Councillors in Daventry district have called for a rethink on plans to radically alter the area’s parliamentary constituencies.

Daventry District Council (DDC) has called on the Boundary Commission for England (BCE) to revise its proposals which would see the district split between two different MPs.

The Commission has proposed a new cross-county ‘Daventry and Lutterworth’ constituency – combining some, but not all, wards in Daventry district together with parts of south Leicestershire and Wellingborough.

Villages to the south of Daventry, in the Woodford and Weedon wards and including places like Staverton and Badby, would be moved into the South Northamptonshire constituency under the proposals, which are part of a national review of parliamentary boundaries.

The existing Daventry constituency, represented by Chris Heaton-Harris MP includes all of Daventry district, together with two wards from each of the Wellingborough and South Northamptonshire Council areas.

The changes are being proposed after the commission was charged by the Government to reduce the number of MPs across the whole country from 650 to 600, and alter seats so that each MP represented a similar number of voters.

DDC’s Strategy Group agreed on Thursday, November 24, to call on the Boundary Commission for England to maintain that arrangement, in order to ensure the whole of Daventry district continues to be represented by one MP.

Cllr Chris Millar, leader of Daventry District Council, said: “We are keen to ensure that the whole of Daventry district is represented by one MP, helping the council and its residents to have a single point of influence on national policy in order to help us achieve local aims.

“These proposals would put the towns of Daventry and Lutterworth, which share no historical, economic, transport or cultural links, together in the same constituency while severing a significant part of Daventry district.

“This would not only see residents in Weedon and Woodford Wards breaking ties with the rest of Daventry district in respect of their parliamentary representation, but would also result in 15,000 people from south Leicestershire forced into a largely Northamptonshire constituency.

“While we appreciate the Boundary Commission has a requirement to reduce the number of constituencies in the East Midlands from 46 to 44, these proposals would harm people in both the Daventry district and south Leicestershire areas, and this council calls on the commission to consider the viable alternative we have put forward.”

Residents can find out more about the proposals and have their say at www.bce2018.org.uk. The current consultation closes on December 5 2016 and there will be a further two rounds of consultation in 2017.

Following the conclusion of all three consultation periods, the BCE will look at all the evidence received and make final recommendations to Parliament in September 2018.

If agreed by Parliament, the new constituencies will be in use at the next scheduled General Election in 2020.

Millions of Brits have no idea what their home telephone number is, according to new research.

Sixty per cent of the nation only have a landline because they need it for their broadband connection.

And if the phone does ring, a third of people assume it’s an automated or sales call, and 22 per cent never answer it .

A language historian has revealed the best long-lost swear words from Britain - including nippy, tarse and wittol.

Dr Todd Gray MBE has spent years studying insults from history - and has published a list of some of the finest examples that have disappeared.

He unearthed more than 200 colourful vanished adjectives including “bald-arse” and “hollow-mouthed” - indicating a lack of teeth.

Others include “long-nosed”; “gouty-legged”; “chamber pot” and “copper-nosed” from the practice of treating syphilis with copper.

Highlights include “nippy” and “tarse”, meaning penis. and wittol, meaning a husband complicit in his wife’s adultery.

Other old swear words include “polecat” meaning a lewd woman and “cucumber”, which was another word for a cuckold.

A dictionary of insults

Dr Gray, a research fellow at the University of Exeter, spent years trawling through 40,000 documents from the church and state courts in the 1500s and 1600s.

This month, he published his research in the monograph ‘Strumpets and Ninnycocks: Name calling in Devon, 1540-1640’, as well as in the spin-off book ‘How to swear like an Elizabethan in Devon’ - a dictionary of insults.

Many of the documents he found were related to slander cases, in which people would complain that they had been verbally insulted.

Different strokes for different folks

Dr Gray, 58, said: “At the very heart of everything is the need to keep a good reputation.

‘’Reputation had such a big impact on your life and you could lose your job or your home,”

“If a woman had a bad reputation, she could lose her husband. I’ve seen references to men leaving their wives because of gossip, or to women who couldn’t get married because things had been said about them.”

Common themes included illicit sex, low intelligence, dishonesty, witchcraft and disease.

Women were most often called names when they were suspected of having illicit sex, the most common insult being “whore”.

The word whore could be qualified with more than 200 adjectives, including platter-face, bald, scurvy-mouthed, beetle-browed, poxy, copper-nosed or fat-arsed.

Other so-called ‘whores’ were identified by the place in which they were active - hence why some unfortunate women were called names such as “Broom Close Whore”, “Ditch Whore”, “Furse Whore” and “Hedge Whore”.

Men, on the other hand, were more likely to be targeted for dishonesty and lack of intelligence.

Two of the most common insults was “rogue”, meaning a disreputable man, and “knave”. For example: “Thou art a Knave and an Arrant Knave for thou hast attempted my chastity and thou wouldst have had the carnal knowledge of my body”.

A ninnyhammer was “a man whose wife is unfaithful, and he’s foolish with it. He doesn’t realize his wife is running around behind his back”.

Other highlights of Dr Gray’s collection include “nippy” and “tarse”, meaning penis; wittol, meaning a husband complicit in his wife’s adultery; “punk” and “polecat”, both meaning a lewd woman; and “cucumber”, which was another word for a cuckold.

And then there are the scatological insults, which Gray says were often directed at figures of authority.

He said: “S--t is there all the time The word turd is also very common.

‘’But the one they really liked was the word fart. ‘I don’t care a fart for you.’ ‘Bring the mayor to me and I will fart in his mouth.’”

Other long lost swear words he includes are ninnycock, jackanapes and ninnyhammer.

There is also jade, punk, drab, hackney, rascal, varlet, sucker, cockscomb, woodcock, lubber, whoremonger and minx.

Moving with the times

Some of the words and phrases still have the power to shock today, but there are also crucial differences.

“Today we are dominated by three body parts - and if you insult someone, you call people those things. Whereas, back then, swearing was built around bad behaviours,” said Dr Gray.

“If you call someone a bastard today, it means they are not a nice man - but in the past it used to refer to illegitimacy. If children were born out of wedlock, it was a disgrace that stayed with them their whole lives.”

Todd’s book ‘Strumpets and Ninnycocks - Name Calling in Devon, 1540 -1640’’ is available in paperback now.

Northamptonshire Police have taken on their first superintendent not to have risen through the ranks.

Emily Vernon is the force’s first ever direct entry superintendent, entering the role having not served as a police officer until now.

Traditionally police officers start out as constables on the beat and rise through the ranks over the years, but in recent years direct entry has been created through the national College of Policing.

But rather than being a new face parachuted in to the upper ranks, Supt Vernon views the process more as a condensed version of what other officers go through.

She faces months on the beat with PCs followed by time back at the college, then more time spent with sergeants and inspectors, before yet more time in college. And she undergoes continual assessment.

She said: “If all goes well I take my exams in 2017 and then in 2018 I will be a qualified superintendent with my own portfolio.”

But just because she is still training, does not mean she lacks powers. She said: “I attested as a constable the other week, so I can arrest people now. It’s now learning how to use those powers effectively.”

Although she is new to being a police officer, her love of the criminal justice system stretches far back. She has a degree in law, and a post-graduate qualification in crime and criminal justice.

Supt Vernon said: “After university I worked for the National Crime Squad, and Cambridgeshire and Staffordshire police in civilian roles. I spent eight years at the National Police Improvement Agency - which went on to become the College of Policing.”

Supt Vernon said she decided to make the move and become an officer because although civilian staff make a huge contribution by supporting officers and helping the public, she wanted to be able to make a difference at times when incidents are happening.

Adding that the new direct entry route meant she could bring her knowledge and skills of a more strategic point of view straight into the police, but that at the same time the training she will receive and the time spent out on the beat will form a key part for her.

She said: “I don’t want to come in and impose ideas from the top.

“I’m looking forward to spending time out on the streets because it will allow me to learn the culture of this force, see how things are done.”

Supt Vernon added: “It’s also important to me to provide positive role models for others, particularly young girls who don’t have that many great role models.”

​

There were mixed emotions for the fans who gathered at Silverstone to watch the final F1 race of the 2016 season.

The circuit screened Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in its iconic Wing building.

Dozens of fans went along to watch the race, and judging by the flags and t-shirts, many were supporting Lewis Hamilton in his attempt to win his fourth Drivers’ World Championship.

But the odds were stacked against Lewis, and despite him winning the race, the title went to his fellow driver at the Brackley-based Mercedes AMG F1 team Nico Rosberg.

While many Hamilton fans may have been disappointed by the outcome of the championship, he did win the race; and their local team Mercedes added the Drivers’ Championship to the Constructors’ Championship they secured back in October following the Japanese Grand Prix. Mercedes have now won both the constructors’ and drivers’ championship for all three seasons of the hybrid engine era.

Staff at a Northampton company that makes signs for the likes of Asda and Tesco have reported a spate of redundancies in what could be the end for the 150-year-old firm.

Hawes Signs Limited, which was established in London following the Second World War and moved to Northampton in 1982, has roots in sign-making stretching back to the Victorian era.

But last year the Moulton Park-based company announced it was laying off about 60 workers after losing £3 million worth of business in under two years.

It was bought out by a parent company, HLD Group, and the firm entered into an agreement to pay back around a third of its £5.4 million debt.

But reports from members of staff this week show a raft of further redundancies having taken place in the last month.

Some workers contacted the Chron to say they had received redundancy letters on Friday (November 25) and that operations in the factory and warehouse were being brought to a close.

At the last count, there were around 160 staff at the company, but it is not known how many employees are left today.

Two sources told the Chron the parent company HLD has transferred many of the current contracts over to Sign 2000, a company it has acquired in Tonbridge, Kent.

Hawes Signs management have yet to confirm this is the case.

But several staff have taken to a Facebook group called “Have you ever worked at Hawes Signs” to express sadness at the job losses.

“Well that was some morning at work,” said one man on Friday. “Have been made redundant from Hawes Signs with immediate effect after 32 years service man and boy.

“Thanks to everyone who has helped me over the years. Will miss some fantastic colleagues and friends.”

Several others expressed their anger at the demise of the firm.

One wrote: “Getting talked into coming back once they had new owners was the worst decision I have ever made and I will regret it forever, pretty much ruined everything I have strived to build and achieve in my life.”

Both HLD Group - which is registered in Malta - and Hawes Signs have been contacted for comment.

The company, which was established by Kenneth Hawe, has manufactured signs for a number of high-profile clients including big banks like Lloyds TSB and NatWest. It was also involved in the rebrand of over 4,000 sites for car-makers Nissan across 17 European countries.

Download our app by clicking here to download from Google Play or clicking here to download from Apple’s App Store.

Changes are being proposed to update the way people are given priority on the district’s social housing waiting list.

Daventry District Council’s allocation scheme is being reviewed to keep it up to date with housing legislation and local circumstances.

A key change will be allowing existing social housing tenants to join the housing register to enable them to move, even where they are currently adequately housed. This means people can try to downsize if they are in a property with extra bedrooms, and the council says should mean more efficient use of the district’s social housing stock.

Another change will see the level of housing-related debts that an applicant can have without being prevented from applying increase, subject to having a payment plan in place, from £250 to £1,000.

The last major changes to the allocation scheme were made in 2013 which included new criteria for applicants based on family or employment connections to the district and enabling people age 60 and over to register for houses as well as bungalows.

Daventry District Council’s housing and health portfolio holder, Cllr Mike Warren, said: “We continue to see significant changes to national housing and welfare policies, and local circumstances, so it’s important that ensure our housing allocations scheme is kept updated to respond to these.

“All the comments we receive as part of the consultation will be considered and help to shape the final version of the allocations scheme, so I would encourage everyone with an interest in these issues to feed back.”

Consultation on the draft allocation scheme runs until 5pm on Monday, January 23.

People can read the document and give their views via www.daventrydc.gov.uk/consultation.

The document can be viewed in the reception of Daventry District Council’s Offices in Lodge Road, Daventry and at Daventry, Brixworth, Moulton and Long Buckby libraries.

Figures show that Daventry’s CCTV network was used almost 10 times a day during last month.

The figures have been released by Daventry Town Council, which funds the network of cameras that cover the town centre.

The data covers the month of October, when the cameras were used for 285 incidents, which are in turn broken down into a series of headings.

Although the cameras were used 285 times in a month, it does not mean there were 285 criminal acts, just that the authorities believed there were possible incidents or people they should keep an eye on.

The largest category was for anti-social behaviour when the cameras were used 69 times – 24 per cent of the cameras’ use.

Closely following was drunk and disorderly incidents with operators using the cameras 63 times.

The cameras were used 54 times to track ‘persons of interest’ who were either known to camera operators, the police, or were acting suspiciously. A further 18 uses were classed as ‘suspicious persons’.

People’s welfare was the reason given behind 22 uses of the cameras, which covers missing persons, homeless people, accidents or people needing an ambulance.

Other categories are shoplifting 9, theft 2, assault 20, underage drinking 13, traffic incidents including parking 13, and drugs 6.

A new training facility and gym could be built by Northamptonshire Police in Kettering.

Police and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold wants to build the facility at a plot adjacent to its new northern HQ and police investigation centres, which are being built in Cherry Hall Road off the A43.

The proposed two-storey, 1,588 sq m building will feature a staff training centre, office accommodation with flexible classrooms and meeting rooms, a sports hall to double up as lecture theatre with retractable seating for 80 people, a fitness suite and gym.

It is not known how much it is likely to cost.

The first indication of the planned new training centre scheme came when plans were submitted to Kettering Council last week.

No formal public consultation into the plans has yet taken place, although they are at an advance stage in the design process. Local businesses have been informed for planning consent reasons.

The force is currently facing a £3.1m financial black hole - although £700,000 of this is described by the commissioner’s office as being ‘planned overspend’.

It is not yet known how the training facility will be paid for, although it is likely to come from cash reserves which are thought to stand at about £7m once this year’s deficit has been plugged.

The existing plans for the northern HQ were originally planned to cost £16.2m, but these are already £4.3m over budget, taking the overall cost to more than £20.5m.

There is a legal requirement for police forces to provide training facilities for its officers, but it is understood the land in Northampton where the current facilities are based was sold off under a deal signed off by former crime commissioner Adam Simmonds.

PCC Stephen Mold said: “I am committed to doing everything in my power to ensure that Northamptonshire is served by a first-class police force. There is a pressing need for a new Northamptonshire Police training facility in light of the move away from Wootton Hall and as such we have submitted a planning application to Kettering Council for a possible centre near to the new Northern Hub.

“However, at this point no final decisions have been taken and we are working hard to ensure the best possible value for money is achieved for the public. We will of course announce plans in due course when anything is finalised.”

You can view the full plans here.

Read more: Work begins on new Kettering police hub

Northamptonshire's economy is 'vibrant and thriving' despite fears over economic gloom following the Brexit vote, financial advisers have claimed.

Grant Thornton says its advisory team has secured four major deals for firms in the county to expand and grow.

The team negotiated a £13 million investment from Praesidian Capital to support the merger of Prestige Park & Leisure Homes Limited and Homeseeker Park & Leisure Homes, two of the UK’s biggest names in the leisure lodge and park residential manufacturing industry.

Grant Thornton also worked with Ocee, a leading Northampton manufacturer of commercial furniture, to secure a £10 million investment from the Business Growth Fund to support its acquisition of Danish furniture manufacturer Four Design.

This transaction was followed by the sale of Bakeaway, the Corby-based manufacturer of chilled home baking products, to French company Osaris. The move enables Bakeaway to invest and expand its product range.

Most recently, Grant Thornton also supported Dunkleys, the Wellingborough-based producer of pies and desserts for the food services sector, on its acquisition by The Billington Group.

Mike Hughes, from Grant Thornton’s Northampton office, said: “The Northamptonshire economy is positively alive and vibrant and despite broader concerns about the UK economy following the Leave vote, the outlook here in the county is highly optimistic.

“Over the past few months, we have completed a string of significant deals across Northamptonshire as businesses look to expand through acquisition or secure investment to support future growth. These transactions underline the positive findings from our recent Northamptonshire Limited report which found that our county’s businesses are continuing to prosper.”

With a number of other significant deals in the pipeline, Grant Thornton expects this positive picture to continue into 2017.

Mike added: “Nobody can predict what will happen over the next few months as Britain starts planning its exit from the EU, but businesses with an ambition to grow have every reason to be optimistic. Companies need to hold their nerve, stick to good principles and make decisions based on an awareness of market issues without being paralysed by them.”

A large bowl of Kellogg’s Frosties can contain NINE TEASPOONS of sugar - the same as a can of fizzy drink, a survey shows.

Almost six in ten breakfast cereals (58 per cent) are too sweet - with a shocking difference in levels found in the SAME brand depending on which country it was bought in.

More than one in two (55 per cent) had half the recommended daily intake for a three-year-old in just one serving.

In the UK the product with the most sugar is Kellogg’s Frosties with a whopping 37g in every 100g - over 9 teaspoons.

That’s over half (58 per cent) the recommended maximum intake for a six year-old in a small 30g serving.

Crunchy Nut Cornflakes and Coco Pops - both made by Kellogg’s - had almost as much with 35g.

Then came Nestle’s Lion (29g), Nesquick and Cookie Crisp (both 25g) and Cheerios Honey (24g) followed by kellogg’s Frozen (21g) - the same as Nestle’s Cheerios Multigrain.

WASH (World Action on Salt and Health) said the UK leads the way with salt reduction but still has a way to go with sugar reduction.

It selected 19 products manufactured by Kellogg’s and Nestle/General Mills from 29 countries for comparison.

The cereals with the lowest sugar included Kellogg’s Corn Flakes with only 8g per 100g.

But only two products were still above the government’s 2017 salt target for breakfast cereals.

These were Kellogg’s Rice Krispies and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes at 1.13g/100g - demonstrating the success of the reduction programme.

But 98 out of 291 (34 per cent) of cereals surveyed were above the 2017 UK salt target for breakfast cereals.

A Kellogg’s spokesperson said: “For more than a decade, Kellogg has been committed to reducing the sugar and salt in our cereals while providing positive nutrition and great taste.

“In the UK alone, we will have removed more than 2,000 tonnes of sugar in our cereals by the end of next year.

“As a trusted provider of high-quality foods that contribute to the health of our consumers, we continue to be committed to offering choice through a diverse range of foods, and by educating consumers about nutrition and a balanced diet.”

Northamptonshire Police officers are escorting an abnormally large load on the M1 and through Northampton today (Tuesday).

Motorists on the M1 through Northampton are being advised to use caution this morning as police escort three huge structures along the motorway.

The three 51 metre long blades are making their way from junction 20 of the M1 to the Santa Pod Raceway near Wellingborough.

@Northants_RPU PC Dave Lee tweeted this morning: “3 x 51 metre blades ready for transport on the M1 down to Santapod. We are escorting 2 and coming back for the 3rd #Abload”

Officers planned to set off with the first load at 9.30am to avoid causing any rush hour delays.

Just before 9.45am @Northants_RPU tweeted: “It’s a go go go from the M1, Jct 20 Southbound towards Northants. #Abload”

Officers thanked drivers for their patience as they headed off the M1 at junction 15 at about 10.20am. It then continued through Northampton and onto Santa Pod.

The load takes up two lanes for safety on the M1 and A45 due to its size.

Just before midday officers said the first two blades had been dropped off at Santa pod.

They will then make the journey to pick up the third blade.

A motorcyclist was left injured after a collision in Weedon.

The incident happened at around 2.15pm on Monday November 28 on the A45 near the Cavalry Hill junction on the edge of the village.

Northamptonshire Police say that for unknown reasons the motorbike and a silver Ford Focus collided near the junction.

The motorcyclist was taken to University Hospital Coventry.

Northamptonshire Police are appealing for witnesses to the collision to get in touch.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 314 of November 28.

Former Chronicle & Echo reporter John Marrs tells Ruth Supple about his latest book, which has been snapped up by a leading UK publisher and looks set to be made into a TV series too...

Imagine if a gene had been discovered which could tell you who your soulmate was, regardless of age, sex, location, religion or colour.

And that your perfect partner could be identified through one simple mouth swab. What if The One were already married or in a relationship? What would happen if and when you met your “perfect half”?

That’s the gripping plotline to Northampton author and journalist John Marrs’ new book, The One, which he originally self-published under the title, A Thousand Small Explosions, and has now been acquired by Ebury imprint Del Rey. Film and TV rights for it have been optioned by Urban Myth films.

“I was absolutely blown away when I heard the news,” says John, 46. “November has been a weird month – I got married, then found out my first book, The Wrong Son, has been picked up by one of Amazon’s own labels. Then this news came through about The One, which is the third book I’ve written.

“Thousands of new, self-published books are out there so it’s amazing to have bucked the trend and had mine picked up. It doesn’t feel like it’s happening to me; it doesn’t feel real.”

Freelance journalist John writes all his books on his long, daily commute to and from London, where he works for Northern & Shell Media Group, whose titles include The Daily Express newspaper and OK! magazine.

“When I started writing books, I gave myself a 1,000-word limit per day and try to stick to that,” he reveals. “I have quite a lot of downtime on the train and tube trip to and from work, so use that time to write. M

“My novels are normally 100,000 words on average, so each one has taken me around three months.”

He says he’s thrilled when people enjoy reading his books as much as he enjoys writing them.

“When you write a book you have no idea if anyone will want to read it or not. I wrote my first book around four years ago and was a bit naïve but kept going. I wanted 100 people to read it; now I know that figure is 28,000.”

The One is described as an “original and modern take on a psychological thriller” and follows the fates of five different couples through its chapters. But even soulmates have secrets and some are more shocking – and deadly – than others.

John says he’s not sure what inspired him to write the story, which is full of gripping twists and turns, but remembers walking through the Underground making wedding plans to his, now-husband, John Russell.

“I remember looking at all these people walking past me and thinking ‘how do you know when the right person will come along for you and how do you know that person is the right one?’ It just got me thinking about the realms of possibilities and what’s lurking in the shadows.

“When I first came up with the idea, I hoped it would resonate with readers and encourage them to ask themselves what they would do if such a test existed. Their response was amazing, but to be approached by Del Rey was a genuine jaw-dropping moment.

“Their immediate passion and enthusiasm for the project was overwhelming. To say that I’m excited to be working with Del Rey is a whopper of an understatement.”

Personally, John knows he’s found “The One” in his husband John, who he met on the internet.

“I’d come out of a marriage and was single. We were friends for about six months first and then got together on what we called an anti-Valentine’s night.”

The couple married in a private ceremony in New York and then had a celebration for family and friends back in the UK.

John started his career in journalism at Image’s sister paper, The Chronicle & Echo, in 1994 and was here for two years covering news, business and had a music column called Marrs Bars.

“It was such good fun at the Chron,” he says. “I didn’t know much about the business though and had to bluff my way through it. I used to get to see some great gigs at The Roadmender for my music column, which was brilliant fun being in my early 20s then.”

John then became deputy editor on the Herald & Post in Peterborough, before heading to London and the News of the World’s Sunday magazine. Following redundancy, he turned freelance around seven years ago, but has no plans to let the ink dry up on his celebrity interviewing pen just yet.

He is currently penning his fourth novel, another page-turning psychological thriller.

“I’m 60,000 words through it,” he says. “It’s about someone who works on a phone line counselling service but she’s got her own agenda.

“I’ve tried writing comedy, but I’m not funny. Somehow I can conjure up these twisted characters with no trouble, even though they’re not based on anyone I know!”

The One will be published as an e-book in January 2017 and then comes out in paperback in May 2017.

It has just won the title of Northamptonshire Food Pub of the Year on the back of its superb dining experience.

Image magazine paid a visit to The Plough in Shutlanger.

Nestled in the heart of the South Northamptonshire countryside is an award-winning pub which has really made its mark on the pub scene since reopening two years ago.

The Plough in Shutlanger is a fine-dining gastro pub tucked in the small countryside village which houses just a few hundred residents.

Just minutes down the road from Stoke Bruerne, The Plough has made a big impression in a short space of time.

It already has a string of awards behind it and is sitting comfortably at the top of popular food and travel website TripAdvisor as one of the most highly rated restaurants in Northamptonshire at the time of going to press.

The secret to its success can only be down to one thing, and that’s the hard-working and talented team working around the clock to make it happen.

Owners Jim Kay and Jessie King reopened The Plough in August 2014 following a major three week refurbishment after taking on the business.

Villagers welcomed them with open arms as they set about making The Plough not only a friendly local but a destination dining pub.

The couple have put their heart and soul into the business and it really shows. They have transformed the inside of the character building into a warm and cosy environment with plenty of personal touches dotted around the place.

The bar area seats around 20 people and has warm lighting and comfy chairs – the perfect place to relax and unwind with a large glass or wine, cocktail or pint of beer.

The restaurant, which seats 34, is for more formal dining yet remains intimate and cosy with an open fire, relaxed decor and giant Champagne bottles.

Outside has also been given a makeover with plenty of wooden seating ready for a hot day and a shelter for the cooler months. Flowers and plants have been carefully planted to make it secluded away from the car park.

The Plough has a very modern and contemporary feel yet has retained the character of the building beautifully.

Jim, who has worked as chef in various different places in Northamptonshire for more than 20 years, said: “Everyone was really happy when we reopened.

“It’s been hard work but it’s been better than we would have every hoped for.

“We wanted it to be a dining experience for people with different ingredients.

“We’re in such a lovely area and it’s a nice drive out here.”

With Jessie leading the front of house team, the couple set about establishing their clientele and building up the business.

Jim said: “We wanted to establish our clientele, be the best in the county and then go for a rosette.”

They set their goals high and went for it, providing a gastronomic menu to suit all tastes.

Very quickly The Plough rose to the top of the rankings on TripAdvisor going in at number six for anyone searching for restaurants in Northamptonshire. For the past eight months The Plough has enjoyed the top spot on the website with an army of happy customers, standing proud ahead of more than 1,300 restaurants in the county.

Jim said: “That blew me away. I hoped that we could get into the top ten but to get the top spot was incredible.”

The awards soon began to flow in with a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2015 and again in 2016.

Last year the pub was the runner-up in the Carlsberg UK Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards 2015 for the Booker Food Pub of the Year award. In recent weeks The Plough was named the Booker Food Pub Of The Year at the 2016 awards and sous chef Marcus Franklin was runner-up in the Young Chef of the Year category.

Jim and Jessie said: “A huge thank you to all our customers, voters and staff for helping us achieve this. We are so thankful to you all.”

To add to the list, The Plough gained a Silver award in the Eat Out Eat Well scheme for healthy eating and low fat dishes and has a five star hygeine rating. Next year the team will be going for gold and plan to submit a menu to the AA for consideration of a Rosette in 2017 - something only a handful of places in the county has.

The menu is certainly impressive and it’s the attention to detail, flavours and fresh ingredients that make it stand out.

Herbs are grown in the organic herb garden outside and garnished with flowers from the edible garden, with plans to start an organic vegetable patch next year.

Jim and the team change the menu every three months and current highlights include the carpaccio of beef and Japanese salad on the starters and surf and turf and spring lamb tribute on the mains. There’s also a tempting array of specials to choose from.

The food is so delicious and so fresh that you almost don’t feel too guilty for indulging.

Desserts (if you can fit them in) include chocolate tart and The Plough cheeseboard among other tasty treats. All this washed down with traditional ales, world wines, premium spirits and fancy cocktails.

Jim and Jessie are now looking forward to the festive season at the pub with the launch of the seasonal December menu. Plans for an extension next year and a beehive are also in the pipeline.

Places like The Plough are hard to find.

Anyone can open a pub but it takes real skill, talent and hard work to make it an exceptionally good one.

Visit www.theploughshutlanger.co.uk.

Commuters have been warned to expect severe disruptions on trains between London and Northampton this evening.

London Midland said services in and out of Euston on the line are expected to be severely disrupted.

Emergency services are dealing with an incident on the line between Northampton and Euston. Hemel Hempstead station remains closed until further notice.

Virgin Trains running along the line are also facing the same disruption.

London Midland’s head of west coast services, Steve Helfet said: “We have arranged for London Midland tickets to be accepted on all reasonable routes so the advice is to travel on the best train to get you closest to your desired destination. We are also arranging road transportation between Northampton and Wellingborough so that passengers can travel on East Midland Trains from St Pancras.”

Police and paramedics were called to Hemel station at around 2.30pm where a person was declared dead after being struck by a train. The death is not being treated as suspicious.

London Midland tickets can be used on the following services:

Chiltern Railways between Birmingham Snow Hill and London Marylebone

Thameslink between London St Pancras to St Albans & Bedford

First Great Western between London Paddington, Reading and Worcester

Cross Country between Leicester, Tamworth, Reading to Birmingham

Virgin Trains on all reasonable routes

Transport for London Buses

London Overground

London Underground

A new branch of the fast food chain Burger King is set to open at Weston Favell Shopping Centre.

The store will open to the public from around 10am this Saturday.

Sipp Holdings runs the Burger Kings in the town’s Market Square and Abington Street, and will also run this new store.

Sukhi Panesar from the firm said: “We saw that there was not a Burger King over in this part of town so we decided to open up a new branch.

“We will be looking at starting to do deliveries from early 2017 as well.”

Michael Ellis MP will be there to open the store. He said: “There is an exciting multi-million pound development at Weston Favell shopping centre which I have been following closely and this new Burger King branch will be another popular venue.

“I look forward to opening this major new Burger King branch on Saturday.”

Santa and his helpers are getting set for his annual visit to Daventry and the surrounding villages.

Helped by the Rotary Club of Danetre, and teams from various local good causes, his tour around the district kicks off on Monday December 5 and runs to Saturday December 24.

Each night Santa in his sleigh, plus his helpers will set out at 6.30pm.

On Monday Santa and his team will be in Long Buckby, on Tuesday they will be visiting Braunston, Newnham and Badby, on Wednesday they will be in Weedon, and on Thursday they will be on Daventry’s Southbrook, and the Danetre Drive and St Andrews Drive area. On Friday December 9 the sleigh team will be on the town’s Timken estate, and New Forest and Royal Gardens areas.

On Saturday December 10 Santa will park his sleigh in Bowen Square from 9am to around 1pm.

It is the turn of Flore, Welton and Norton on Monday December 12. Tuesday December 13 sees the team in Kilsby and Barby. Then on Wednesday December 14 Santa is in Nether Heyford, and Everdon. Ashby Fields in Daventry and Staverton will be visited on Thursday December 15. And on Friday December 16 the team will be touring Stefen Hill and the areas of The Dingle and The Slade in Daventry.

Saturday December 17 sees Santa back in Bown Square for the morning.

Then on Monday December 19 he will be visiting the Grange and Cherry Orchard parts of Daventry. On Tuesday December 20 he will visit the Headlands and Middlemore. The following day, Wednesday December 21 they will be going around The Inlands, town centre and Drayton. Thursday December 22 sees them going around the Daneholm part of town, and on Friday December 23 the team will visit Lang Farm and Monksmoor.

Finally, on Saturday December 24 Father Christmas will be in Bowen Square during the morning for the final time ahead of his big day.

There will also be a special event at Daventry Country Park on December 21 from 10am to midday when Santa will be at the visitor centre. Meeting Father Christmas at the park is free and each child who sees him will receive a free gift, but time slots must be booked in advance via 01327 871100.

Money raised by the sleigh goes directly to local charities and community groups.

A Braunston woman whose grandaughter suffers from a rare skin condition has inspired a couple to raise funds for her charity through their wedding.

Marina and James Wichard wanted their wedding guests to donate funds to a small charity instead of buying them gifts.

Generous friends and relateives donated £1,726.26 to the Phoeba Research Fund in honour of Phebe Crowson.

Zoe Crowson said her daughter has Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDE). The condition causes the skin to blister at the slightest touch and there is no cure.

Zoe said: “I’m simply overwhelmed and humbled that people that haven’t even met us would support our cause.”

For more information visit www.phoeberesearch.org.uk

National Lottery operator Camelot has this morning revealed they are aware of “suspicious activity” which has been detected on a number of players’ online accounts.

The Camelot Group has reassured users of their website that there has been “no unauthorised access to core National Lottery systems” but said “we believe that the email address and password used on the National Lottery website may have been stolen.”

A statement published by Camelot said: “On 28 November 2016, as part of our online security monitoring, we became aware of suspicious activity on a very small proportion of our players’ online National Lottery Accounts.

“We would like to make clear that there has been no unauthorised access to core National Lottery systems or any of our databases, which would affect National Lottery draws or payment of prizes. In addition, no money has been deposited or withdrawn from affected player accounts.

“We are currently taking all the necessary steps to fully understand what has happened, but we believe that the email address and password used on the National Lottery website may have been stolen from another website where affected players use the same details.

“We do not hold full debit card or bank account details in National Lottery players’ online accounts and no money has been taken or deposited. However, we do believe that this attack may have resulted in some of the personal information that the affected players hold in their online account being accessed.

“Of our 9.5 million registered online players, we believe that around 26,500 players’ accounts were accessed. A much smaller number – fewer than 50 – have had some activity take place within the account since it was accessed. This was limited to some of their personal details being changed – and some of these details may have been changed by the players themselves. However, we have taken the measure of suspending the accounts of these players and are in the process of contacting them to help them re-activate their accounts securely. In addition, we have instigated a compulsory password reset on the accounts of the 26,500 affected players. We are in the process of proactively contacting them to help them change their passwords, as well as giving them some more general online security advice.

“Cyber criminals such as this are persistent, and we are continuing to monitor and protect our systems. We are also working closely with the National Crime Agency and the National Cyber Security Centre on an ongoing basis on this criminal matter.

“We’d like to reassure our customers that protecting their personal data is of the utmost importance to us. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause to our players and would like to encourage those with any concerns to contact us directly, so we can discuss it with them in more detail.”