabled man and his family could be out on the streets because of a council delay in benefits ... (03/02/2010) [Read More]

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Pupils' benefit of foresight turns novel idea into book

FEATURE

Many adults look back at their adolescent years and among other things wish they'd have known then what they know now. A group of Bedford School students have made sure this won't happen and have enlisted the help of their celebrity contacts. Reporter KEELEY KNOWLES found out how. () [Read More]

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Homeless man pleads guilty to murder

A man charged with the murder of a 57-year-old man in Luton in August 2009 has pleaded guilty at Luton Crown Court this morning (February 1, 2010) ... (01/02/2010) [Read More]

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FA inquiry into case of missing £30,000

BY LUI STRACCIA

Investigations have begun into how upto £30,000 went missing at Bedfordshire's Girls football Centre of Excellence ... () [Read More]

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Businessman Brian Howard dies at 74

A prominent Bedford businessman died at his home on Thursday ... (03/02/2010) [Read More]

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Foreign crooks remain in nick after they've served their time

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

Around 60 foreign prisoners have been locked up for a total of 22 years in Bedford AFTER completing their sentence ... () [Read More]

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A6 switch could mean traffic-free High Street

Bedford's High Street is set to be closed to traffic on an experimental basis which could eventually see the road partly-pedestrianised permanently ... () [Read More]

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MP cleared on second home payments

Bedford and Kempston MP Patrick Hall has won his appeal against being told to repay £265 interest on a mortgage on his second home ... () [Read More]

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Maltese skirmish saga ends with four year jail term

BY SIMON HUTCHINSON

After six and a half years of legal wrangling a man has been sentenced to four years in a Maltese prison ... () [Read More]

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Tax helpline ‘closed for 40 per cent of week'

People in need of advice and information about housing and council tax benefit have been left in the lurch ... () [Read More]

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Oh brother! Pole used sibling's details to avoid car crimes rap

A banned driver drove illegally, committed offences and then gave his brother's name as the culprit, a court has heard ... () [Read More]

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County pupils are bottom of the class when it comes to education funding

A Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate has slammed the Government for under investing in Bedfordshire education ... () [Read More]

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Council error leads to gypsy site delay

A consultation on proposed gypsy sites has been postponed due to a council mistake ... () [Read More]

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Anger over state of ploughed up pitches

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

Football pitches for youngsters have been left in a ‘shocking state' ... () [Read More]

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Grumpy Arthur laughs off his glum reputation

BY LAWRENCE JOHN

The wit and wisdom of comedian Arthur Smith landed in Bedford this week ... () [Read More]

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Gang jailed for train ticket machine theft

A group of masked men who smashed their way into a railway ticket machine have been jailed ... () [Read More]

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Sale sees baby goods firm reborn

A controversial baby company which claimed it was ‘forced' into administration has been bought ... () [Read More]

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The injection that could save your life

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

A life-saving service that can drastically reverse the effects of a stroke is now in use at Bedford Hospital ... () [Read More]

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Daily tickets left in the cold as FCC compensates for nightmare period

BY SIMON HUTCHINSON

Rail passengers are being offered discounted tickets or a refund following disruption caused by staff shortages and bad weather ... () [Read More]

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Villagers split over decision to brick up a bus shelter

People are divided over a parish council's move to close off their village bus shelter ... () [Read More]

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Uni group takes off in bid to find life in space

BY SIMON HUTCHINSON

A Cranfield University experiment is representing Britain in a search for life existing at the very edge of space ... (29/01/2010) [Read More]

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It's a record as motorists pay the price of potholes

Car glass repair firm Autoglass says it has had record numbers of calls from motorists, many victims of potholes, needing help ... () [Read More]

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Six arrested over Flitwick railway assault

British Transport Police has arrested six people in connection with an ongoing enquiry into robbery and assault offences at Flitwick station ... () [Read More]

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Police authority chief ‘locked up'

The police authority chairman was behind bars in a cell this week ... (28/01/2010) [Read More]

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‘Have I upset Bin Laden?' asks man arrested for jibe

A man who was part of a crowd that chanted ‘Bin Laden's wife is a whore' asked the police who arrested him if the leader of al-Qaeda had made a ... (28/01/2010) [Read More]

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Girl, 16, rejected by mum after leak of medical details

BY LUI STRACCIA

A sixteen-year-old is an outcast from her devout Catholic family who have branded her a ‘murderer' after a nurse allegedly broke medical confidentiality and told them about her secret abortion ... (29/01/2010) [Read More]

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Firefighters hurt as blaze man says ‘leave me here'

BY SOPHIE SCOTT

A man who allegedly refused to leave his burning home caused heroic firefighters to sustain injuries ... () [Read More]

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Teenager in court on murder rap

A teenager made a brief appearance at court yesterday (Tuesday) charged with the murder of 17-year-old Aaron Armstrong ... () [Read More]

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Supermarket to create 300 jobs

Sainsbury's is to open a major new distribution centre at Marsh Leys Distribution Park in Kempston, creating approximately 300 jobs as a result ... (27/01/2010) [Read More]

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Schools' high risk of arson

A report has identified a number of schools in the area as being vulnerable to arson attacks ... () [Read More]

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New Yarl's Wood put on hold

North East Bedfordshire MP Alistair Burt has learned from the Home Office that its plans to build a second Yarl's Wood have been put on hold until the new financial year. ... (26/01/2010) [Read More]

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Bedford restaurant caught employing illegal workers for second time

A Bedford restaurant is facing the prospect of another large fine after it was caught employing illegal foreign labour for a second time ... () [Read More]

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New murder charges in headless body case

Detectives investigating the murder of Michael Gilbert, whose headless body was found at the Blue Lagoon in Arlesey have charged two more people with murder...

(25/01/2010) [Read More]

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Football star denies sister assault

Premier League footballer Calum Davenport has denied assaulting his sister. The West Ham United defender is accused of causing actual bodily harm to Cara Davenport, 28, on August 22 in an ... (25/01/2010) [Read More]

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Boxer charged with perverting course of justice

Heavyweight boxer Matt Skelton has appeared at Bedford Magistrates' Court charged with six counts of perverting the course of justice...
(25/01/2010) [Read More]

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A career in panto is actually in front of her – oh yes it is

FEATURE

The pantomime season may be coming to an end but for successful writer Tracy Canavan-Smith, it's only just beginning. Reporter Keeley Knowles spoke to her about the past, present and what appears to be a very bright future ... () [Read More]

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Police raid left mum and baby stranded

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

A mother and her baby were left with nowhere to stay after police smashed through the door of her home ... () [Read More]

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Grand gesture by council so you can see spending

Council bosses have announced that they will reveal any spending over £1,000 on their website ... () [Read More]

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Police cop a £4m bill for overtime

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

It is estimated that more than £4m will be spent on Bedfordshire Police staff overtime in a year ... () [Read More]

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Council workers' strikes go on

A series of one day strikes will again start to hit Bedford Borough Council tomorrow ... () [Read More]

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Local tax to rise by 2.3 per cent

Bedford Borough residents will see their council tax rise by 2.3 per cent this year ... () [Read More]

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Subsidised nursery is victim of cutbacks

A nursery, subsidised by council taxpayers, has been closed to save thousands of pounds ... () [Read More]

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Two depart from housing association caught up in discrimination row

Senior staff at a housing association which racially discriminated against an employee have left the company ... () [Read More]

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Man flogs soul on ebay to aid Haiti

A musician is selling his soul to raise money for the Haiti earthquake appeal ... (25/01/2010) [Read More]

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CPS in slow lane when it comes to decisions

The Crown Prosecution Service in Bedfordshire has been shown as one of the worst in the country by taking more than two weeks to make a decision if it will ... () [Read More]

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Dialysis unit battlers see optimistic signs

Campaigners are sensing a breakthrough in their long fight for an improved dialysis service ... () [Read More]

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Woman gets dog's life over sick animal wait

BY CHRIS GILL

Pregnant Zahida Demetri was told she might have to spend the night in a vet's waiting room to get her injured dog attended to ... () [Read More]

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Prison officer cleared in ‘faeces attack' case

A prison officer accused of putting faeces into the bag of one of his colleagues while she was away on holiday has been acquitted ... () [Read More]

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Special schools to merge on main site

BY SIMON HUTCHINSON

Borough Hall has rubber stamped plans to move special schools on to mainstream sites ... () [Read More]

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Fight goes on for truth behind Chinook crash

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

An MP whose constituent was bereaved by the Scottish Chinook crash more than 15 years ago says he will continue pressing for answers ... () [Read More]

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Health screening letter denounced as ‘scaremongering'

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

Concerns have been raised about letters sent out by a health screening company claiming to detect patients' risk of diseases ... (22/01/2010) [Read More]

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‘Stalker' given a suspended jail sentence

A woman described how she felt like a ‘prisoner in her own home' after being harassed by a man she had never met ... () [Read More]

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MP backs motion criticising rail firm's poor performance

BY KEELEY KNOWLES

Further pressure is being put on a rail company to improve its services after the recent disruption ... () [Read More]

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OAP faces court on charge of attempting to rape woman, 92

An elderly man has appeared at Luton Crown Court facing a charge of attempting to rape a 92- year-old woman ten years ago ... () [Read More]

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‘Most wanted' serial burglar sought by cops

Police are hunting one of Britain's most wanted criminals who carried out burglaries in Bedfordshire ... () [Read More]

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