Residents and staff celebrated National Care Home Open Day in style with a makeover and photoshoot.

Badby Park marked the ‘Friendship’ themed annual UK-wide event by using the photos to create a friendship wall.

The wall included quotes from residents, families and staff, sharing memories of friendship and messages of appreciation to each other.

Many of the residents at the Daventry care home live with complex health conditions so the opportunity to share a moment that demonstrates friendship between loved ones was a special event.

This was the fifth annual Care Home Open Day.

Jane Seymour, a care assistant at Badby Park, was the inspiration behind the event and combined her own skills of makeup artistry and photography to create the photo wall.

She said: “I wanted to create a beautiful photo board to celebrate our friendships and working relationships across the whole service.

“Care Home Open Day is about being just that - open.

“I wanted to capture all of us being open and talking about what our friends and loved ones mean to us, while looking our best.”

Helen Hartshom, a family member said: “It’s fantastic to be portraying the home in this way, it shows that we are humans with big hearts, that have fun and bring a positive atmosphere to the residents’ home.”

Police were called last night to the DIRFT site off junction 18 of the M1, where members of the public and people at the nearby Ibis hotel had spotted cars assembling on the northbound A5.

A total of 20 police officers attended and quickly closed off the roads around the cars thereby boxing them in, before taking down vehicle details.

There were so many cars - 118 in total - that the process took until 3.15am to complete.

A police spokesman said: "We were informed a street race was about to happen but our intervention stopped it from going ahead."

Police said they made no arrests as part of the operation and there were no injuries.

It was a busy weekend in Crick as the crowds poured in for the village's scarecrow and musical festival.

The two-day event in Crick saw dozens of scarecrows created by villagers and put on display – from models of well-known film, comic and TV characters, as well as more traditional characters. Along with the straw-stuffed characters there was also live music, demonstrations from martial arts groups, performances from local dance schools, along with mock battles from Viking re-enactors. Tea and homemade cakes were sold to raise money for the air ambulance. In the run-up to the event, a workshop was held to help people create their scarecrows. The winner of the scarecrow competition and the raffle are both set to be announced on Sunday. The organisers thanked the many volunteers which helped stage the event.

The number of people living in Northamptonshire currently known to be alive thanks to organ transplants has reached 548.

This figure is revealed by NHS Blood and Transplant, whose annual Transplant Activity Report, published today, shows the UK-wide number of people alive thanks to transplants has reached the milestone figure of 50,000.

NHS Blood and Transplant is now urging people in Northamptonshire to help even more people to survive by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register.

More people are alive thanks to transplants because of improving survival rates and increased public commitment to donation. In Northamptonshire, the number of people on the Organ Donor Register has increased by 29% over the past five years. There are now 285,748 people on the register in Northamptonshire, compared to 220,901 five years ago.

Anyone can sign up as a donor on the NHS Organ Donor Register. How old you are or any existing medical conditions shouldn’t stop you from signing up. You could save or transform up to nine people’s lives by donating your organs when you die and help even more by donating tissue.

The public support for donation also means more people in Northamptonshire are receiving lifesaving and life-enhancing transplants. Last year 46 people in Northamptonshire had transplants, compared to 38 five years ago.

Despite the record-breaking public commitment to donation, there is still a shortage of organ donors. Nationally, three people still die a day in need of a transplant. There are still around 6,400 people currently waiting for a transplant. This is a particular need for people to register from black and Asian backgrounds. People from the same ethnic background are more likely to be a match but there are not enough black and Asian donors.

Sally Johnson, director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “More people than ever in Northamptonshire are committing to organ donation and that is saving more lives than ever. It’s amazing to picture all the people now alive today thanks to organ donation and think of all the families and children who have grown up thanks to donors.

“We’re seeing more and more people committing to donation and the good results of our close work with hospitals. Our specialist nurses in organ donation are now almost always involved in discussions with families over organ donation.

“However there is still a long way to go. Around three people still die a day in need of a transplant. Every one of those people who died could be a mother or a father, a daughter or a son, who might be alive today.

“Families tell us donation is a source of pride that helps them in their grieving process. We don’t want anyone in Northamptonshire to miss the opportunity to save lives through organ donation. Please join the NHS Organ Donor Register. It only takes two minutes.”

You can join the NHS Organ Donor Register at www.organdonation.nhs.uk

A year of fundraising activities by the former chairman of Daventry District Council has raised more than £3,000 for a farming charity.

Councillor Alan Chantler presented a cheque to the Farming Community Network after raising the money during his role as chairman of the council during 2016-17.

The money was raised through donations and various events during Councillor Chantler’s year in office, including bake sales and a concert.

Farming Community Network has more than 400 trained volunteers from within the farming and rural communities, running a national helpline operating every day of the year between 7am and 11pm as well as organising an email helpline service and undertaking visits to those in need of support. Around 6,000 people receive help from the charity each year.

Councillor Chantler, who has been actively involved in Farming Community Network for many years, presented a cheque for £3,151.45 to the charity’s fundraising & supporter relationship manager Vicki Beers.

Vicki said: “Farming Community Network relies solely on donations and grants in order to continue providing vital support to the farming community.

"The helpline alone costs approximately £20 an hour to run. The money raised by Alan will go a long way to ensuring that farmers and farming families continue to get access to practical and pastoral support from our volunteers across the country.

"We are so grateful to Alan for his support, both as a volunteer and as a fundraiser.”

Councillor Chantler said: “Throughout my year as chairman I have been able to spread knowledge and understanding of the severe problems faced by many in the farming community today and of the vital work done by the Farming Community Network.

“As a volunteer with Farming Community NetworkI have direct experience of these problems and have been able to direct people to the necessary help and support which the charity can offer. It is a pleasure to be able to raise some necessary funds to support and enable the important work of Farming Community Network.”

The UK has a reputation (rightly or wrongly) for struggling to learn foreign languages. A recent survey showed, for example, that 62% of the population can’t speak any other language apart from English.

Part of the issue is that language learning in schools faces huge challenges. GCSE uptake remains stuck at around 50% and the number of students taking an A-level in a language has declined by about a third since 1996. And the latest Language Trends Survey, which looks at uptake of language learning across the UK, makes for worrying reading.

Headlines have focused on the north-south divide in the number of learners taking a languages GCSE – with the north generally having lower levels of uptake than the south of the country. But a closer look suggests the situation is more complex – with the problem going well beyond GCSE numbers.

For a start, the survey by the British Council shows there are big differences in the level of access learners have to languages at all stages of education. This can be seen in the fact that primary schools with a higher percentage of learners eligible for free school meals are more likely to allocate less time to language teaching – in many cases under 30 minutes a week. And we know from research we conducted at the University of Reading, the amount of time spent teaching languages at primary level influences learners’ progress when they get to secondary school.

Tongue-tied

The survey also shows that at secondary school, pupils of middle and lower attainment levels are being put off taking a language because of fears they will not get the high grades that matter so much to schools. And again here the link between socioeconomic factors and take-up is clear – the higher the proportion of learners eligible for free school meals, the lower a school’s level of uptake for languages in years nine, ten and eleven.

For some learners, this means they have minimal language learning at primary school, and then very possibly only two years of it at secondary school.

Depressingly, the report summarises the situation as:

Pupils in schools with the highest levels of economic disadvantage are more likely to be withdrawn from lessons in Key Stage 3, more likely to be allowed to drop languages after only two years, less likely to be able to study more than one foreign language, and less likely to take a language to GCSE.

Language gap

In many respects the “divide” between who gets to study a language is less a geographical one, and more about inequalities which stem from broader socioeconomic factors – which happen to coincide by and large with geography.

It is notable that more prosperous areas of the north – such as York – have relatively high numbers of learners taking languages GCSE, while the Isle of Wight – which is in the south but is also less advantaged economically – has one of the lowest.

In this sense, the findings of the Language Trends Survey echo those of previous studies, which show that languages are one of the subjects least likely to be studied by less advantaged pupils.

The most worrying aspect of all this is that the education system seems to be on the brink of engaging in a form of social engineering, by limiting access to the curriculum for certain groups of learners.

Boost to creativity

This is massively shortsighted, because learning another language has so many potential benefits – including improved cognitive functioning, a more tolerant outlook, social and communication skills as well as linguistic abilities that are valued by employers – which can potentially lead to better salary prospects.

But instead of encouragement to study these subjects, large numbers of learners – from some of the least advantaged groups in society – are being excluded from language study. And this narrowing of the curriculum is also being seen with the creative arts, as schools strive towards accountability measures that do not fully value such subjects.

This is why our latest research is looking at how exposing students studying French and German to poetry, drama and creative writing impacts their experience of language learning.

We hope this form of teaching may affect not only how well learners can understand and use languages, but also help students to feel more positive about language learning and their own levels of creativity.

And who knows, by making more visible the extent to which languages can enrich the education of young people, it may just help to halt the decline of language learning across the UK.

This article originally appeared in The Conversation

Starting next season, basic burgers at Franklin's Gardens will be sold for a fiver, down from £6.50, while a pint of Carlsberg or Tetley's will be 30p cheaper and cost £3.90

Ticket prices for every block have also been reduced and a "best price guarantee" has been made so that club tickets will not undercut season tickets.

The Match Day Village has been doubled in size with more food units and a real ale bar, with a permanent big screen for viewing and new turnstiles.

New entry prices for Blocks 15 and 24 have been announced, starting at £10 for juniors, £14 for concessions and £22 for adults.

Saints chairman John White said: “We always look to make our match day experience better for all our supporters.

"Since the end of last season we have reviewed all areas of our operations and have worked extensively with our partners and suppliers – especially Levy Restaurants UK and Carlsberg UK – to make a number of improvements in a variety of areas. Some of these are visible, such as the significant expansion of the Village, while others are behind the scenes, but all will combine to make supporters’ days at Franklin’s Gardens this season as good as they can possibly be.”

A Badby runner will take on an ultramarathon challenge this weekend as part of a continuing fundraising effort for a hospital which cared for a close friend of his for years.

Steve Brooks will run the 100km Race to the Stones Ultramarathon on July 15, the longest race he has undertaken so far, and one of several he has participated in 2017 to help fundraise for Ward 37 Renal at Bristol Children’s Hospital.

“The hospital has cared for family friend Ella Giambrone for a number of years after she was struck down by a rare condition called Nephrotic Syndrome which attacked her kidneys, ultimately leading to failure and living on dialysis until she received a transplant,” said Steve.

“The cause of the illness was a simple strep throat infection which managed to cross over a barrier and triggered the syndrome.

“Bristol Children’s Hospital is one of the countries specialist centres for the condition and this year I’d like to say thank you to them for the continuing support of Ella by fund raising on Ella’s behalf.”

So far this year Steve had taken part in the London Winter Run in February, the Bath Half Marathon a month later, April’s Etape Loch Ness, the Maverick Original Surrey 25km Trail Run, and last month’s L’Etape Wales.

“Last year as soon as I reached my target my head said ‘That’s enough!’ so this year I’ve upped my target,” said Steve.

“So much of running is in your head, that’s why it’s important to run for a cause or someone you love.

“It’s easy to stop when you’re just running for yourself, but much easier to carry on when it’s ultimately for someone else.

“You’ll often hear a little whisper of ‘Come on Dad, give us a tow’ when things are getting tough and it’s just enough to help get to the top of that next hill.”

Steve is a regular volunteer and runner at Daventry Parkrun. He began running four years ago after a recovering from a bout of illness himself and recommends the Parkrun as a good starting point for any new runners.

Steve said: “If anyone is thinking about starting running, then sign up for Parkrun. It’s free and you won’t find a more supportive group of people or a better route.

To support Steve and the Wallace & Gromit Grand Appeal for Bristol Children’s Hospital, visit his Just Giving Page.

Stacey White, of Burnthouse Road, Heanor, appeared at Derbyshire Magistrates Court on 29 June charged with persistently making use of a public communications network to cause annoyance, inconvenience and anxiety.

White had previously been prosecuted in 2014 for misusing the 999 emergency line and physically assaulting one of East Midlands Ambulance Services (EMAS) paramedics, where she was handed a 20-week suspended prison sentence.

Deborah Powell, frequent caller lead for EMAS, explained that White’s actions had cost the service £30,936 in the last financial year, and she has rung 999 1,868 times since she was identified as a frequent caller in 2011.

She said: “By repeatedly making inappropriate calls to the 999 service, Ms White demonstrated flagrant disregard for others experiencing life-threatening emergencies who genuinely need our help.

“Ms White has been known to EMAS as a frequent caller since 2011 and we have worked closely with the services supporting her.

“Despite this, she has continued to inappropriately call 999 and be abusive to our staff so we had no choice but to prosecute her again for misusing the service."

White continued to ring the emergency line 498 times between March 2016 and April 2017 to unleash a tirade of abuse on the call handlers, and has now been sentenced to 26 weeks in prison.

“Our emergency call handlers are there to provide life-saving advice over the phone and do not expect to be abused when they come to work," Deborah Powell added.

“We would urge people again to make the right 999 call and only phone us in a life threatening emergency.

“We will continue to prosecute those who misuse our service to ensure that the support is there for those who need it in a real medical emergency.”

They have also been awarded £4million towards the creation of a new "trust model" to separate children's services from the county council and cut government red tape.

The Minster for Children and Families Robert Goodwill has written to the county council to confirm that "supervision and intervention from the DfE is no longer required".

It comes after Northamptonshire County Council's children's services were rated "inadequate" by Ofsted in 2013. They were reevaluated as "requires improvement" in April 2016.

County council director for children’s services Lesley Hagger said: “I’m delighted that the DfE has recognised our aim to transform the way we provide services for the most vulnerable children and families in Northamptonshire.

“This is a very exciting journey we are embarking upon and the new delivery model we are creating will enable us to bring our services together in locality-based team to give a more holistic view of the child’s needs and therefore reduce re-referrals."

The county council hope that by moving children's services to the new trust and giving it control over its own employee contracts, they will be able to recruit and retain more permanent social workers.

The new organisation will then be commissioned by the county council to deliver services, such as safeguarding, on its behalf, within an agreed cost.

It comes after strain to find more staff led to the announcement of a "golden hello" scheme in May, which would social workers in temporary contracts cash bonuses and extra annual leave to stay with the council.

Lesley Hagger said: "The new organisation will give us the freedom and flexibility to tackle the issue of recruiting and retaining high quality staff with clear workforce development and progression pathways.

“It will also mean fewer handover points, a single front door, a single assessment process, and more simplified and streamlined systems for frontline staff and managers."

Northamptonshire County Council cabinet member for children’s services Cllr Matthew Golby said: “We are delighted that the Department for Education has chosen to award this significant grant to Northamptonshire to help with the introduction of a new innovative delivery model for children’s services.

“Our new children’s trust model will also give us the flexibility to improve working practices and address issue around the recruitment and retention of permanent social work staff to further improve the support we offer to children and young people across Northamptonshire.”

The Daventry Canal Arm project was branded a “ludicrous idea” by one councillor at last week’s Daventry District Council strategy meeting.

Funding for the longstanding project was backed by strategy group members on July 6, which was attended by members of the public who had protested outside the civic buildings, and will now need to be approved at a full council meeting on July 27.

The recommendation made entails spending £8.715m on a canal section measuring 1,230 metres starting on the western side of Northern Way, a mooring basin and a footbridge from the underpass from Southbrook to the northern side of the canal.

Labour Councillor Wendy Randall addressed the strategy meeting and, before calling the Canal Arm a ludicrous idea, expressed her concerns over broken assurances that the project would never be funded by public money.

She said: “Every time we have discussed this it’s always been about investors coming on board. Never have I heard it mentioned about us using any of our budget.

“Our local MP, Chris Heaton-Harris, is president of the Canal Trust. He has always maintained that this canal would never, ever be funded by public money, it would always be from investors.

“They’ve been actively going out, we have as well I assume, to try and find investors for this project and failed. “Why? Why have we got no investors wanting to invest. Maybe because they see that it’s a ludicrous idea.”

Earlier, Conservative Councillor Colin Poole had opened the discussion on the Canal Arm, listing its potential benefits to the town.

Part of the recommendation made by the strategy group includes the intention to secure an inclined plane boat lift, and Cllr Poole cited the 150,000 annual visitors to the Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire, and the 400,000 annual vistors to the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland as good examples of canal engineering which have boosted local economies.

Also referenced was the Crick Boatshow attracting 27,500 people.

Cllr Poole said: “I have every confidence that it will do what it says on the tin. It will bring in many hundreds of people, thousands of people, to this area and be the catalyst for the tourist industry to focus on Daventry, to fill our shops, restaurants, cafes, that will be part of the waterspace.”

He added: “The tourist visitor economy is worth billions, absolutely billions and I want it for Daventry so we are able to regenerate areas like Southbrook and parts of The Grange.

“We need money in this town, we can’t supply it all from the district council and a way forward is to bring the money into the town.”

Regarding the lack of investment in the project Cllr Poole put it to the meeting that the recommendation would help secure any future funds as it would mean the project would be certain to start.

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has hit out at the owners of Silverstone after they threatened to quit hosting the British Grand Prix from 2020.

On Tuesday, circuit bosses the British Racing Driver's Club (BRDC) publicly triggered their break clause, announcing losses of more than £7 million over the last two years.

The announcement coincided with an announcement from the sport that F1 would be driving around the streets of London as a means of promoting the British Grand Prix this weekend.

Horner, who has seen his team win the British Grand Prix three times, believes Silverstone 'got their maths wrong' when agreeing the deal to host the race.

''I am amazed that they have triggered their break clause,'' Horner said. ''Silverstone signed a contract in 2010, and they knew what they were entering into at the time.

''They have now realised that they can't afford it despite having a full house every year. They either should not have signed it in the first place or they got their maths wrong.

''Silverstone gets favourable rates anyway. It is hard to imagine they lose money putting 120,000 people in there, plus all the corporate tickets they sell during the course of a grand prix weekend.

"For me, I would question how it has been managed and the negotiations they had in the first place.''

Horner also highlighted a lot of wasted money spend at Silverstone since 2010 when the previous contract with F1 management was signed, including the new pit complex.

He added: ''From a team's perspective, we can't see any changes. They spent a fortune on the pits and they put them in the wrong place.

''They have created a paddock with zero atmosphere at one of the most historic race tracks in the UK, so there has been some serious misjudgement and mismanagement."

Police are urging drivers who continue to use their phones at the wheel to watch this devastating crash footage.

Warning: The video shows distressing video crash footage

The video shows 30-year-old Tomasz Kroker from Andover, Hampshire, smashing into a row of parked cars while scrolling through his phone on the motorway.

Tracy Houghton, 45, was killed in the crash along with her sons Ethan, 13, and Joshua, 11, and her partner’s daughter Aimee Goldsmith, 11. Kroker had been changing the music on his phone when he ploughed into the car with a court hearing back in October that he had barely looked at the road for almost a kilometre.

Police released the distressing footage after the crash in a bid to stop drivers using their phones at the wheel. They said they had worked with the family to produce the video clip to “highlight the potentially catastrophic consequences of using a mobile phone whilst driving.”

A campaign asking motorists “where do you keep yours?” is running alongside an enforcement campaign which started on Monday, July 10, targeting those committing mobile phone related driving offences.

In October 2016, Kroker was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment at Reading Crown Court for each count of death by dangerous driving and four years’ imprisonment for causing serious injury by dangerous driving. All of the sentences will run concurrently. He was also disqualified from driving for seven years.

The Welton Soapbox Derby makes its return this weekend for its fourth consecutive edition.

The starting grid will see 47 teams and 70 drivers line up in their homemade cars before winding down through the village’s 600m circuit powered only by a push start and gravity.

Previous entries have included a fire engine, a helicopter, a narrowboat and even a living room.

Race organiser Chris Barlow said: “The core objective is based around bringing families and friends together for something very different.

“It’s part of the community spirit, not only on race day but also when building the cars in the months leading up to the race.”

The event will be raising money for the Pete Spencer’s Helping Hands Memorial Fund and the Northampton ward of Macmillan Cancer Research.

Riders will line up on the starting grid outside the White Horse pub where they will get a push start for the length of the pub, before gravity takes over.

The track then winds down through the village, past the church with a right-hand bend, and then onto a 120ft drop off where speeds could reach 32mph.

As they come hurtling down the drop at high speed the cars will have to negotiate a 90 degree left-hander, before crossing the finish line outside The Paddock.

Winners in three age categories will be crowned during the podium ceremony, while the most creative entrants will also win a prize, as will the fastest rider through the speed trap.

Street entertainment will start at 11.30am on Saturday, July 15, with racing set to get underway at midday.

There will be a shopping area on the park, food and beverage outlets, and live bands into the night at the White Horse pub.

Thirty stalls will make up this year’s shopping village and there will be 12 different caterers.

For more details email Welton_soapbox@outlook.com, and to follow the build up you can follow the Welton Soapbox Derby on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

More than 40 members from Daventry Cycle Club will be using pedal power to raise money for a variety of local and national charities as they cycle close to 300 miles from Daventry to Paris over the course of three days.

The club will set off on July 20 and hopes to raise over £2,000 for various charities.

The same event ran in 2015 with 25 participants, and club chairman Neal Malone said it was great to see the popularity of road cycling growing in Daventry.

“We have been overwhelmed by the amount of people wanting to take part in this year’s event,” said Neal, who organised the ride.

“This year nearly half of those taking part are ladies and I'm sure this is in part thanks to women’s cycling getting more coverage and recognition, which is well deserved.

“Many of the participants are quite new to cycling, especially over such long distances. It will be a tough challenge but everyone is determined to make it to Paris and raise funds for some amazing charities.”

The main charitywhich the Daventry Cycle Club will fundraise for is Cancer Research UK, with other riders supporting causes of their choice.

The group, whose members have been training for the event since October last year, will leave Daventry Market Square and make its way to Shirrell Heath on the South Downs.

From there the riders will head to Portsmouth to take the ferry to Le Havre, then cycle to Pont-Audemer.

On Saturday they will ride to Paris, finishing on the Place de la Concorde after riding along the Champs-Élysées.

Their arrival in the French capital will coincide with the final stage of the Tour de France, which they will watch from the roadside on the Sunday.

Cyclist Vicky McDermott said: “I'm really excited to be taking part in the Daventry to Paris ride.

“Up until six months ago I had very little experience of riding a bike, now you can't get me off it.

“Daventry Cycle Club has massively helped me develop and gain confidence through their beginner and improver sessions.

“I now can't wait to get to Paris and cycle down the Champs-Élysées”

Daventry Cycling Club was set up in 2002 and caters for road cyclists of all ages, sexes and abilities.

The club runs regular beginner and improver rides, ladies only rides and social club runs. Find out more on their website.

Last week we launched the Pride in Northamptonshire 2017 Awards to find and recognise our county’s inspiring people and community stalwarts.

The awards are being run alongside our sister papers, the Northampton Chronicle and Echo and the Daventry Express.

This week, our partner and sponsor of the Inspire a Generation category, Wilson Browne Solicitors, said it was delighted to be backing the awards.

A spokesman for the firm said: “Wilson Browne Solicitors is a firm that is proud to have its roots very firmly in the communities in which it operates.

“Over many years, we’ve grown our reputation as a law firm you can trust, through straightforward, jargon-free support, and our ability to successfully get things done.

“Not only were we Northamptonshire Law Society Large Law Firm Of The Year 2015 but we have the Northamptonshire Law Society Solicitor Of The Year, and we can trace our history back nearly 200 years.

“We cover all areas of private client and commercial law having offices in Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, operating from Northampton, Kettering, Corby, Higham Ferrers, Wellingborough and Leicester.

“Our services for individuals and businesses are extensive, including wills, trusts, estates and probate; care home fees; personal injury; clinical or medical negligence; conveyancing; private landlord services; family law including divorce and mediation and childcare law. For businesses we provide advice on disputes (litigation); debt recovery; employment law; corporate and commercial law; insolvency; commercial property; professional negligence (suing a professional); and insolvency.

“We are committed to supporting the communities in which we operate and give financial support and pro bono advice (free advice to worthy causes) to many organisations such as sports and recreation clubs, schools and charities, and contribute to a variety of charities such as the Air Ambulance, Cransley Hospice, Jeans for Genes, Wear It Pink, Crazy Hats, Movember and many, many more.

“We are delighted to support this event for another year and wish all of the entrants the very best of luck.”

For details, and to nominate someone, visit prideinnorthants.weebly.com.

Tesco has recalled two chicken salads because it contains the food bug Campylobacter.

The supermarket giant was told by its supplier that the bacteria, which is the the most common cause of food poisoning, had been found in its 160g Chicken Salad and 315g Chicken, Broccoli, Almond & Cashew Nut Salad tubs.

The bacteria are usually found on raw or undercooked meat particularly poultry, unpasteurised milk and untreated water.

It causes 280,000 cases of food poisoning each year and four out of five come from contaminated poultry.

Symptoms include diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, stomach cramps, and fever.

The incubation period between eating contaminated food and the start of symptoms for food poisoning caused by campylobacter is usually between two and five days with symptoms usually lasting less than a week.

The 160g tub costs £2.10 and contains mix of salad leaves, roast chicken pieces, beetroot and carrot with a pot of crème fraîche and chives dressing.

The 315g tub costs £3.50 and conatisn Roast chicken pieces, cooked brown rice and quinoa, broccoli stalks, egg, red & yellow peppers, a mix of salad leaves, cashew nuts and almonds with a pot of vinaigrette dressing.

Both products use chicken from Thailand and have use by dates of 12/07/2017 and 13/07/2017.

No other Tesco products are known to be affected, the Food Standards Agency said.

It urged consumers not to eat the salads but return them for a full refund.

Tesco said: “We have been made aware by our supplier that they have detected Campylobacter in a small number of products.

“Tesco is recalling the affected products from customers as a precaution.

“Please return the affected products to store where a full refund will be given. No receipt is required.

“Tesco apologises to our customers for any inconvenience caused.”

The Food Standards Agency added: “Tesco is recalling two chicken salad products because Campylobacter has been found in the products.

“The presence of Campylobacter in the products. The usual symptoms caused by Campylobacter are fever, diarrhoea and abdominal cramps.

“If you have bought any of the above products do not eat them. Instead, return it to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.”

185 Watling Street Pub & Kitchen, in Towcester, has passed through two preliminary rounds of judging and will now battle it out against five other contenders from around the UK for the Best Managed Pub award.

For the final round, the pub will now be probed by judges to see the business in action and sample the kitchen's menu.

Hannah Strudwick,185’s general manager, said: “We are so excited to have made it to the national final of these prestigious awards and are really proud of the great pub we have created for the people of Towcester and Northamptonshire.

"We are so grateful to local people for the support they continue to give us. We offer our customers a fantastic home from home environment, excellent food and drink and a warm welcome and are delighted that we have also impressed the award’s judges with what we do.”

Judges were impressed by the pub's afternoon tea menu and Wednesday steak nights.

The pub has only been open 20 months and is owned by Unique Hospitality Management.

The winners of the Great British Pub Awards 2017 will be announced at a ceremony on September 7 at London's Hilton Hotel.

Six convicted Northamptonshire sex offenders have successfully appealed to have their name taken off the sex offenders register.

That’s according to information released after a Freedom of Information request to Northamptonshire Police made by this newspaper.

Since May 2012, 17 offenders who are currently on the sex offenders register have requested that they are taken off.

Seven of those cases are still under review, but six of the other 10 requests have been approved by police.

Northamptonshire Police’s public protection officer Det Chief Insp Richard Tompkins said: “Keeping people safe is our main priority and that includes the significant work we do to monitor registered sex offenders living in Northamptonshire.

“In 2012, an amendment to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 was introduced, giving convicted perpetrators the right to apply to their local police force to be removed from the sex offenders register no earlier than 15 years after being placed on it.

“However, the decision to ratify a person being removed from the register is a carefully considered one, taken by a senior police officer in conjunction with the offender management unit, and based on all information available when the request is made.

“Information about the nature of the offence, the applicant’s behaviour since conviction and compliance with the terms of the register are all taken into account when reaching a decision.”

Five of those were originally convicted of offences against adult females, with one convicted of indecent assault against a 15-year-old girl in 1995.

As people can only be taken off the register after 15 years, it means those who would have applied would have been sentenced to an indefinite time on the register.

Sentencing guidelines say anyone who was made to sign the register indefinitely would have been sentenced to at least 30 months in prison for their offences.

Mr Tompkins added that they will continue to focus on those who pose the biggest risk to the public.

He said: “In the past five years six people have been removed from the sex offenders register having submitted an application, which is a relatively low number of individuals.

“We will continue to focus our resources on the individuals who present the greatest risk of harm to the public in order to keep people safe.”

When sex offenders are made to join the register, they have to provide information such as their address, bank account details, whether they live with a child and passport details.

They must re-register every year and inform police of any travel plans, limiting their freedom and allowing police to track them upon release.

Details of an offender who is on the register could also be disclosed to others if it was deemed that there was a risk of sexual harm.

A spokesman for sexual violence charity Rape Crisis said the removal of people from the register underestimates the severity of the impact on victims.

The spokesman said: “In most cases involving adult perpetrators of sexual violence, it would certainly seem inappropriate to remove them from the sex offenders register.

“Not only does it seem to underestimate the seriousness of sexual offences and the severity of their impacts on victims, it also raises potential public safety concerns.”

Police have warned they are operating a "zero tolerance" policy on illegal road race events in Northamptonshire after a recent clampdown resulted in 127 drivers being stopped.

Following intelligence work, Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team prevented an illegal race on the A5 near the DIRFT rail terminal in Crick, close to junction 18 of the M1, on the evening of Sunday, July 9.

Meets at the site have previously caused problems and, following an increase in activity over the past six months, officers are warning drivers and spectators that illegal race activity will not be tolerated.

PC David Lee, of the Safer Roads Team, said: “When we talk to people at these meets they say they’ve just come to watch, but if people come to watch there will be people who are happy to race. Without spectators there’s not so much of an event. While people feel they aren’t doing anything wrong by being there, it is encouraging that behaviour to happen.

“Many of the people we spoke to had travelled from across the UK to attend. We want to send out a strong message that travelling here with the hope of seeing or taking part in illegal racing or drifting will be a wasted trip as we will shut down any attempt at holding such activities on public roads.”

He added: “When these illegal races happen there are collisions that involve members of the public, and this sort of behaviour is simply not acceptable on public roads. If you want to race, go to a proper racetrack and do so in safe and controlled conditions.”

To deal with Sunday’s illegal meet at DIRFT, officers reactivated Operation Larder, originally launched in January 2015 to address the problem of such pop-up events.

A total of 127 drivers were stopped and spoken to at the scene about topics including number plate offences, defective tyres and MOT expiry. Processing all the vehicles took 20 officers and special constables more than four hours.

During the operation four vehicles were seized, two for having no insurance and two for not being taxed. Following roadside tests, 16 drivers chose to remove window tints rather than risk a roadworthiness prohibition notice.

Since the event, the team has been writing to insurers to inform them of the work of Operation Larder and provide them with details of modifications to policy holders’ vehicles to confirm that all have been declared.

PC Lee said: “This is an excellent method to further enhance our strong approach to this issue, and supports our zero tolerance on car enthusiasts coming to Northamptonshire’s roads to race around.”