Police are appealing for help to trace a missing girl.

Lily Rose Carr, 16, went missing yesterday from her home in Lower Lodge, Pipewell, at about 8pm. She has not been seen since.

Lily is slim and 5ft 7in with shoulder-length, straight brown hair and a tanned complexion.

She was last seen wearing black and grey Nike trainers, turquoise socks, black leggings, a grey cropped top and a black puffa-style gilet.

Officers are appealing for Lily, or anybody who knows of her whereabouts, to contact police on 101.

Witnesses or anyone with information about are asked to call Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Make a splash at the UK’s biggest inland waterways festival in Crick.

Crick Boat Show takes place from May 27-29 and the Daventry Express has ten pairs of tickets to be won.

The Daventry Express has 10 pairs of adult tickets for the 2017 Crick Boat Show & Waterways Festival to give-away to readers.

Organised by Waterways World in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and Crick Marina, the event showcases the canal world with 300 exhibitors gathering from across the country, and offers a fantastic day out for all the family with dozens of boats, free boat trips, music, children’s activities, a real ale marquee, and a large variety of food and drink stalls.

Peter Johns, publisher of Waterways World and show director, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming people to our 2017 Crick Boat Show for a fun day out by the water.

“Children aged 16 and under receive free entry to the show, and adult tickets are just £12 if purchased in advanced, or £15 on the gate, making it a great value bank holiday event for all the family.”

To enter the competition, email lucie.green@jpress.co.uk to arrive by April 1, subject heading Crick Boat Show. Please state if you do not wish your date to be shared. Don’t forget to include your name and telephone number.

The show is open from 10am till 6pm every day except Monday, May 29, when it closes at 5pm. Evening entertainment from 7.30pm to 11.30pm on Saturday 27 and Sunday, May 28.

Prices start at £12 per adult if booked in advance, £15 on the day. Children aged 16 free. Senior Citizens and concessions are £10.80 in advance, £13.50 on the day.

For more information visit www.crickboatshow.com or call 01283 742970.

Nintendo will launch its brand new console the Switch tomorrow (March 3) to much fanfare.

For those who haven’t already seen, the Switch is a “hybrid” console, allowing different modes of play with the main unit shaped like a tablet computer which can be used portably as-is, or connected to a television display through a detachable docking station.

In addition the intriguing machine can also be used in a tabletop form with its kickstand and is marketed primarily as a home console rather than a portable.

Concerns have been raised over the console’s tiny 32GB internal memory for those who prefer to download their games. But the machine does take SD memory cards and unlike rivals PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Switch games are cartridges which will not need to be installed.

Launch titles:

Titles expected to be released at launch are pick up and play party game 1,2 Switch, Fast RMX (like F Zero and Wipeout), popular puzzle game World of Goo, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Bomberman R, puzzler Snipperclips: Cut it out Together!, Skylanders, Shovel Trove, Little Inferno, Human Resource Machine, I Am Setsuna and Just Dance 2017.

The Switch could make big waves in the gaming scene and here’s eight things you must know about it.

8) There are three ways to play: you can play it on your TV when the console is docked. You can play it in tabletop mode with the attached kickstand or as a portable device. You can put your own memory cards in and they will not be region locked.

7) Battery life: perhaps one of the biggest disappointments as Nintendo announced it would last between 2-6 hours depending on the game. Batteries are not removable so any problems and they will need to be manufacturer replaced.

6) The controllers: Released initially in three colours, grey, blue and red and feature gyro-motion and ‘HD rumble’ which Nintendo claims to be ‘surround sound for touch’.

5) Games: Launch titles include a new Zelda game which looks stunning, a Mario Kart 8 port with a true battle mode, 1-2 Switch, which uses the motion controllers and a few others while a new Mario game is also on the horizon.

4) Online: this will be free initially as a trial but then a paid for subscription thereafter. You can obviously play other people as well as download games and there will be a monthly free download of an old SNES or NES game - which you only get to play for the month and it will disappear.

3) Game hardware: the games are cartridges and are slightly bigger than the PS Vita or Nintendo 3DS and the game box resembles the long, narrow PSP game box. Games will cost around £45.

2) Accessories: Pro controller, charging grips, docks, steering wheels and extra joy cons are a must for the serious Switch gamer but will set you back a fair few pounds as they don’t come cheap.

1) Tech and spec: The Switch will retail for £279.99 in the UK and for that you get the main Switch console, a dock, a pair of Joy-Con controllers (one left and one right), a Joy-Con grip (to connect the controllers together), wrist straps, and an HDMI cable and AC adapter. The Switch runs a Custom Nvidia Tegra CPU, Nvidia GPU and boast a 6.2in LCD touchscreen.

Daventry’s Used Stamp Appeal reached a significant milestone this month, as the project continued its growth.

The scheme, organised by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has collected 650,000 stamps since it began seven years ago.

The stamps have been donated by people in the Daventry area and the funds raised as a result go to charities Oxfam and Leukaemia CARE.

Des Waddington, project coordinator for the Church, said: “The project has been running in the Daventry area for about seven years and with the terrific support of local residents, schools and businesses, it has gone from strength to strength.

“Passing the 650,000 milestone is incredible, that’s a total that we never even dreamed of in the beginning.”

The processing of the stamps involves cutting excess paper from around them, sorting into UK or overseas and then counting them into batches of 500. They are then donated to the charities.

Sara Johnson, community fundraising officer at Leukaemia CARE, said: “We are thrilled to be part of the stamp appeal, it is a wonderful example of a community coming together to help local charities, we are extremely grateful to all involved.”

A key element of the appeal is the role played by the two drop off points in Daventry – the Post Office on Sheaf Street and Orchard Print on the High Street.

Jan Head, owner of Orchard Print, said: “We are delighted with the support from the people of Daventry and surrounding villages for the stamp collection, and urge them to keep up the good work.

“All the stamp donations, no matter how small, add up to help people in need both at home and abroad.

All varieties of used stamps are valuable to the appeal, even the current first and second class ones.

Daventry Town Council has announced the appointment of a new town councillor for Hill ward.

Alan Knape, who has two young children and has lived and worked in Daventry since 2011, was co-opted by the council.

He said: “Daventry is a great town and in my role as a representative for Hill ward, I would like to enable the community by engaging with the community to improve Daventry for all.”

Jars of a hugely popular crunchy biscuit spread have been withdrawn from sale at all major supermarkets over fears they are contaminated with small piece of metal.

Belgian manufacturer Lotus Biscoff has pulled batches of its 380g jars which sell for £2.25 as the metal pieces may pose a risk to consumers.

The sweet spread which packs 2,169 calories a jar are sold at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose, Ocado and Nisa stores.

Those who have bought affected jars are urged not to eat it but return it for a full refund.

The recall was made after the spread maker was told by a firm responsible outsourced to putting the spread into jars that during a “certain period, their metal detection was not adjusted for sufficient precision.”

The Food Standards Agency said: “Lotus Bakeries UK Ltd is recalling various batch codes of Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread because it may contain small pieces of metal.

“This product was sold at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose, Ocado and Nisa stores.

“In addition, batch number 7005109 with ‘best before’ date 5 February 2018 has also been sold through East End Foods.

“No other batches or Lotus Bakeries Spreads products are known to be affected.

“Product may contain small pieces of metal which could represent a safety risk.

“If you have bought the above product do not eat it. Instead, return it to the retailer from where it was bought for a full refund.”

The company added: “Lotus Bakeries is recalling batches of Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread because the spread may contain small metal particles.

“To eliminate any risk, Lotus Bakeries urgently recommends that Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread from the affected batches should not be consumed.

“This concerns jars of Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread 380g- identifiable by the yellow lid - with various best before dates in February and March 2018

“Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread 380g glass jar:

“Affected Best Before dates are 05/02/2018, 11/02/2018, 19/02/2018, 28/02/2018, 08/03/2018, 15/03/2018.

“This product was sold at branches of Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrison’s, Waitrose, Ocado & NISA.

“Please note that Lotus Biscoff Crunchy Biscuit Spread 380g with other best before dates and Lotus Biscoff Biscuit Spread products with red lids are not affected.

“Consumers should return the affected jars to the retailer they bought it from to receive a refund.

“If this is not possible, consumers should send the yellow lid ONLY to the following free-post address, including their full name, address and UK postcode.

“They will receive a full refund.

“Lotus Bakeries decided to recall the batches of the affected product after being informed by the co-manufacturer - to whom the task of filling the product is outsourced - that, during a certain period, their metal detection was not adjusted for sufficient precision.

“Lotus Bakeries apologises for any inconvenience caused.”

A Daventry restaurant was handed a large fine after health inspectors found an infestation of cockroaches on its premises last year.

The grim discovery was made by Daventry District Council environmental health officers at Asia Tandoori on Warwick Street on September 28.

Kamal Hussain and Sadakur Rahman, joint directors of New Asia Kamsad Ltd, admitted seven food hygiene offences at Northampton Magistrates Court on February 28.

They were fined £7,000, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £340 and costs of £1,198.

The court heard that the council officers visited the restaurant after a customer reported seeing an insect, which they believed was a cockroach, on their table following a meal there.

During the inspection, officers found a ‘sticky trap’ with about 50 cockroaches on it – many of which were still alive – in a boiler room adjoining the restaurant’s kitchen.

A live cockroach was also found on the floor in the cooking area, while further inspection found dirty equipment, floors and walls, overflowing external drains, and bowls of cooked rice out of temperature control.

The restaurant provided officers with a pest control report from July 2016 which had identified the cockroach infestation, but the business had not acted on the pest contractor’s advice to undertake a thorough, deep clean.

The business volunteered to close its doors following advice from the officers, and a deep clean was carried out over the next two days. Pest control contractors were also brought in to treat the cockroach infestation and the business was allowed to reopen on September 30 after it passed a further inspection.

DDC officers continued to monitor the restaurant following the incident but found no further evidence of cockroaches.

Councillor Mike Warren, health and housing portfolio holder at Daventry District Council, said: “We take food hygiene extremely seriously as a council and it was clear following our officers’ inspection that there were major breaches of standards, not least a serious cockroach infestation which was not being treated.

“While the restaurant took action following the inspection, the offences were so serious that prosecution was the only appropriate course of action. The level of the fine imposed by the court reflects the severity of the offences, and we hope it sends a clear message to other food businesses that we will not hesitate to take action should we find breaches of food hygiene.

“Residents should also rest assured that this case is very much the exception to the rule in Daventry district, where food businesses boast excellent standards on the whole.”

Police are appealing for help to find a missing man from Yardley Gobion, near Towcester.

Peter Hastings, 62, was last seen at about 9.30am on Friday March 3, and officers are concerned for his welfare.

Mr Hastings is described as white, about 5ft 11in, with grey short hair and blue eyes. His clothing is not known but he may have been wearing a red coat.

Anyone who may have seen Peter or has any information as to his whereabouts is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101.

Pictured above is a £4,000 chapel window which once stood in the Our Lady of Passion Monastery, on the outskirts of Daventry.

The spectacular large window stood 15ft high and 20ft wide, and was paid for from a generous donation.

It depicts the first “Passionist Missionary” in the Catholic faith, Dominic Barbery.

Mother Catherine, a nun from the monastery, explained who Dominic Barbery was to the Gusher back in 1982. She said: “He was the first to come over to England from Italy in the middle of the 19th century after the religion was re-established here.

“And the first man he received into the faith was George Spencer, who was a distant relative of Princess Diana.”

Mother Catherine and 11 nuns based in the monastery when the window was unveiled were all “very pleased” with the result.

The Our Lady of Passion Monastery, also known as Badby House, was transformed into a care home for the elderly after a drawn-out planning process.

The Grade II listed house, on Badby Road West off the A361, was home to Catholic nuns for more than 40 years. The last remaining nuns moved out in August 2005.

Police searching for a missing Northamptonshire man have confirmed a body was found this afternoon in woodland near Yardley Gobion by Midshires Search and Rescue.

No formal identification has yet taken place but officers believe it is that of 62-year-old Peter Hastings. The death is not being treated as suspicious and the family have been informed.

Search and rescue teams were joined by members of the public in their search for Peter and the family have issued their profound thanks for everybody’s help and kindness.

They have asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.

With March just around the corner and the Christmas holidays now a distant memory, a prolonged break from work may seem like just wishful thinking.

But, due to the fortunate timing of Easter this year, there’s an ingenious way to enjoy an incredible 18 days off without using all your annual leave.

With Good Friday falling on Friday, April 14, most workers will be entitled to a glorious four-day weekend before returning to the office on Tuesday, April 18.

So, in order to enjoy 18 days off, workers should hand in their holidays forms on this Tuesday requesting just NINE days off.

Workers then won’t return back to work until Tuesday, May 2, thus taking advantage of the May bank holiday.

This means the standard employee will have capitalised on three bank holidays within a nine-day working calendar having used less than half of their holiday quota.

The unexpected perk comes as an added benefit of Easter having no fixed date, instead being based on the lunar calendar.

Easter feast is scheduled to fall on the Sunday that follows the full moon on or after March 21, known as the Spring Equinox.

This decision was first made by the Council of Nicaea in 325AD which also decided that Easter should always fall on a Sunday to represent the day of Christ’s Resurrection.

The next time workers can take advantage of this prolonged break will be in 2019 when Good Friday falls on April 19.

Raising the legal age of smoking to 21 or even would dramatically slash the numbers of teenagers taking up the deadly habit, researchers said.

Until 2007 British teenagers could buy cigarettes and tobacco when aged 16 but in that year this was increased to 18.

But Canadian scientists said raising it to 21 would see a quarter less smokers and urged lawmakers to change the rules to stop needless deaths and illnesses.

The call was made as new guidelines were introduced to help children as young as five quit by encouraging family doctors to take a more active role.

Nearly a fifth - 18 per cent - of children aged 11 to 18 had tried smoking but those experimenting increases with age.

Only three per cent of 11-year-old tried smoking but over a third - 36 per cent - of those aged 17 to 18 had.

And nine out of ten current smokers said they had tried smoking before they were 18.

Assistant Professor Dr John Oyston at the University of Toronto and Scarborough Rouge Hospital pointed out as the dangers of tobacco has become known, cigarette advertising and smoking in public places has been banned.

He said: “Now that we know that the addictive substance nicotine is a neurotoxin

that damages the developing brain, from foetal life to young adulthood, a new measure is needed to protect young people from tobacco.

“Increasing the minimum legal age for access to tobacco products to 21 or even 25 years would reduce smoking initiation substantially, reduce the prevalence of smoking, improve health across the lifespan, improve the outcome of many teenage pregnancies and save lives.”

He said if a man has never smoked by age 18, the odds are three-to-one he never will and by 24 the odds are twenty-to-one.

But he added: “Teenagers typically exhibit risk-taking behaviour because the prefrontal cortex, needed for planning and impulse control, does not fully mature until about age 25 years.”

Currently 201 000 teenagers aged 15 to 19 years smoke and three quarters will continue as adults.

Yet the earlier a child starts, the more they smoke over a longer period and find to hard to stub out the habit.

Half of those will die early because of smoking.

He noted when Needham in Massachusetts raised the legal age to 21, smoking rates declined 47 per cent in high schools students.

In Canada the federal minimum age is 18 but in the six Canadian provinces where it was raised to 19, the numbers of smokers reduced from 14.8 per cent to 11.7 per cent.

Critics of changing the law argue underage smokers do so before they can legally buy tobacco products but he said many get them from older friends or siblings.

Raising the age limit will stop these older smokers buying them legally.

Others argue 18-year-olds are adults and can enlist in the armed forces but he countered “smoking is more deadly” and serving Queen and country “has benefits both to the individual and to society.

“Smoking benefits no one.

“As physicians, we should spare no effort in preventing young people from starting to smoke.

“Eighteen or 19 is too young to be allowed legal access to an addictive and carcinogenic product that can never be used safely.

“Raising the minimum legal age for access to tobacco is a scientifically proven, legally and politically feasible, quick, cheap and effective way to deprive the tobacco industry of recruiting a new generation of young people as their customers.”

Dr Brett Thombs, chair of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care which issued its first ever guideline said GPs need to intervene earlier to nip teen smoking in the bud.

Smoking by children and teenagers “is a potentially reversible driver of disease in adulthood” so doctors should question children and parents about their smoking.

He said: “The evidence suggests that low-intensity behavioural interventions based on providing brief information and advice may help to prevent and treat tobacco smoking among children and youth.

“The task force therefore recommends that primary care practitioners consider offering such interventions to children and youth aged five to 18 years.”

The guidelines and commentary were published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Daventry Museum will be holding a free science event to coincide with British Science Week.

The event will take place on Saturday March 11 with visitors able to discover Daventry’s past, learn about science, technology, engineering and maths, as well as following Einstein around the museum to take part in fun activities and experiments.

There will be a ‘change’ theme to the event as activities centre around changes in computer technology, communications, and materials.

Activity sheets that will include word searches, object hunts and brainteasers will be available for younger visitors to fill out.

British Science Week will run from Friday March 10 to Sunday 19.

Lime pictures, producers of hit Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks have issued a warning after it emerged that companies claiming to be recruiting paid extras on their behalf were doing so WITHOUT the knowledge or consent of the producers.

A number of Facebook posts have been shared by pages claiming to represent the show calling for paid extras, but a statement from Lime Pictures urged people to “be responsible and not to provide personal information or contact details to these companies or accounts”.

Their statement read: “Lime Pictures only engages reputable casting agencies and professionals in the North of England, all of whom can be found listed on Spotlight.”

One Facebook page called ‘Local talent’ claimed to be sourcing extras for the hit show. Their post said “ This will be a paid opportunity. We are looking for around 500 people in total. This job will consist of a full day’s filming.”

At the time of writing it had been shared over 67,000 times since being posted yesterday evening. The post appears to have since been deleted.

Lime pictures provided the following link to Spotlight, where they actually DO do their recruiting: https://www.spotlight.com/contacts.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

JANUARY 13

Jamie Cooke, aged 32, of no fixed abode, assault; jailed for four weeks, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £115.

Hydar Ali, aged 35, of Little Greeve Way, Wootton, non-payment of a fine of £657; court order made.

Emma Barrett, aged 42, of Romany Road, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £686; court order made.

Paul Starling, aged 41, of no fixed abode, stole Christmas presents worth £210; jailed for 12 weeks concurrent suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £115 and compensation of £210. Failed to surrender to custody; jailed for 12 weeks concurrent suspended for 12 months. Commission of further offences while on a community order; dealt with original offences as follows. Stole electric toothbrushes and epilators worth £1,169 belonging to Boots; jailed for 12 weeks concurrent suspended for 12 months. Stole electric toothbrushes worth £348; jailed for 12 weeks concurrent suspended for 12 months. Stole a flat television screen worth £160 from Sainsbury’s; jailed for 12 weeks concurrent suspended for 12 months. Stole a Sony Bravia television worth £280 belonging to Sainsbury’s; jailed for 12 weeks concurrent suspended for 12 months. Failed to surrender to custody; jailed for 12 weeks concurrent suspended for 12 months. Stole electrical goods worth £450; jailed for 12 weeks concurrent suspended for 12 months.

JANUARY 16

Valbona Berisha, aged 40, of Warren Road, Northampton, assault; fined £150, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30, compensation of £50 and costs of £85.

Melanie Hinds, aged 19, of Verdant Vale, Northampton, assault; jailed for 12 weeks suspended for 18 months, ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £115, compensation of £100 and costs of £775. Assault; jailed for 12 weeks consecutive, ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work. Damaged a shirt worth £20; no separate penalty.

Christopher Court, aged 22, of Overslade Close, Northampton, stole various goods worth £141.51 belonging to Tesco; community order made, ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and pay compensation of £200. Failed to surrender to custody; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work. Stole various items worth £194.89 belonging to TK Maxx; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £85 and costs of £460.

Mark Hardcastle, aged 32, of Brookside Meadows, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £811; further time ordered to pay.

Matthew Johnson, aged 37, of Hastings Road, Kingsthorpe, non-payment of a fine of £252; court order made.

Corelia Smith, aged 40, of Longmead Court, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £235; court order made.

Seth Langford, aged 35, of Webb Drive, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 93mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £84 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 48 months.

Robert Moisa, aged 27, of Hampton Street, Northampton, failed to supply a breath test; fined £200, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 20 months.

Harry Moore, aged 22, of Burcote Fields, Towcester, dangerous driving; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 12 months.

Melanie Baylis, aged 40, of Cross Lane, Braunston, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 68mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £500, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 18 months.

Sean Garner, aged 30, of Sidebrook Court, Northampton, drunk and disorderly; fined £35, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £85. Commission of a further offence while on a conditional discharge order for being drunk and disorderly; no adjudication, dealt with original offence and fined £35.

Jasbir Gill, aged 58, of Hampton Street, Northampton, possession of cannabis; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £20.

Tadas Puteikis, aged 28, of Alcombe Road, Northamtpon, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 71mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £400, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £40 and costs of £85, banned from driving for three years. No insurance; fined £400.

JANUARY 17

Stephen Pemberton, aged 51, of Rothersthorpe Road, Northampton, possession of a class A drug; fined £120, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £85.

Constantine Brown, aged 52, of Magee Street, Northampton, disclosed a private photograph of a sexual nature of someone without consent; jailed for 12 weeks, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £115 and costs of £85. Similar charge; jailed for 12 weeks consecutive.

Christopher Lewis, aged 42, of Lincoln Way, Daventry, non-payment of a fine of £2,110; further time ordered to pay.

Samantha Mutch, aged 29, of Park Drive, Northampton, non-payment of fine of £178.56; further time ordered to pay.

JANUARY 18

Luke Panter, aged 35, of Danefield Road, Northampton, damaged a fence and a car; fined £80, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £85.

Gary Brown, aged 44, of St Leonard’s Road, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £2,673; further time ordered to pay.

Sultana Parul, aged 46, of Military Road, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £861; further time ordered to pay.

Adam Tiwary, aged 34, of Wake Way, Grange Park, Northampton, non-payment of a fine of £1,900; further time ordered to pay.

Jamie Fowkes, aged 44, of Gloucester Crescent, Northampton, failed to comply with a court order; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £20.

William Watts, aged 22, of Pyramid Close, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; suspended sentence of 25 weeks imposed, ordered to carry out 137 hours of unpaid work and pay costs of £50.

JANUARY 19

Tekin Kaygusuz, aged 30, of Merlin Grove, Northampton, three charges relating to indecent images of children, one charge of possessing extreme pornography involving a human and an animal; pleaded guilty, sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentence.

Denis-Alexandru Evu, aged 25, of Kingsthorpe Grove, Northampton, assault; fined £200, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and compensation of £100 and costs of £85.

Adam Shamsi, aged 25, of no fixed abode, possession of cannabis; fined £233. Assault; fined £408, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £40, compensation of £40 and costs of £85. Damaged a wall; fined £233 and compensation of £50.

Ashley Willmott, aged 46, of Stanley Street, Northampton, stole four Lacoste fragrances worth £140 belonging to Debenhams; jailed for four weeks consecutive, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £115. Commission of a further offence while on a community order; no adjudication, dealt with original offence. Stole 11 ready meals worth £38.58; suspended sentence of 16 weeks in jail implemented. Stole nine bottles of Persil washing liquid; suspended sentence of 16 weeks suspended for 24 months imposed. Stole meat worth £24.10 from Waitrose; suspended sentence of 16 weeks in jail imposed Stole hair straighteners worth £40 belonging to Boots The Chemist; suspended sentences of 16 weeks in prison imposed. Stole alcohol worth £76 belonging to Waitrose; suspended sentence of 16 weeks suspended for 24 weeks imposed. Stole meat worth £38.36 from the Co-Op; suspended sentence of 16 weeks suspended for 24 months imposed. Theft of meat worth £24 belonging to BP Express; suspended sentence of 16 weeks in prison imposed. Theft of two Shopkin products worth £9.98 belonging to Toys R Us; suspended sentence of 16 weeks in prison imposed. Stole meat worth £8; suspended sentence of 16 weeks in jail imposed. Stole meat worth £12 from BP Garage; suspended sentence of 16 weeks in jail imposed. Stole meat worth £12.50 belonging to Sainsbury’s; suspended sentence of 16 weeks in prison imposed. Stole meat and cheese worth £80 belonging to Co-Op; suspended sentence of 16 weeks in prison imposed. Failed to surrender to custody; suspended sentence of 16 weeks in prison imposed. Stole two Dremel 200 multi-tools worth £70 belonging to B& Q; suspended sentence of 16 in prison imposed. Overall length of sentence, 20 weeks.

Nozrul Hoque, aged 42, of St Paul’s Road, Northampton, used threatening or abusive words or behaviour; fined £100, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30.

Kyle Linnell, aged 19, of Emerald Way, Northampton, had a kitchen knife in a public place without good authority; pleaded guilty and sent to Northampton Crown Court for sentence.

Gints Mikelsons, aged 31, of Austin Street, Northampton, assault; jailed for 28 days, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £115.

Sarah Bruton, aged 32, of Billing Road, Northampton, assault; ordered to pay compensation of £100. Assault; ordered to pay compensation of £100. Assault; ordered to pay compensation of £75.

Christopher Duke, aged 30, of Harefield, Grange Park, Northampton, stole two sandwiches worth £6.40 belonging to Upton Way Filling Station; fined £80, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and compensation of £6.40 and costs of £85.

Clifford Harding, aged 57, of Stevensons Close, Hyde Close, Roade, assault; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £20.

George Murray, aged 45, of no fixed abode, begging in Abington Street; fined £30, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £40.

Leanne Reeve, aged 51, of Braunston, assaulted a police officer; jailed for four weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £115, compensation of £50 and costs of £360. Assaulted another police officer; jailed for four weeks consecutive suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay compensation of £50. Commission of a further offence while on a conditional discharge; no adjudication, dealt with original offence - assault; jailed for four weeks consecutive suspended for 12 months. Overall length of sentence, 12 weeks.

Laurentin Balanca, aged 21, of St Michael’s Mount, Northampton, stole a driving licence and European health insurance card; fined £100. No insurance; fined £200, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Lorna Garratt, aged 45, of Braemar Crescent, East Hunsbury, assaulted a police officer; jailed for eight weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £115, compensation of £50 and costs of £40.

JANUARY 20

Sergiu Ginju, aged 37, of The Grange, Daventry, driving without due care and attention; fined £120, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with four points.

Ondrej Guzik, aged 32, of Dychurch Lane, Northampton, driving at 108mph in a 70mph zone; fined £233, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 14 days.

Kane Brown, aged 42, c/o Wakefield Road, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, driving at 35mph in a 30mph zone; fined £100, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £45, licence endorsed with three points.

Adam Clayton, aged 30, of Abbey Road, Northampton, driving without due care and attention; fined £440. No insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. No test certificate; no separate penalty.

Connor Harrold, aged 20, of Pembroke Road, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence fined £220. No insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £66 and costs of £85, banned from driving for six months.

Sharon McCahill, aged 37, of Rickyard Road, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver alleged to have committed an offence; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Eileen McCann, aged 21, of Celeborn Place, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver alleged to have committed an offence; fined £660, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Leon Samm, aged 22, of West Mead Court, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £300, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Deivydas Simanauskas, aged 24, of Overstone Road, Northampton, no insurance; fined £320, ordered to pay a surcharge to fund victim services for £32 and costs of £85, banned from driving for six months. No test certificate; no separate penalty.

A bird flu panic has seen free-range eggs temporarily lose their status after hens were brought indoors.

The birds have been kept in barns since December following government orders put in place to stop the spread of the disease.

However, EU regulations state that if birds have been kept indoors for more than 12 weeks their eggs cannot be classed as free range.

To qualify as free-range,there must be unlimited daytime access to ‘runs’ with vegetation and at least 4 sq m of outside space per hen.

Usually there are four different types of eggs on sale in the UK - free-range, organic, barn-reared, and caged.

Although there is no risk to consumers, and the relabelled eggs will still taste, look and cost the same, bird flu can wipe out entire flocks - hence the ‘curfew’ on the poultry.

Existing free-range egg cartons have been stickered with the advice “Laid by hens temporarily housed in barns for their welfare”.

“The need to change labelling of free-range egg packs after 12 weeks is an EU requirement,” Mark Williams of the British Egg Industry Council told the BBC.

“However, these are all still free-range hens, but some are temporarily housed to protect them from bird flu.”

Supermarket giant Tesco has recalled a children’s toy over fears that it could present a potential hazard.

The Wooden alphabet toy’s pull along cord on one batch code of the product may become frayed and unravel.

The recalled item has a batch code of 161101, which can be found on the underside of the toy.

Customers who have purchased an item from the recalled batch are advised to return the affected product to store where a full refund will be given - no receipt is required.

Further details can be obtained from Tesco Customer Services department on:

UK: 0800 505 555

Salespeople, spreadsheet jockeys and, er, journalists will be the first jobs to hit the scrapheap due to advances in technology, according to a leading technology expert.

47 per cent of jobs in the USA could be automated within the next twenty years, an Oxford University study found.

And Shelly Palmer, named as one of LinkedIn’s Top 10 Voices of Technology, predicts that white-collar jobs will be the first to welcome our new robot overlords.

Top of the android hit-list is ‘middle-management’ - no-one’s quite sure what this job title entails, but if it involves putting numbers into an Excel then, as you can imagine, a computer could make a pretty good stab at it.

Accountancy is also in the firing line - though while manipulating numbers is a breeze for silicon semi-humans, quite how far the ethics of creatively massaging figures go is unclear. Certainly Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics never mentioned ‘cooking the books’.

Sales jobs under threat

Salespeople - of adverts, supplies etc - are also in the firing line, possibly involving laser beams. If you basically refer to a database which contains specifications, price and stock levels then, again, you’re not doing anything that a smart spreadsheet couldn’t. Though special dispensation may be made for negotiators and those with the gift of the gab - as Palmer puts it, “selling dreams and magic”.

The most unlikely job type to be replaced by unthinking, uncaring and emotion-free workers is surely that of writers - journalists, authors and ever announcers. Perhaps not (yet) skilled at producing great works of literature, machines can however be taught to read data as well as utilise text-to-speech systems, pattern-match images or video, and distil research materials into readable reports. Indeed, some media outlets already use automated systems to generate those minute-by-minute sports reports so popular on the web.

Medical advancements

Perhaps most scary, but also most useful, is the prospect of medical matters being taken over by machines. With the world’s population increasing seemingly exponentially, as Palmer says: “If everyone who ever wanted to be a doctor became one, we still would not have enough doctors.

So your local MD is unlikely to lose their job, but computers can accurately diagnose illnesses based on data analysis, and offer ultra-precise surgical skills for everything from knee surgery to vision correction.

Many professions at risk

And it’s not just the jobs mentioned that are under threat. A US government report stated: “There is an 83% chance that workers who earn $20 an hour or less could have their jobs replaced by robots in the next five years. Those in the $40 an hour pay range face a 31% chance of having their jobs taken over by the machines.”

However, Palmer offers some comfort: “First, technological progress is neither good nor bad; it just is. There’s no point in worrying about it, and there is certainly no point trying to add some narrative about the “good ol’ days.” It won’t help anyone. The good news is that we know what’s coming. All we have to do is adapt.”

Part of the M45 in Northamptonshire is closed because of a serious collision.

The road is closed betweeen the M1 at junction 17 and the A45 near Dunchurch.

The collision happened at around 7.45am this morning and police are currently on the scene.

Those travelling around that area are being advised to follow the ‘solid black triangle’ diversion symbol and to continue along the M1 northbound until they reach junction 19.

At the junction motorists should then continue along the nearside lane onto the M6 northbound and up to junction 2.

Motorists should then exit at junction 2 and take the southbound exit onto the A46.

They should then Continue along the A46 passing through the A46/B4082 roundabout and the A46/A428 ‘Rugby Road’ roundabout to the A46/A45 Tollbar roundabout.

Those wanting travel eastbound are being advised to follow the ‘hollow black circle” diversion symbol and exit the M45/A45 Dunchurch roundabout onto the B4429 Coventry Road and to continue eastbound along the B4429 until the B4429/A45 Daventry Road roundabout.

Motorists should then take the first exit onto the A45 eastbound which goes through Willoughby and Braunston.

To re-join the M1, at the A45/A425 roundabout motorists are advised take the first exit and to continue travelling east along ‘Stefen Way’ and ‘London Road’.

Road-users should continue on the A45 through Flore and Upper Heyford to re-join the M1 at J16.

Nathan Sandhu

A survey of 2,000 ‘at home workers’ has revealed that a staggering 90 per cent admit to bunking off regularly.

Nine out of ten confessed they are regularly distracted by food, FIFA and Facebook, while working remotely.

And astonishingly, one in three work at home Brits are so slack they don’t even bother getting out of their PJs all day and just work on a laptop in bed.

With an estimated 4.2 million UK people now working out of the office, not being able to keep an eye on remote workers is becoming increasingly worrying for business owners.

Bosses would be stunned to learn that they are paying their ‘hardworking’ full-time employees for 207 hours of work per year for graft they never do - that’s an average 4.5 hours per week.

Stay-at-home snacking and surfing

The research also revealed that while employees are meant to be working, stay-at-home staff scoff snacks, watch telly, play video games and surf the net, according to the poll.

A further one in ten even admit visiting family and friends while supposedly grafting.

The survey, carried out by Printerland.co.uk, revealed that four in ten people admit to completing less work at home than what they’d usually accomplish in an office.

Almost 40 per cent of blokes squirm out of office-working by saying they can “concentrate better” at home.

Even having an office set up at home doesn’t seem to get Brits going, as 36 per cent are still doing things unrelated to their work over five times a day.

A quarter of those surveyed said they liked working from home due to the flexibility of working whenever they liked, while 20 per cent had childcare issues, which prevented them working regular hours.

Two thirds of people chose to work at home to save on commuting time and travel costs while others had sneaky plans to catch up on soaps they missed or even do a spot of knitting.

However, Entrepreneur.com listed the top homeworking benefits - from an employer’s point of view.

1. They’ll waste less time commuting.

Cutting out a commute can be both a huge morale booster and a huge time saver. Employees will also waste less money on gas or public transportation.

2. They’ll be more productive.

One Stanford study found that employees who work from home are 13 percent more productive compared with their in-office counterparts.

3. They’ll be happier.

Everyone seems to be talking about work-life balance these days, and there’s no better way to improve the work-life balance of your employees than to let them work from home.

4. It’s easier than ever.

You can be connected to the office every minute of every day if you want to, thanks to the Internet. The concept of working from home might have seemed outlandish 20 years ago, but this is the 21st century. You can find access to wifi almost anywhere, and tools like GoToMeeting and Skype make remote communication a breeze.

5. You won’t have to pay for office space.

Working from home means either no office or at the very least, a lot less office space. If you don’t want to make the switch to a completely remote environment, try staggering your employees’ work-from-home days to save on office space.

6. You won’t have to pay for office supplies.

No one likes doing bulk orders for office supplies. By having employees work from home, you can cut out a lot of these useless expenditures.

7. You won’t have to pay for office snacks.

Same goes for office snacks as office supplies. IBM has saved about $100 million annually since beginning its remote-work program.

8. No more wasting time on useless meetings.

Remember the productivity thing? Well, a lot of that comes from cutting all the useless meetings and other time wasters that are ubiquitous in an office environment.

9. You can hire the best, no matter where they are.

No office means the ability to work with anyone in the world. Freelance networks like Toptal (with its notoriously tough location-independent screening process) have capitalized on this concept by connecting top companies with the very best software developers from all around the world.

10. Your employees will be less likely to quit.

Working from home makes employees happier. Happy employees don’t quit. Simple logic.