The perfect job is a four-day, 24 hour week with a salary of £61,000-a-year, free fruit and a boss who likes a pint, it has emerged.

Regular reviews and pay rises, being allowed to work in jeans, flexible working hours and a pension are other key requirements for the ideal role.

The report also revealed the dream job would be a 12 minute walk from home, provide a pleasant view from the office window and offer 32 days holiday-a-year.

Benefits such as discounts at local gyms or sports clubs were also a must in the survey of 2,000 adults in employment.

A good work-life balance is THE most important factor for the perfect job, and half of those polled wish for a boss who understands that family comes first.

Having the option to work from home is crucial for many workers, who need the flexibility to be able to look after sick children, or move hours around to suit school events.

Mark Rhodes, Marketing Director for reed.co.uk, said: “Work-life balance means something different to each of us.

“For some it may be combining hard work and dedication to the job with the pursuit of personal interests and hobbies outside of work, whilst for others it might be the fulfilment of childcare and family responsibilities.

“For dual-income couples who both work full-time, it is little surprise that flexibility and an understanding employer rank so highly.

“But our research shows that work-life balance is also an important factor for millennials.

“They’ve grown up with technology that gives them access to information and allows them to be productive anywhere, and it’s shaped their view of work. “

For those who are happy to travel to work, a designated parking space and the ability to leave work on time everyday are a must.

In addition, the perfect job would provide free tea and coffee all day, as well as fresh fruit and a fully equipped kitchen.

Other perks would be a quiet workspace to allow maximum concentration, access to a fantastic stationery cupboard, as well as a company car which is replaced every three years.

Workers are also agreed their ideal career would allow them to have two computer screens on the desk, be the boss of their own workload and have a real opinion that counts in the office.

The average respondent would also ideally manage four members of staff, and work in a team of seven.

Six in 10 people would like to work in a job where they had the option to travel, and the average worker is happy to go on three business lunch a month.

Unfortunately, researchers at OnePoll.com found only 21 per cent of those polled are already working in their perfect job - and 54 per cent believe there is no such thing.

The average person is happy in their work for just 57 per cent of the time, and 58 per cent claim things would be greatly improved if their employer was willing to make a few easy changes.

Four in 10 people simply want recognition of how hard they work, while the same percent would like shorter hours and flexible working hours.

A third of those polled say their existing job would be much better if they had more support in their role, while 13 per cent would be happier with a more varied work load.

Less pressure to get so much done, team building sessions and more perks would also contribute to people feeling more satisfied in their current role.

And for those 19 per cent of people in employment who are on the hunt for the perfect job, 49 per cent are looking for a company with good ethics, while 31 per cent want to work somewhere which provides good customer service.

Mark Rhodes, for reed.co.uk, added: “The research indicates that most of us have fairly modest expectations when it comes to finding our perfect role.

“For most people a dream job needn’t mean being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds for working just a few hours a week.

“Whilst it might not be realistic to offer full-time staff a four day week and a private office with a view, there are lots of things employers can offer to help keep their teams happy, engaged and productive.

“Reviewing the dress code and offering simple perks, like free tea and coffee and daily fruit, don’t cost the earth, but they do help staff feel valued and can make a business a more attractive proposition for prospective employees.”

TOP 30 DESIRABLE PERKS OF THE PERFECT JOB

1. A good work-life balance

2. Excellent pension

3. Flexible working hours

4. A boss who understands family comes first

5. Being able to work from home if you need to

6. Bonus scheme

7. Private healthcare for you and the family

8. You’re able to leave work on time everyday

9. Free tea and coffee

10. Your own office

11. A nice view from the window

12. A designated parking space

13. A quiet workspace, so you can concentrate

14. The ability to have an opinion / say

15. A boss who is a family man / woman themselves

16. A chair which is measured to you, so that you are always comfortable

17. Being allowed to work in jeans

18. You can be your own boss

19. Gym membership

20. Free fruit provision

21. A company car

22. Fully equipped kitchen

23. Being treated to lunch at posh venues regularly

24. You are treated to the latest gadgets such as phones, laptops

25. A boss that enjoys a pint

26. Discounts to local leisure facilities

27. Access to a fantastic stationery cupboard

28. Two computer screens on the desk

29. Regular reviews / appraisals

30. Shower facilities

Northamptonshire County Council will no longer be sending out reminder notices to blue badge holders instructing them to renew their existing badges in a bid to save the authority £17,000.

The move is part of cost saving measures as the council continues to meet its ongoing financial challenges.

As before, responsibility for the renewal was with the badge holder, with the expiry date for each badge clearly written on the badge itself.

Councillor Ian Morris, the county council cabinet member for transport, highways and environment, said: “The ongoing financial challenges that the county council faces means that we are constantly looking at new ways in which we can save money.

“The expiry date on the blue badges is very clear and so it would be very obvious when a renewal date was approaching.

“There is a significant cost to posting reminders to so many people and in these difficult financial times it makes sense.”

Customers are advised to start the application process for a new badge about eight weeks before the expiry date, Northamptonshire County Council says.

The Blue Badge costs £10 and usually lasts for three years.

The Blue Badge Scheme, which enables people with severe mobility problems to park closer to where they need to go, is run nationally with Northamptonshire County Council administering the initiative locally.

With more than 30,000 blue badge holders in the county, not issuing renewal letters would save the authority about £17,000 on postage costs alone over a three-year-period.

Information on how to apply can be found on the county council’s website, www.northamptonshire.gov.uk or in county libraries.

The race is on to find the winner of the Skip Of Gold competition.

Nominations for the worthy causes have been received and now it’s time for you to vote for the club or group you think best deserves the £1,000 prize put up by competition sponsors Mick George Limited.

The nominations were received from a wide variety of local sports teams and community initiatives, including football teams, schools, playgroups, scout groups and community organisations.

The voting lines are open now and will not be closing until Thursday September 3.

Voting lines are open 27th July 2017 and close 30th August 2017.

The organisation that receives the most votes from each category will be awarded the Prize Fund, with the Winner announced September 7th 2017.

Visit www.mickgeorge.co.uk/nptongoldvote to vote for your winner from the following shortlist:

1. Bozeat Community Hall Trust

2. Jen’s Hedgehog Rescue Corby

3. Rothersthorpe Community Space Project

4. Nene Valley Community Action

5. Great Doddington Village Pre-School

6. Rugby and Northampton Athletics Foundation

7. Cold Ashby Playing Fields Association

8. Weedon Football Club

9. AFC Hackleton

10. Pitsford Village Hall

11. Northampton Saints Sports Club

12. Treads Cycle Club - Northampton

13. Northants Association for the Blind - Rushden Branch

14. Kettering FC

15. 7th Northampton Boys’ Brigade

16. Duston and Upton Team Parish

17. Corby kingswood juniors FC

18. Ashby Athletic Football Club

19. Santos Panthers Football Club

20. The Daisy Chain Club - Northampton

21. Northampton ON Chenecks FC

22. Northants Knights American Football Club

23. Aspire FC

24. Hackleton School Association

25. Corby Nightlight

26. Brook farm animal sanctuary

27. Lings Disabilities Gymnastics Club

28. Cogenhoe Panthers FC

29. Jumpz Gymnastics

30. Corby Hellenic Fisher YFC

31. 2nd Deanshanger Scout Group

32. AFC Rushden and Diamonds Community Benefit Society

33. Northampton Mens Own RFC

34. Helmdon Sports Club

35. Northampton Whyte Melville Bowling Club

36. 17th Kettering Scout Group

37. Ringstead Heritage Group

Freedom of Information requests by Johnston Press Investigations and the Chronicle and Echo have revealed that officers in the county have investigated 720 cyber, or what are termed ‘cyber enabled’, crimes over the past three years.

The number subject to a police probe has risen steadily from 92 in 2014/15 to 365 in 2016/17.

Of the 720 investigated, 96 remained unsolved after a police probe and in 177 cases no suspect was identified. In four cases cautions had to be handed out to youths under that age of 18.

Yet the force is spending £755,049, just 0.6 per cent, of its overall budget on tackling cyber crime each year.

A former intelligence officer at GCHQ, which leads Britain’s cyber defence capabilities, told JP Investigations that the UK and other developed countries are “on the losing end of an arms race” in which organised crime groups and hostile states are deploying powerful online tools to net million of pounds a day and disrupt daily life with attacks such as the ransomware assault which earlier this year disrupted the NHS.

Our figures show that over the past three years in Northamptonshire there were 68 cases where cyber technologies enabled blackmail, six cases where it facilitated child prostitution or pornography and one case of slavery.

Police investigated 87 occasions where new technologies helped play a part in sexual activity with a child under 16 - and 50 occasions involving a child under 13.

Most of the crimes, 218 in fact, related to obscene publications that were either offensive to a person or explicit in some way.

But the list shows technology even played the part in six instances of rape.

The findings follow warnings made only last month by Britain’s public spending watchdog that online fraud has been “overlooked by government, law enforcement and industry”.

The National Audit Office found that only one in every 150 police officers in England and Wales specialises in fraud despite the fact it is now the most prevalent crime in Britain, with the vast majority of those offences committed online.

Former Northampton South MP Brian Binley was on a select committee looking at the growing nature of cyber crime in 2001 and believes forces up and down the land are facing a huge challenge.

In 2009 he was hit by cyber criminals himself when a hacker managed to take £1,000 from his account ‘without any checks whatsoever’ and was later the subject of an attempted attack, when fraudsters tried to move £9,000 from one of his savings accounts.

“It makes you so angry,” he said.

“I have never had house broken into but I imagine it is the same feeling.

“It is a violation of a part of you. It is a personal invasion.”

Northampton is no stranger to major cyber crime.

A Northampton student was jailed for 18 months for launching a series of cyber attacks that cost the website PayPal £3.5 million.

Christopher Weatherhead, carried out the attacks as part of hacking group Anonymous, which also targeted other sites including MasterCard, Visa and Ministry of Sound. The

Government itself has acknowledged that some police forces are doing too little to tackle cyber crime, with one minister citing the Game of Thrones TV series by warning “winter is coming” concerning online crime and fraud.

Security minister Ben Wallace called on victims of cyber crime to report offences but revealed seven police forces have no dedicated fraud or cyber crime unit.

Mr Wallace said: “This thing is only going to go one way, it is growing and the barriers to entry for cyber fraud are lowering on an almost daily basis.”

Data obtained by the investigation unit suggests that the true scale of the suffering is vastly under-reported.

While the police forces which responded to FOI requests said they had received just under 40,000 reports of cyber crime in the last financial year, the Office of National Statistics estimates there were 1.9 million victims of computer misuse offences in England and Wales in the past year.

This suggests that as little as two per cent of online crimes are being reported, with victims often too embarrassed or worried about reputational damage to come forward, or even unaware that they have been targeted.

Based on responses from 30 out of 45 police forces across the UK, the number of cyber crimes rose from 21,307 in 2015/16 to 39,339 in 2016/17, an increase of 86 per cent.

Yet the average spend on cyber crime across nine forces which provided figures on their budget was just one per cent.

Despite it spending just 0.06 per cent of its budget on tackling cyber crime, Northamptonshire Police says its dedicated cyber crime unit has been the subject of significant investment.

Detective Inspector Hayley Costar of the force cyber crime unit, said: “Alongside colleagues across the UK, we recognise that tackling cyber crime is an area of huge growth for policing, which is why it is identified within the police and crime plan as an area for us to focus on.

“Not only do we have a cyber crime team investigating crime committed online, we have a separate Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) as well as officers in every department investigating crimes which have an online element, including CID and response officers.”

Director of technology and digital transformation at the force Simon Clifford added: “We fully recognise the growth and complexity of this emerging type of threat. Not only have we provided additional funding to Northamptonshire Police to increase its capacity[...]but we in Northamptonshire are working at the forefront of a number of national technology programmes[...] to develop powerful cyber investigative and preventative tools.”

The NatWest building on Daventry High Street will have its signage, night safe, ATMs and internal items removed as the property is readied for sale.

The Grade II listed building will house the retail bank up until its closure in September this year.

The scope of the removal work will be minimal and is principally to facilitate the sale of the property.

No harm or loss to the original building will be caused by the removals and any areas of down takings will be made good to ensure that the original fabric is in no way diminished.

The appearance of the building will not be affected and, where items are removed, work to reinstate stonework and brickwork will be carried out to match the existing.

Among the items to be removed are safe and cash storage items, existing chairs, desks, bookcases, PCs, counters and cabinets.

No original items inside will be affected.

Once the cash machines are removed they will be replaced by glass units.

Daventry District Council’s Canal Arm has split opinion since a strategy group approved a recommendation for funding of the first phase of the longstanding project.

An advisory parish poll years ago saw people vote against the proposal, protests were held outside the civic buildings ahead of the strategy meeting and will resume at tonight’s full council meeting.

Even satirical fortnightly magazine Private Eye reported on the funding in their pages with a level of disbelief and hilarity.

Voices in support of the ambitious project have been hard to find in the online domain, which has predominantly been the opinion board for those unwilling to see public money spent on a canal they do not want to see.

Topics of complaints have been varied. Some have said reinstating an outdoor pool would be a better use of funds, others have predicted the project will remain incomplete leaving behind either stagnant water or a ditch.

The leading grievance, however, has simply been an outright objection to the Canal Arm as a whole, echoing the parish poll.

Tonight’s full meeting of district council members will feature a vote on whether to accept the strategy group’s funding recommendation.

A motion put forward by Labour councillors Wendy Randall and Ken Ritchie on the ‘Vision for Daventry’ will be debated beforehand, which will question whether external funding will be secured, and suggests intensive discussions with residents should be held.

Cllr Randall branded the Canal Arm a “ludicrous idea” during the strategy group meeting and town councillor Aiden Ramsey, Daventry’s Labour’s candidate in June’s General Election, considers the project a gamble.

He said: “In the past it was always maintained that it would never be public money that would be spent, and now the current plans to build this section with nearly £9m of local taxpayers money out of the reserves, for no guarantee that any further funding is going to come, just seems such a ridiculous gamble.”

Daventry Town Council has written to district council chief executive Ian Vincent asking for an independent cost/benefit and risk analysis report, given the amount of public funds which could be spent.

DDC is likely to respond by saying the money will be reimbursed via the Community Infrastructure Levy, but Mr Ramsey was nonetheless suspicious of the lack of investment.

“It’s been 12 years and they haven’t had any investors come forward so far for any of it, so there’s got to be a reason for that.

“They say they expect funding to be incoming once they build it but that’s not a guarantee that anyone has said that, it’s just what they hope will happen.”

One resident who likes the idea of the canal is Nick Gent, 81, who has lived in the area since 2006 including two years on a narrow boat.

“Daventry is near Braunston which is the centre of the British canal system,” said Mr Gent.

“Once a year they have a meeting of canal boats at Braunston and I’m sure that can be linked to Daventry. They have a lot of boats there and lots of money changes hands.”

Mr Gent believes that the project would bring labour into the town and would eventually make Daventry a centre for boating as there would be space for mooring.

The plans also include the installation of a boat lift which, in Mr Gent’s view, would be an attraction for tourists.

“If it’s going to have a result in the end I think it could be a good investment,” he said.

“I think the town should look on it as an investment rather than a lot of money spent on something they don’t really want.”

Future investment is the driving force behind the creation of the canal.

Labour councillors have called for money to be spent on the redevelopment of Bowen Square, or to be put towards new houses.

But Daventry MP Chris Heaton-Harris says that an initial outlay looks necessary in order for future investments to be secured. In other words, build it and they will come.

However, he remained adamant that, if possible, taxpayers’ money should not be spent.

“I’m in favour of it [the Canal Arm] in principle but I want as little public money spent on it as possible,” he said.

“I want money to come from private sources if it’s to go ahead.”

Mr Heaton-Harris also made clear he had not been invited to a meeting of the Daventry Canal Association for several years, and therefore did not believe he had a role within the group any more.

This was confirmed by Dean Hawkey, chairman of the association, who said Mr Heaton-Harris was nominally the president but no longer gets involved with the group.

Mr Hawkey supports the Canal Arm project. In a letter to this newspaper he addressed the argument that Daventry was not attractive enough to draw in canal boaters.

He said: “If the town centre waterspace is developed to a high standard, then I believe it will be a major success, encouraging further investment in the town by businesses; and the attraction of visitors to our shops, and tourists to our hotels and restaurants.

“To do nothing will condemn Daventry to many more years of stagnation.”

Backing up the build it and they will come theory, his letter also stated: “People have asked, what is the point of building only a section of the canal that doesn’t connect with the Grand Union Canal? The answer is, that virtually all restorations and new builds are done in stages, as funding becomes available.

“Canals are long-term projects. Some have taken years to be built, but see how long they have lasted.

“This requires a large financial outlay initially, but the return over decades – and even centuries – will be enormous, in comparison.”

The man leading the force’s transformation towards tackling digital crime has warned that ‘benign’ searches for ripped-off versions of hit shows using the so-called “dark web” and Tor - a browser that allows people to access encrypted websites not available on Google - are opening young people up to a disturbing criminal underworld.

He said: “Kids will learn that from their peers. What some kids do is they have a laissez’ faire approach to law through watching say TV shows that aren’t available in their country.

“Even though anti-copyright legislation has really tightened up what appears on Google, the TOR browser doesn’t care.

“Even if you just want to watch some benign TV show that isn’t available legally in your jurisdiction, that is just the simple first step.

“That opens up the entire complexity of the dark web to you, which is a real concern.”

Simple searches of Tor reveal why its relatively easy access is worrying forces up and down the country.

A hit man offering services out of Birmingham, an Ebay-styled site allowing bulk purchase of Paypal accounts, a lone-hacker promising ‘ruining’ services, all accessible through a simple search on the Tor browser.

Johnston Press Investigations found hackers as young as 12 are being investigated by police and a recent National Crime Agency (NCA) in a sign that accessing the dark web can become a gateway to crime for impressionable young minds.

In a recent development through, criminal gangs are now actively using the wide spread of hardcore pornography to blackmail users.

“The ads will say things like ‘hey want a live chat?’” said Mr Clifford. “It looks like a video, but what it is doing is depositing some code onto your computer which is taking over your web cam, turning it on and filming you masturbate.

“This is then relayed to the users themselves by saying ‘we know who you are and we will then share it with your friends, with your workplace, unless you pay us £50’.”

But Mr Clifford said the one of the biggest challenges facing police tackling such rackets is under-reporting

“That’s a big area,” he said. “That sort of crime, we just don’t know how big that number is.

“Some people will come forward but they are often ashamed of their actions.

“If you were faced with the option of paying 50 quid or going to tell the police about what has happened to you, many see the ransom as the easier option.”

Andrew Vasper, 52, from Brixworth had to have his leg amputated after a car knocked him off his bike on May 12, 2012.

He was travelling home along the A5199 Northampton Road after visiting his son who lived in Brixworth. As he approached a staggered cross road, a Vauxhall Astra suddenly pulled out from a junction on the right and straight into the side of his motorcycle.

Andrew said: “Thinking back to the accident, I remember approaching the junction with caution as I had an inkling that the driver was going to pull out on me. He didn’t, so I carried on as normal.

"It wasn’t until I was actually level with the car that he did pull out, knocking me straight off my bike. My leg took all the impact and I was thrown up the road and face down into a ditch."

An air ambulance rushed Andrew to the University Hospital Coventry where he underwent emergency surgery to save his leg. He had six operations in total over the nine weeks that he spent in hospital. To repair the significant damage to his foot, muscle was taken from his abdomen and used to completely reconstruct it.

Due to his injuries, he lost so much blood he 'died' twice while in the operating theatre.

Andrew’s recovery was slow and extremely painful and, with the pain so unbearable, he saw little other choice than to have his right leg removed in order to get his life back on track.

Eighteen months after the accident, he was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, where his right leg was amputated below the knee.

To make matters worse, Andrew suffered a significant injury to his left leg in a road traffic accident at the age of 19, which left him with a permanent disability and so he lost his only working leg as a result of this accident.

Andrew said: "I knew that my leg would need to be amputated eventually as it wasn’t getting any better. I spoke to lots of different surgeons to get their advice, and ultimately made the decision to have my leg removed.

"Four years on I do not regret it at all, it’s the best decision I’ve made as it was just hampering my life.”

After just a short period of rehab at the West Midlands Rehabilitation Centre in Birmingham, he was fitted with his first prosthetic limb in January 2014.

Andrew worked closely with serious injury specialists Fletchers Solicitors following the accident who were able to secure an interim payment from Churchill Insurance and Berrymans so he could pay for gastric band surgery and get a more suitable prosthesis while his claim was still ongoing.

In September 2015, Andrew received a settlement of £650,000 to compensate for his life changing injuries.

Andrew said: “Before the surgery, I was unable to move around as freely as I had done before, so I couldn’t exercise and I just piled on the pounds. This made me incredibly depressed and my psychological health took a massive hit.

"But the interim payment and the compensation have been an absolute god send as they really helped in my recovery. I was able to pay for the gastric bypass surgery and a better quality prosthetic, which allowed me to become mobile again and I started to get my life back to normal.

"I was able to do some of the things I enjoyed doing before the accident. I am extremely grateful to Fletchers for the team’s support and guidance. They were amazing throughout the whole process and were always there when I needed them.”

Julia Eyton, a serious injury lawyer at Fletchers Solicitors who worked on the case, said: “Andrew has been through a terrible ordeal and has really battled with his recovery.

"This has been extremely difficult for him and has taken its toll on various aspects of his life, such as his independence.

"Throughout his case, we fought for him to receive the compensation he was entitled to, in order to help aid in his recovery and help him come to terms with what has happened.”

After his case was settled Andrew returned to work at his bespoke radiator designer and distributor business but it took a hit as he was unable to dedicate the time and commitment needed due to his injuries and a short time later Andrew had little choice but to fold the company.

Despite his ordeal, Andrew vowed not to let his injuries hold him back and prevent him from pursuing his love of motorbike riding.

Four years after losing his leg, he is now back riding motorbikes.

Andrew was also extremely keen to repay the air ambulance crew that saved his life. In 2013, he won a Honda motorbike in competition held by Motorcycle News, and auctioned off the prize so that he could donate the funds to the air ambulance.

Since the accident. Andrew has gone on to lose almost 10 stone in weight and also got married in August 2016. He has now purchased a new home for himself and his family and is looking forward to the future.

Andrew added: “I’m over the moon that I’ve been able to get back on a motorbike and reignite my love of riding. Me and my wife both enjoy motorcycling, so it’s great that we’re able to share this hobby together and I’m certainly not letting my injuries hold me back.

"Four years on from the accident and life is finally looking brighter.”

Following the Strategy Group's recommendation on July 6, the proposal had to be approved by the full council on July 27 in order for the project to move forward.

Demonstrators had gathered outside the civic buildings before the start of the meeting just as they had done at the Strategy Group meeting earlier in the month, and the council chamber was full with residents.

While addressing the general public's submitted questions at the start of the meeting, council leader Chris Millar stressed that following the council's vote on the motion no more than £300,000 could be spent before a business plan is drawn up.

Some council members did assert that they would vote down the Canal Arm project should a business plan show it would not be benefit to the town and its residents.

For the moment though they were happy for the project to move forward as it forms part of the long-term vision set out by the council years ago.

The three Labour councillors voted against the recommendation and were particularly upset at chairman David James for not allowing them to respond to Cllr Poole's summary of the recommendation ahead of the vote.

A Daventry Town Council committee has acted on residents' concerns over a lack of parking in the town centre.

Members of the Planning & Development Committee considered comments from residents in which they expressed their concerns and also requested a potential reclassification of unused taxi ranks for public parking.

Following discussions the town council resolved that the clerk write to Northamptonshire Highways for clarification of designated taxi ranks within the town.

The letter will also ask whether the ranks are monitored for regular usage, and requested details about how these could be reclassified.

Allotment holders in the Daventry and Norton area are invited to submit their entries for this year's flower and vegetable show later this summer.

Daventry Allotment and Gardening Association (DAGA) and the town's council and allotment holders will work together to showcase the fruits of their labour on September 3 at Daventry Community Centre.

Entries to the Daventry Flower and Vegetable Show are open to members of DAGA and categories will include fruit, vegetables, flowers, novelty/giggle and a separate children's category.

A new jam and cookery category has also been added for this year's show which will be judged by the president of the Women's Institute.

Judging will be undertaken by a Rural Housing Association appointed judge and prizes will be awarded by the Mayor of Daventry.

A country market, refreshments, homemade cakes, a raffle and a charity auction of homegrown produce will feature alongside the show.

Exhibition staging runs from 9.30am to 11am, and public admission from 1pm to 4pm.

A comprehensive show brochure with all the categories and entry forms can be downloaded via the council's website, or picked up at the town council offices and the DAGA store which is located on the Welton Road allotment site and open on Sundays from 10:00am until 11:30am.

Well the musical inspiration for the classic film - and a band which are so much more than that besides and helped to define post-punk music - the Psychedelic Furs are back in the UK, for a singles tour of venues close to home.

This week I spoke with bass player and founding member Tim Butler to quiz him on punk rock - John Hughes, and get in my sneaky request for the band to play my favourite song Forever Now at their Oxford show! It really was was Some Kind of Wonderful....

The Psychedelic Furs got together after the Butler brothers (Tim and Richard) witnessed the raw punk power and energy of The Sex Pistols at the 100 Club.

In the early 1980s they launched the band by teaming up with Steve Lillywhite to create their eponymous debut album - and then Talk Talk Talk - one of the post-punk movement's defining records.

Tim, speaking from his home in Kentucky said: "Richard and I and my other brother went down to see them and were completely blown away by the attitude and their energy and their spirit.

"My brothers said 'do you want to get a band together?' but I said 'I can't play anything' - they said what would you like to play? Originally it was drums, but I was a poor 17-year-old kid so I opted for bass."

"Our sound is like the Sex Pistols crossed with Roxy Music, it's more thought-out. Punk was great because it gave the music business a kick up the bum - John Lydon said when he broke up the Pistols that people were just copying the Pistols and not doing their own thing and we didn't want to be like that."

"Punk helped bands like us happen - we could say stuff with minimal music- but we were also big fans of things like the Velvet Underground and Roxy Music - and we gave it the energy and power of punk. Punk made it possible in a way that prog really hadn't - people sitting at home thinking 'I don't know how to play anything by Carlos Santana' now felt like it was ok to pick up an instrument."

A surprising and lucky break came for the Furs a few years later - when screenwriter John Hughes based classic teen movie Pretty In Pink on the band's hit of the same name. The song instantly charted again when the movie was released in 1986 - which proved to be both a blessing and a curse for a band with DIY sensibilities.

Tim said: "It was a pleasant surprise when John Hughes approached us about it - Molly Ringwald had liked the original song and asked him to write a movie around the song - the storyline ended up having nothing to do with the original song, but it was a really nice thing.

"Sadly though - a lot of the hardcore early fans stopped liking us and said we had 'sold out'."

Psychedelic Furs are currently touring in the US where a whole legion of new fans are now coming out to see them play - perhaps inspired by Eighties nostalgia, or name-checks from the likes of The Killers who have cited them as an influence.

Early 2000s nu-metal stars Korn even covered Psychedelic Furs' hit Love My Way - bringing their music to a whole new audience entirely - and a different generation of listeners.

Speaking about the upcoming tour - which takes in large and small venues including the 02 Academy in Oxford on September 10, Tim said: "It's been a while since we have played in England and we are running up to releasing a new album so we felt that we'd do a tour with was 'the best of the Furs' to re-introduce people to us.

"At the moment it's all of the singles, and then some of the more popular album tracks like President Gas - but who knows, we are a very fickle band."

"Since we got back together in 2000 we get some of the original fans and they will bring their kids down, and sometimes those kids will have kids too. People aged from 16 to 60 come to see us."

"For fans that have never seen us before - despite some of the biggest hits like Love My Way and The Ghost In You - we are not a namby pamby band - we put on a good rock show."

To find out more about the Psychedelic Furs tour - and to get tickets for a show near you go to http://www.thepsychedelicfurs.com/

The second annual Jo Cox Way bike ride in memory of the Labour MP passed through Daventry District today (Friday) on the third stage of its journey from her West Yorkshire constituency to the Houses of Parliament.

A group of cyclists inspired by Jo’s zest for life and passion for people and communities – regardless of race, creed or religion – will celebrate community spirit and raise money for the Jo Cox Foundation, set up to advance the causes Jo championed.

The initiative is supported by Jo's family and her sister, Kim Leadbeater, will be taking part in some of the ride.

The 30 cyclists, who set off from Princess Mary Stadium, Cleckheaton, in Jo’s Batley and Spen constituency, on Wednesday, July 26, face a gruelling, five-day, 285-mile journey, arriving at Westminster on Sunday (30 July). Other cyclists from across the UK will join them on sections of the route.

Day 3’s 75-mile ride, from Market Bosworth in Leicestershire, to Banbury in Oxfordshire, passes through Yelvertoft, Crick, Ashby St Ledgers, Welton, Daventry, Preston Capes, Canons Ashby, Moreton Pinkney, Weston, Milthorpe, Weedon Lois, Wappenham and Abthorpe. The group's route can be viewed here.

The cycling initiative was devised by Sarfraz Mian, BEM, chief executive officer of equestrian company Neue Schule, based in Stokesley, North Yorkshire. “I didn't know Jo but, like so many others, I was struck by her values and belief that communities are always stronger when people work together,” he said.

“Cyclists on The Jo Cox Way will wear jerseys emblazoned with the statement '#moreincommon', wording taken from Jo's maiden speech in the House of Commons when she said, 'We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.'

"The Jo Cox Way is our tribute to her life, her beliefs and the spirit of community that exists throughout the country in our villages, towns and cities.”

Kim Leadbeater, who will join the cyclists on Days 1 and 5 of the route, added: “It is a pleasure to be involved with The Jo Cox Way bike ride. Sarfraz and his team are doing an excellent job of raising the profile of community-based organisations that are working hard up and down the country to improve the lives of others – something that Jo felt passionately about, as do I. I hope the weather is kind and wish them every success with their journey!”

Donations can be made at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/thejocoxway, while Jo Cox Way T-shirts will be on sale at the start of each day’s ride. The full, five-day route can be viewed here.

A kitchen fitter from Yelvertoft praised the manufacturers of his watch for saving his wrist from being severed by a saw.

Dan Fellows, who is engaged and living with his fiancé in the Northamptonshire village, narrowly avoided slicing straight through his wrist whilst on a job installing a new kitchen.

While cutting a piece of skirting board – something he does daily – the 27-year-old noticed black splinters of debris shooting out from the chop saw he was using.

He stopped immediately, only to find a gaping hole in the face of his Scruffs watch, just centimeters from his wrist.

Once the shock of his close call had worn off, Dan was amazed to discover that the watch was still in working order, despite severe cosmetic damage to the face.

“When I started to see the black bits flying up from the saw I had no idea what was happening,” he said.

“If I hadn’t been wearing the watch the saw would have gone clean through my wrist.

“It’s scary to think that a momentary lapse in concentration could’ve been a pretty bad accident.

“I follow Scruffs on social media so after this happened I thought I’d get in touch and let them know about my close call.

“I’ve had the watch for about two years now so I was gutted when I hacked through it – luckily Scruffs have sorted me out with a new one, along with a jacket and some boots. Happy days!”

This picture, taken a century or so ago, shows Mr A O Coles, a carrier who operated between Long Buckby, Daventry and Northampton.

The photographic plate was unearthed by a former Daventry Weekly Express editor, Walter Green, of Long Buckby, who spotted the Foster Brothers advertisement on the side of the cart.

A curious and intrigued Mr Green took the plate into the firm’s shop on Daventry’s High Street in 1980, when this photo first appeared in the newspaper.

A bit of research revealed that Mr Coles first came to Long Buckby in 1908 to work at a newly opened shoe factory.

He then became a carrier but disposed of his business due to failing health, a few years before he died in 1916.

At the time the photograph was first printed, some 37 years ago, Mr Coles still had a son and daughter living in Long Buckby.

Gertie Cross, then 86, remembered delivering parcels for her father when she was, in her words, “very young”.

George Coles, 78 in 1980, also recalled accompanying his father on his delivery rounds.

Voluntary and community sector services across the district will receive an extra £210,000 of cash support as part of a three-year funding commitment by Daventry District Council (DDC).

From April next year the council is increasing the amount of money it spends on commissioning high-priority services from the sector, from £80,000 a year to £150,000 a year.

Services are commissioned on three-year contracts by the council, meaning organisations that successfully bid for the money will share a total of £450,000 between 2018 and 2021.

Councillor Alan Hills, DDC’s community culture and leisure portfolio Holder, said: “We recognise the valuable, daily contribution that voluntary and community sector organisations make towards supporting and improving the health and well-being of residents.

“In the current difficult financial climate, where every part of state-run services are seeing their budgets squeezed, demand for voluntary and community services is growing and it’s never been more important to do what we can to support them.”

The increase was recently agreed by councillors in response to a significant rise in demand on the sector and to try to help ease financial pressures they face.

An additional £85,000 a year will continue to be available to community groups and organisations wishing to apply for grants to fund local projects and events.

DDC is also planning to introduce a Community Lottery in the coming months to raise further funds for local groups.

The lottery will give people an opportunity to support organisations of their choice.

The council is currently reviewing which services will be high priorities for the next commissioning cycle beginning in April and once determined, local groups and organisations will be invited to make bids for the funding in the autumn.

The high priority services currently commissioned by DDC are for welfare advice and community transport.

For more details about the community and voluntary sector funding, support and grants, visit www.daventrydc.gov.uk/communitygrants.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

JUNE 6:

Janis Balkovs, aged 22, of Robert Street, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £220.

Aaron Beck, aged 31, of Upper Thrift Street, Northampton, driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £153. No insurance; fined £461, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £46 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Florin-Marius Campean, aged 34, of Henry Street, Northampton, driving at 53mph in a 30mph zone; fined £440, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £44 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Ionut Costache, aged 29, of Briton Road, Northampton, obstruction with car parked half on road and half on pavement; fined £100, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Carly Dalchow, aged 32, of Billing Road, Northampton, driving at 51mph in a 30mph zone; fined £162, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Alexandru Dobre, aged 22, of Whitworth Road, NOrthampton, no insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Euro Scaffolding Services Ltd, Kings Heath Depot, Heathfield Way, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £800, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80 and costs of £85.

Florin Gheorghe, aged 26, of Stoneyhurst, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. No test certificate; fined £220.

Jesse Glaser, aged 28, of Newington Road, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £55 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Steven Harkins, aged 33, of Portland Place, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £220.

Cameron Key, aged 20, of The Pastures, Northampton, no insurance; fined £300, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Tariq Khan, aged 41, of Ellis Way, Northampton, driving at 38mph in a 30mph zone; fined £226, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Vasyl Lypchuk, aged 37, of Stanley Road, Northampton, no test certificate; fined £115, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Freddy Morriss, aged 21, of St George’s Avenue, Northampton, no test certificate; fined £150, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Ioan Niculae, aged 22, of Beech Avenue, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence.

Roman Rog, aged 30, of Lion Court, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving without proper control while using a mobile phone; fiend £220.

Alina Scurtu, aged 27, of Greenside, Northampton, child not wearing a seat belt in a car; fined £220, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85. No insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Thomasz Stalis, aged 28, of Sheriff Road, Northampton, no insurance; fined £660, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £220.

Simanis Sundars, aged 32, of Balfour Close, Northampton, no insurance; fined £600, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £220.

Tabs 42 Ltd, of Stimpson Avenue, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £800, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £80 and costs of £85.

Jason Tebeck, aged 22, of Walledwell Court, Northampton, no insurance; fined £260, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Martin Wieczorek, aged 32, of Alcombe Road, Northamnpton, driving at 40mph in a 30mph zone; fined £220, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Huda Yeboah, aged 22, of Crestline Court,l Northampton, no insurance; fined £148, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points. Driving not in accordance with a licence; fined £49.

Victoria Gould, aged 41, of Entwood Drive, Overstone Lodge, Northampton, failed to comply with a community protection notice; fined £500, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £50 and costs of £385.

JUNE 7

Terence Griffin, aged 30, of Wordsworth Road, Daventry, damaged two windows; community order made, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £85 and costs of £85. Damaged a car window and windscreen; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £225. Damaged a front door; comunity order made, ordered to pay compensation of £200.

Ian Dunbar, aged 41, of Dallington Road, Northampton, assault; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £85 and costs of £85. Assault; community order made.

Glen Thompson, aged 32, of Scholars Court, Northampton, assault; fined £400, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £40, compensation of £100 and costs of £85.

James Collins, aged 24, of Everdon Road, Farthingstone, damaged a bedroom door, warderobe door, mirror and plate; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £20, compensation of £100 and costs of £85.

JUNE 8

Daniel Crowley, aged 44, of Horsley Road, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, stole £7 belonging to St Lawrence Church in Towcester; jailed for 28 days, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115, compensation of £7 and costs of £85. Damaged a safe; no separate penalty.

Roy Parker, aged 36, of Quartercroft, Northampton, stole blocks of cheese worth £26 belonging to Tesco; jailed for seven days, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £115, compensation of £26 and costs of £200. Failed to surrender to custody; jailed for seven days.

Ashleigh Babbage, aged 27, of Broadway, Northampton, drove at 59mph in a 50mph zone; fined £300, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with three points.

Harley Swan, aged 21, of The Knoll, Brixworth, no insurance; fined £150, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Scott Mills, aged 31, of Church Green, Northampton, failed to give information relating to the identity of a driver; fined £660, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £66 and costs of £85, licence endorsed with six points.

Adam Aston, aged 39, of St John’s Street, Northampton, stole men’s cosmetics and other items worth £122.97; fined £80, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £85, compensation of £122.97 and costs of £105. Failed to surrender to custody; no separate penalty.

Jessica Gayle-Hyndman, aged 20, of Perceval Close, Northampton, damaged glasses worth £150; fined £167, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30, compensation of £150 and costs of £85.

Kirsty Green, aged 29, of Booth Rise, Northamptonb, damaged property belonging to another; fined £150, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30, compensation of £50 and costs of £85.

Ronald Wills, aged 50, of Cardigan Close, Dallington, Northampton, urinated in a public place in breach of a court order; court order made, fined £50, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30.

Alexsandrs Smirnovs, aged 31, of no fixed abode, no insurance; fined £150, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £20, licence endorsed with six points.

Mark Beasley, aged 30, of Lower Harding Street, Northampton, damaged an Asda delivery van; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay compensation of £387.15.

Martin Biggs, aged 36, of Ringway, Briar Hill, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 88mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £500, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £50 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 24 months.

Joanna Charlton, aged 52, of Spencer Road, Northampton, had a bladed article in a public place without good authority; community order made, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £85 and costs of £85.

John Cooling, aged 76, of Franklin Crescent, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 108mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 26 months.

Carlton Edwards, aged 58, of Grange Road, Northampton, used threatening or abusive words or behaviour; fined £130, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

James Rooney, aged 21, of Lower Ecton Lane, Northampton, damaged glass entrance doors at Northampton General Hospital; ordered to pay compensation of £1,000.

An 18-year-old man suffered fractures to both legs after a two-car crash near Stockton yesterday (Sunday July 30).

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the crash on the Napton Road at just after 12.15pm, and called West Midlands Ambulance Service.

The driver of the first car, the 18-year-old man, was trapped for 30 minutes in his car while fire crews rescued him.

The occupants of the other car, a 60-year-old woman and another man, were not trapped. The woman suffered minor injuries while the man was injury-free.

Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance were also in attendance.

A spokesman for WMAS said: “He had fractures in both legs, a wrist fracture and a pelvic injury. He was given pain relief, immobilised and taken to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire by land ambulance.

“The doctor from the air ambulance travelled with the patient to continue treatment en route.

“The second patient, a 60-year-old woman, was fully conscious and had chest pain. She was taken to Warwick Hospital.”

Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Mobbs was killed while attempting to destroy a German machine gun that was holding up the advance of his men, the 7th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment, on the first day of the Third Battle of Ypres.

The battle which commenced on July 31, 1917 would last for 103 days resulting in the loss of 300,000 Allied and 250,000 German lives.

Commemorations took place in and around the Belgian town of Ypres last Monday, with the main service held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Tyne Cot, as well as at the traditional Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate where the names of 54,896 Allied soldiers with no known grave are recorded.

Edgar Mobbs, born in Northampton in 1882, played rugby for Saints for ten years, seven as captain, scoring 177 tries.

He also captained the East Midlands and Barbarian teams as well as being capped seven times for England, the last as captain, the first Saint to lead his country.

During the summer he also played cricket for Buckinghamshire.

At the outbreak of war in 1914 he was at first turned down for a commission in the army as he was too old but enlisted as a private soldier and encouraged others to join alongside him to form their own 'Pals' unit.

Over 400 did so and the 264 considered fit went on to form D Company of the newly raised 7th Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment, which would become known as the 'Mobbs Corps'.

Edgar rose from private to commander of the battalion in just eighteen months.

At their first action at the Battle of Loos in 1915, the 7th Battalion suffered 40 per cent casualties - including its commanding officer - and Captain Mobbs, although wounded, found himself in charge of the battalion fighting a desperate defence against German counter attacks.

Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and permanent command in 1916, he would be wounded twice more -at the Battles of the Somme and Messines Ridge - twice Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

He had only been back with his battalion for a few weeks after being wounded when he lead them at the Battle of the Third Ypres where he was tragically killed. His body was lost in the Flanders mud in Shrewsbury Forest, south east of the town.

It is there, close to the position of the machine gun marked by Edgar on his trench map which is in the possession of the Mobbs family, that the new memorial to him has been erected.

The memorial consists of a cross standing 6ft 1in tall made of English Oak, to represent Edgar, with a plaque carrying the inscription:

Hereabouts lies
Lieut Colonel
Edgar Roberts Mobbs DSO
7th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment
Killed in action 31 July 1917
England, Barbarians, East Midlands and
Northampton Rugby Captain
Indomitable Sportsman, Gallant Soldier

The memorial was put up by Philip Mobbs, who is a great great nephew of Edgar, funded by the Mobbs family and the Crooked Hooker, the association for ex-players of Northampton Saints.

It was unveiled by David Powell of the Crooked Hooker. The East Midlands Rugby Union organised a visit to Ypres for the unveiling and the party included several members of the Mobbs family.

Medics are advising Brits to regularly check the colour of their urine to stay on top of hydration levels after a new report discovered that 7.2 million British adults are going without drinking water on a daily basis.

The 50 Shades of Yellow - Hydration Report, compiled by SodaStream to assess the nation’s hydration levels also found that one in seven of Brits don’t drink a glass of water on a typical day, even though over half (51 per cent) have an alcoholic drink each day, even though the NHS recommends we drink six to eight glasses of water a day.