Pupils and staff at the new special school in Daventry are celebrating after moving into its purpose built home.

Daventry Hill School started taking pupils in September, but on Thursday last week the special school got to move into its purpose built home off Ashby Road.

The eye-catching new school building has been designed from the ground up for pupils with extra needs.

Inside the corridors are extra wide, each classroom has toilets and its own ‘group room’ where children can go if they need a little extra space.

There are rooms for health clinics, soft play, a sensory room, library, physiotherapy, and even a pool for hydrotherapy.

Along with general classrooms there are also rooms for music, art and home economics, along with a large hall, and school canteen.

The school operates as a free school under the Education Excellence for All trust. It currently has 61 pupils, with space for 175, covering primary and secondary education.

Until the school opened, children with extra needs faced travelling to schools in Northampton, with long journey times impacting on their energy levels at home and time with their family.

Headteacher Charlotte Whysall said: “It is a fantastic building. The amount of space is wonderful, and the facilities are amazing. It’s also very flexible so we can adapt it if needed to meet children’s needs.

“We teach the national curriculum, although it is adapted. We will be running GCSEs and eventually A-levels.”

Throughout the building are quiet areas, seats, large toilets and whole shower rooms, and security means children can use the corridors if they need a break from the classroom with no fear they will be able to wander out of the building.

Until now the school had been housed in part of Daventry UTC’s building, which is next door to Daventry Hill School. Both Hill School and the UTC have said the time they were together brought benefits, and staff at Daventry Hill say they will continue working in partnership with the local schools where appropriate sending their pupils to the secondary schools to use their facilities, and vice versa.

As well as joining the local education community, the school aims to be part of the wider community as well.

Mrs Whysall said: “We have a cafe here that the older students will be able to work in, and we will be opening that to the public.

“Our location here is key. We can take students into the town centre so they can learn about shopping, banking, and other activities.

“The whole building and its facilities will be available for the public or groups to hire, when the students aren’t using it of course. We really want people to see the school as part of the community.

Spratton Sands Bridge was damaged by a vehicle last year, which meant a temporary safety barrier needed to be installed.

As the barrier reduced the width of the available carriageway, the road has been under two-way traffic lights ever since.

Works to repair the bridge are finally programmed to start on Monday, January 23 and are expected to last until Sunday, March 5.

The county council says that due to the scaffolding required for the scheme and "for the safety of both the workforce and the public," the works are being carried out under a full road closure, which will be in place round-the-clock for the duration of the works.

The project will see the re-building of a 15metre-long section of the parapet wall and two sections of the bridge spandrel wall.

While the A5199 will be closed between Spratton and Chapel Brampton, access to properties within the closure will be maintained at all times. A signed diversion route will also be in place, which can be viewed at www.roadworks.org .

Once the work has been completed it will enable the road to be fully opened again.

A club in West Haddon is celebrating 25 years of fine food and friendship.

West Haddon Lunch Club was founded 25 years ago by Gillian Goodrich and Patricia Davis, with help from Val Fellowes and Maureen Wilkes.

During that time there have been many volunteer cooks, helpers and drivers ensuring the success of the club.

Keith Wilkes, who lives in West Haddon, said: “They give of their time freely to provide a three course cooked lunch in the social environment of the village hall for members who are normally senior citizens - or people of accumulating longevity as we prefer to call ourselves!”

A speech was given by Pat Davis at the aniversary lunch, which was held at the Pytchley Hotel in the village.

“We had an excellent meal and a really good celebration,” said Keith.

“Thanks must go to Greta Orcherton who baked our wonderful celebration cake and to Jim and his team at the Pytchley for their splendid food and service.

“We were particularly pleased that this event was attended by our oldest member Vera Smith who is 97 years of age and hopes to get a telegram from the Queen in three years’ time.”

The lunch club is open to new members and lunch is served every Wednesday in West Haddon Village Hall.

There is a summer lunch outing at a venue chosen by members, and the children from West Haddon Primary School join the club and sing carols in December which our members say they enjoy and appreciate very much.

For further details of joining the lunch club please contact Greta Orcherton (01788 510702), Pat Davis (01788 8225350) or Enid O’Shaughnessy (01788 510754).

Animal-lovers in the Daventry area who would like to make a difference in 2017 are invited to a volunteer open day.

RSPCA’s Northampton branch is looking for volunteers to help with fundraising, events, fostering, cattery assistants, admin, home visitors, educational speakers, charity shopworkers, dog walkers and volunteer drivers.

Dawn Smith, the branch’s animal welfare manager, said: “We’re looking for some new faces to join our fab team of volunteers.

“There are lots of ways people can get involved with the branch - we are in need of people who want to be hands-on with the animals, and also those who want to help us raise money for our animals at events, as well as helping the branch in other ways too.

“We’re looking for hard-working people who are passionate about helping animals. All you need is to bring along yourself to the open event and have a chat to myself and other members of the team about volunteering opportunities with us. Any volunteer will be given the necessary training for the role they choose.”

The event will be held at the branch’s base at Mill Cottage, Creaton Road, Brixworth, NN6 9BW on Saturday (January 21) from 10am to 2pm.

For more information, email enquiries@rspca-northamptonshire.org.uk or call 01604 881317.

Volunteers must be a minimum of aged 16 and volunteer drivers need to be a minimum of 21 with one year’s driving experience.

The average mum will fall ill 324 times over their youngster’s childhood with colds and bugs passed on to them by their offspring, a study has found.

An endless cycle of sore throats, runny noses, migraines and sickness bugs means mums are left feeling under the weather 18 times per year.

The study of 2,000 parents by by supplements firm Healthspan found that over the 18 years of their child growing up,, mums will suffer from 54 colds and 108 sore throats or runny noses

They’ll also suffer from 36 sickness bugs – two every year - and, of course, an annual bout of flu.

Dr Sarah Brewer, GP and Medical Director at Healthspan said: “Mums are often on the front line when it comes to the family’s illnesses and, due to time pressures and putting others first, are often poor at looking after themselves.”

Sixty-eight per cent of mums said they had been more prone to falling ill since having children, with 39 per cent saying they constantly feel under the weather in some way - the survey finding that the average mum has just 13 days a month where they feel completely fit and healthy.

The study also found one in three parents fell ill over the Christmas period, with a cold, sore throat, runny nose or sickness bug and sixty-four per cent of those even went as far as to say it ruined their Christmas, with 65 per cent of people saying they often tend to fall ill once they switch off a little or take a break from work.

Top Tips: To help prevent a cold

Reduce your stress levels

Don’t let yourself get over tired

Take regular exercise to stay fit

Avoid cigarette smoke and smoky atmospheres

Eat a healthy, wholefood diet containing at least five servings of nutrient-rich fresh fruit and vegetables

Avoid people during the early stages of a cold, especially when they are coughing and sneezing.

Drink green tea – its antioxidants seem to help protect against viral infections

Put a few drops of peppermint or tea tree essential oils in a diffuser to scent a room and help keep coughs and colds at bay.

Think positively – studies show that a positive attitude can boost immunity and reduce your risk of infections.

Laugh your symptoms away – those who laugh regularly seem to be healthier overall, and have less infections than those eaten up with anger and hostility.

Daventry photographer David Hollis is holding an exhibtion documenting some of his best work.

He has been taking photos for more than 15 years and belongs to Daventry Photographic Society.

This is David’s first solo exhibition and he hopes it will appeal to all tastes.

It runs from January 21 - February 17 at Daventry Library.

David said: “I’ve dabbled with photography over the years as my main hobby and joined the photographic society which has helped me improve my standard of work.

“I get my inspiration from all sorts of place. I went on safari and I wanted to get better photos to remember it.

“Then I joined Daventry Photographic Society and entered a competition. The judge on the day said it was great work and I got a great score out of 20, which was just the push I needed.”

David said a favourite subject to capture is animals.

“The main feature is African animals, but I am putting in some awarded images to show them off,” he added.

“I hope the exhibition appeals to everyone and I hope it’s a great success.”

Daventry Photographic Society is open to all with a wide variety of members of different abilities.

The club, which meets weekly and has speakers and events, is suitable for any adult with an intereest in photography, regardless of expertise or equipment.

For more information visit http://www.daventryphotographicsociety.co.uk/ David’s own website on http://ugly1.foliopic.com/

There will be free activities and games for children at a Daventry church later this month.

Messy Church takes place on Friday January 27 at 4.15pm until 6.15pm at Daventry Methodist Church, in Golding Close near the leisure centre.

The activities and games will centre around the characters of Jesus' friends, Mary and Martha. A meal will be served at the end.

There is no charge but donations are welcome. There is more details on the Daventry Methodist Church website or on Facebook.

Three young table tennis players from Daventry have represented the area at a national level.

Jack King, Josh Adams, and Benjy Gatward were the representatives from Daventry and Northamptonshire in the 4 Star National Boys team table tennis event this month.

They were eventually beaten by a team from Yorkshire comprising of three of the top 10 nationally graded players in their age group.

Organisers congratulated the Daventry trio on their endeavours and courteousness, and their support team said they maintained their smiles throughout the competition, adding: "A big well done for the boys and Daventry."

The three all train with Daventry Table Tennis Club

Take a look around your office. If a new study is to be believed, 35 per cent of your colleagues have taken a nap on the job and got away with it. And only 12 per cent say they have had been disciplined by their boss for sleeping at work.

The study, with a sample size of 1,000 adults, was commissioned by online bed retailer Time4Sleep.

Being able to have a nap at work proved to be a big draw for prospective employees. More than one in five (21 per cent) said they would be more inclined to take a job if staff were allowed to nap during the day and 23 per cent felt that having the option to start work later would make a job more attractive. A further 15 per cent said they would feel more productive at work if they could nap mid shift.

A proportion of the workforce clearly deem sleeping on the job acceptable, it seems that some companies actually agree with them.

Ice cream giants Ben & Jerry’s, sportswear brand Nike and Google are reportedly amongst the forward-thinking firms who have on-site “quiet rooms” and nap policies.

And online newspaper Huffington Post also have a nap room at their New York Headquarters. Amanda Chan, managing editor of the site’s Healthy Living Channel, told sleep.org: “I’ve used the nap room here for resting my eyes for a few minutes and for taking full-on power naps.”

But not all companies have had positive experiences with ‘nap culture’.

In 2014, the BBC reported on technology firm AskforTask.com’s nap policy backfiring.

“It didn’t take us long to figure out that naps were counter-productive,” Nabeel Mushtaq, chief operating officer and co-founder of the 15-person Toronto company told the BBC.

Despite a 15-minute cap on power naps, employees continually overslept.

“The whole process would waste anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour-and-a-half,” Mushtaq added.

The team at AskforTask.com, more worryingly for them, saw a 30 per cent drop in productivity during the experiment.

Working from home

Time4Sleep’s poll of British workers found that home working is increasingly attractive to workers in the UK, with being able to nap at work a key factor. A job with the ability to work from home was considered attractive by 42 per cent of survey participants.

It seems that while many would welcome the chance to work from home, they may not be being entirely truthful with their superiors about their motives for doing so.

One in five females (20 per cent) said they had taken a work from home day to nurse a sore head after an office party and a further one in ten respondents said they had worked from the sofa to watch sport.

Some of the nation’s youngest employees even went a step further, with 17 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds saying they had taken a work from home day to secretly go shopping.

The research also revealed some of the habits of home workers, including:

49% worked in lounge wear or pyjamas

40% had a lie in

35% had a nap/fell asleep during the day

32% watched daytime television

32% worked from their bed

Jonathan Warren, Director of Time4sleep.co.uk, said: “We found it amusing that so many of us are working from home in our pyjamas and even Skype calling and interviewing in our lounge wear.

“Although it’s interesting to learn what many get up to when working from home, it’s clear it can sometimes prove to be a challenge for our concentration levels.”

Unsurprisingly, Time4Sleep feel that it would be prudent to concentrate on getting enough sleep at home, so workers aren’t tempted into napping on the job.

“To avoid having to nap throughout the day at work and risk getting caught by your boss, we recommend trying to get a good night’s sleep before work. Establishing a routine around bedtime will help you unwind and make getting off to sleep easier.”

Naked female cleaners are being sought to clean houses for £45 an hour - on condition they do it in the nude.

The requirements are laid out in a job ad from a naturist cleaning firm that wants people to clean houses of naturists up and down the country totally starkers.

London-based Naturist Cleaners is on the hunt for women to bare all while doing dusting, vacuuming and other household chores.

It reads: “We are looking for female naturist cleaners who can clean private houses nude.

“The job will require doing all general cleaning like dusting, tidying up, vacuuming, watering plants, making beds, using the washing machine, ironing clothes and cleaning windows.”

It was posted by the firm which offers naked cleaning services for the nudist community.

The business began in London two-years-ago and is now expanding outside the capital, into the Home Counties and across the UK.

Bosses insist there’s nothing smutty about it – and that there is absolutely no sexual element either.

But the clients are almost certain to be clothes-free. Prices for nude cleaning start at £65 for the first hour and £55 each hour thereafter.

Fully-clothed cleaning is cheaper, at £25 for the first hour and £20 for additional hours. Company bosses say they believe in the “liberty of the true human form” – and the “serenity of a spotlessly-cleaned home”.

They’re looking for part-time cleaners of “all ages and figures”. Rules state no pictures or videos can be taken and cleaners cannot be touched.

Owner Laura Smith said: “We started in London two-years-ago and it’s proved really popular, so we’re expanding.

“It’s a service for the nudist community. We are a cleaning company. There’s nothing sexual about the business at all. The majority of our clients are nudists.

“I understand people will think certain things about the company, but there is nothing untoward about it.”

The idea is sure to stir debate but what do you think?

RSPCA officers are appealing for information after an emaciated dog with a severe skin condition was dumped in a village.

The female lurcher was struggling to walk when she was found in Church Street, Broughton, near Kettering, on Friday.

The dog was so hungry that she was eating her own faeces.

She was picked up by the RSPCA and taken to a vets, where staff nicknamed her Honey.

RSPCA animal collection officer Greg Hagen said: “The poor dog was not in a good way at all.

“She staggered towards my van and I had to help her by picking her up.

“Her legs are completely covered in this horrific skin condition and on top of that she is incredibly thin - all of her bones were visible.

“She had blood around her back end, legs and on her ears when she was found.

“She really was in a sorry state.

“We can’t put an exact age to her as her teeth - which usually give a good indicator to a dog’s age - were in a terrible state.

“What we would say is that she is an adult and probably no older than five-years-old.

“We are really keen to find out where she came from and how she got to be like this.

“If you take on a pet, you must take responsibility and if your pet needs veterinary attention then you must seek it - something which clearly did not happen for Honey.

“Thankfully she was found before it was too late and we are hopeful that she will make a full recovery.

“She was getting a lot of fuss from staff at the vets.

“She is a lovely dog and she deserves to get a lot of love and attention after her horrific start to life.”

Honey is now being looked after by an RSPCA foster carer.

Anyone who has any information about Honey can contact the RSPCA in complete confidence on 0300 1238018.

The RSPCA is a charity and relies on public donations to exist. To assist inspectors in carrying out their vital work people can text HELP to 78866 to give £3 (texts cost £3 plus one standard network rate message).

A 58-mile stretch of the Grand Union Canal passes through Northamptonshire, mostly in the Daventry district.

Canals offer great days out, with waterside walking trails to follow, wildlife to spot, historic bridges and buildings to look out for, ducks and swans to feed, and brightly coloured boats to watch.

For more information about visiting the canals in Northamptonshire, including activity sheets to download, go to www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/places-to-visit

Here are the Canal & River Trust’s Top 6 canalside destinations in Northamptonshire:

1 Visit the Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne – take a trip to the chocolate box pretty village of Stoke Bruerne and visit The Canal Museum. Housed in a historic corn mill, the Museum gives visitors a fascinating look at the history of Britain’s canals, with a treasure trove of stories, films and collections. In the school holidays and at weekends March to October, the Stoke Bruerne Boat Company runs regular boat trips from outside the Museum. Or, take a stroll along the towpath to the east portal of the Blisworth Tunnel, with information along the way about the history of the canal, village and wildlife, plus connection to a woodland walk trail. Alternatively, head south down the canal, passing by its flight of seven locks to a nature reserve at the former brickworks site. There are plenty of places to eat in Stoke Bruerne, including the Boat Inn, Navigation Inn and the Museum’s Waterside Café.

2 Head to a historic pub in Braunston – the canal at Braunston is one of the busiest on the whole network, making this pretty village a great place to watch narrowboats, take a walk in the country and enjoy a meal at a country pub or café. Choose from the Boat House, the Admiral Nelson or the Gongoozlers Café by the water, or head up into the village to visit the Old Plough. Union Canal Carriers offers visitors the opportunity to hire a boat for the day here to enjoy a gentle chug through the countryside, either travelling north along the Oxford Canal to the village of Hillmorton and back, or south to Napton on the Hill.

3 Walk a stretch of the Northampton Arm – The 4.8-mile long Northampton Arm connects the River Nene in the centre of Northampton with the Grand Union Canal at Gayton Junction, close to the village of Blisworth. Once used to carry grain via the Nene to Wellingborough, the 17 locks along its length take the canal downhill from Northampton, dropping 30 metres. There’s a car park at Northampton Town Lock, close to Becket’s Park, or start from the Gayton Junction end at Blisworth Marina, close to the Walnut Tree Inn.

4 Enjoy a boat trip at Crick Boat Show – every Whitsun May Bank Holiday, Crick Marina just outside the village of Crick, becomes the focus for the biggest inland waterways festival in the country. This year, from 27-29 May 2017, over 250 exhibitors from across the canal world will gather to showcase the canals, creating a fantastic family day out with free boat trips, boats to look round, live music, children’s activities, a real ale marquee, and a large variety of food and drink stalls. For information and to book tickets, visit www.crickboatshow.com or call 01283 742970. Kids under 16 go free.

5 Watch out for wildlife at Boddington Reservoir – surrounded by beautiful Northamptonshire countryside, Boddington Reservoir at Byefield is an oasis of greenery, wildlife, walking trails and picnic areas. Built in 1805 to supply water for the Oxford Canal, since its creation the reservoir has been gradually colonised by birds, insects and wild flowers. Visitors can look out for ducks, dragonflies, damselflies, green woodpeckers, toads and grass snakes.

6 Take a walk at Welford – once busy with barges laden with limestone to be taken to nearby lime kilns, Welford Wharf is now a picture of rural tranquillity and a great place to take a country walk. There are a number of short and medium distance walks around Welford Reservoir, or visitors can pick up the Jurassic Way for a long distance adventure. Refreshments at Welford can be found at The Wharf Inn or Elizabethan pubs.

A higher percentage of residents work in the Daventry district than the national average figures have shown.

Employment figures released by the Government show that around 80 per cent of people in our district have a job, compared to a national average of only 74 per cent.

Janye Rouse, speaking for Job Centre Plus said the economic prospect for the Daventry area was positive, with construction underway on DIRFT's third phase and that the Job Centre was already working with firms to find suitable employees for them.

Overall the figures for the East Midlands (covering September to November 2016) show the numbers claiming unemployment benefits is down compared to a year before.

Employment Minister, Damian Hinds, said: “We start the new year with another encouraging set of figures. Employment continues to run at a near-record high, unemployment remains at an 11-year low and both figures are stronger than this time last year – highlighting the strength and resilience of our labour market as we step up to the challenges of 2017.

“There’s great news in the East Midlands where there are a near record number of people in work at 2.3 million and the employment level for women is at a record high of 1.08 million.

“We have made real progress creating a strong economy and helping more people into work, and will do what is needed to continue that trajectory as we build a country that works for everyone.”

A popular Disney toy set has been recalled by its manufacturer over safety concerns.

The Bolt and Mitten soft toy set has been found to contain chemical substances which exceed regulatory limits.

It is the black plastic nose on the Bolt (dog) soft toy which has rained concerns. The Mitten (cat) toy is unaffected.

The product range affected has the SKU code: 207123015014, sold between 08/07/2015 and 30/09/2016.

Anyone having purchased a toy set is advised to stop using it, and should return the item to the stores (in parks, Disney Village or Disney hotels) for a full refund, or email the company at dlp.sav@disney.com.

The Advertising Standards Authority has released the 10 most complained-about adverts from last year.

The list includes MoneySuperMarket’s dance-off, Paddy Power’s Euro 2016 advert featuring Scottish fans, and jokes about disability in Maltesers commercials.

But of the complaints made about the top 10 adverts in the list, none were upheld by the broadcasting watchdog

Traditional pancake races will return to Daventry after years of absence.

On Saturday February 25, a pancake extravaganza will be held in Daventry town centre for all to enjoy from 2pm to 4pm.

The event is being organised by Daventry Town Council and will be hosted in Sheaf Street. It will include pancake time trials, pancake flipping, live demonstrations and free pancakes.

Head along and race your pancake along the street to earn the title of Daventry Pancake Champion or see how many flips you can achieve in the Pancake Flipping Challenge. There will be prizes for the winning adult and child of each contest.

Local chefs will be giving their top tips and recipe hints for making your pancakes perfect on Shrove Tuesday - on February 28 this year. Chefs will be demonstrating their skills in 15 minute sessions running from 2pm to 4pm.

Pancake races were an annual tradition in Daventry, usually held in Sheaf Street. But the tradition died out and such races have not been held in the town centre for more then a decade.

Train conductors on London Midland, which runs trains through Northampton and Long Buckby, are being balloted on strike action.

Members of the rail union RMT said it was balloting members over a decision to place security contractors on London Midland trains.

General secretary of the RMT, Mick Cash, said: “London Midland’s attempts to place external security contractor’s on board trains with an already safety critically trained guard without agreement with RMT is totally unacceptable.

“Over a two-year period RMT negotiators offered various counter proposals to the company which were dismissed out of hand every time or regretfully ignored.

“The imposition of external contractors who have no additional skills or powers of authority to remove unruly passengers or fare dodgers is something we are totally opposed to.

“Our members are fearful that even minor issues will escalate out of control particularly when these security contractors don’t have the appropriate training, skills or knowledge for working within a focused customer service environment like our members do.

“We have been left with no option but to ballot for industrial action to ensure that management finally sit up and take notice of our members’ concerns.

“The union remains available for meaningful and constructive talks.”

In total, 523 RMT members are being balloted. The ballot concludes on February 2.

London Midland has said the security contractors were in addition to senior conductors, have different duties, and that the changes were made following feedback from staff and passengers. The company added that it had no intention of removing conductors from its trains.

Men smashed the glass in the door of West Haddon Post Office and broke into the shop.

The incident happened on Wednesday January 18 and police say that sometime between 3am and 3.15am, two men smashed the glass of the front door with a hammer and entered the building, triggering the alarm.

They were then confronted by a member of the public and ran off towards Station Road.

The first offender is described as a 5ft 8in white man in either his late teens or early 20s, wearing a dark hooded jacket with the hood up and a scarf around his face, dark trousers and trainers. He was carrying a Lidl carrier bag. The other offender was a 5ft 6in man, also in either his late teens or early 20s, wearing a blue jacket with the hood up and a dark scarf around his face, dark trousers and black trainers. He was carrying a Tesco carrier bag.

Anyone with information can contact Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A group of campaigners have unveiled a banner on the A45 near Wellingborough as Donald Trump is set to become the USA’s president.

The group displayed the banner today in support of the national campaign “Build Bridges Not Walls” on the A45 running from Wilby to Great Doddington/Earls Barton.

One of the organisers of the action said: “Together we will drop banners from bridges across the country to send a simple, hopeful and unmistakable message.

“We will build bridges, not walls, to a peaceful and just world rid of oppression and hatred.

“We stand together with a vision that a better world is possible.

“A vision that all the peoples of the world can live on this small planet together in friendship, comradeship and mutual respect.

“Together all problems can be tackled. Apart we will fail.”

The latest photo editing app to go viral, Meitu, has sparked serious security and privacy concerns as Android users are allegedly giving away huge amounts of information to the Chinese tech company in order to download the selfie taking app.

The app which turns users into Japanese style anime characters has already been downloaded a billion times with six billion photos being generated every month.

Besides accessing the phone’s camera and storage, Meitu also allegedly has access to phone numbers and location (which are both network-based and GPS).

A glance at the Meitu app terms and conditions shows that Meitu states it can collect the following information from smartphones:

1) Cookies and similar technologies. When Meitu requests an advertiser or other partner to deliver ads or offer services to your equipment, Meitu or the third party may apply cookies and similar technologies;

2) Equipment or software information, such as the configuration information provided by your mobile equipment, web browser or other programs used to access our services, your IP address and the version and IMEI of the mobile equipment used, operating system information and network information;

3) Information relating to the mobile applications (APP) and other software that you have used, and the content from such mobile applications and software that you have used.

4) Information (metadata) involving the contents that you share through our services, such as the date, time, place and others of shooting and sharing the photo or video.

Innocent explanation

However the developer claims that the wording of the terms and conditions are necessary to get around Chinese restrictions and insists it is not selling any information to third party companies.

Meitu is headquartered in China which has rules in place to block tracking within applications downloaded from the Google Play and Apple App Store.

A Meitu spokesperson told CNET, “To get around this Meitu employs a combination of third-party and in-house data tracking systems to make sure the user data tracked is consistent.”

“Furthermore, the data collected is sent securely, using multi layer encryption to servers equipped with advanced firewall, IDS and IPS protection to block external attacks.”

Created by Chinese entrepreneur Cai Wensheng in 2008, the multi billion dollar business Xiamen Meitu Technology Co., Ltd., who own Meitu have already been dominating the Chinese selfie market with apps such as Beauty Plus and AirBrush - Selfie Editor for Flawless Photos for selfie-obsessed smartphone users. Users can remove blemishes and dark circles, make themselves look slimmer and even extend their leg length with a swipe on the app.

Meitu was voted one of the top ten apps of the year by iTunes.

Concerned users can view the terms and conditions at http://api.meitu.com/xiuxiu/public/privacy_en.html