Nine people go on the run. Where will they hide? Who will they trust? What would YOU do?

That’s the premise behind Channel 4’s thrilling escape series, Hunted, which is appealing for the best fugitives to come forward to take part in the next series.

The popular reality show sees everyday civilians go on the run and then attempt to remain untraced for 25 days, while a crack team of ex-military, police and CIA agents try to track them down.

Those that remain on the run after 28 days and reach the secret extraction point win a share of £100,000. If you think you could outsmart the hunters and evade capture, then visit www.huntedapplications.com to apply.

A spokesman for Hunted said: “We are looking for applicants for the new series of Channel 4’s Hunted. “The series will follow a number of volunteers as they try to go off grid and become a fugitive in the UK. “We are looking for men and women of all ages to try and evade capture from a team of expert trackers.

“We want people from a variety of backgrounds and professions who think they have what it takes to disappear in 21st Century Britain. They could be going it alone or with friends, family or colleagues. “A prize of £100,000 will be shared equally between the fugitives who successfully evade capture.

“We will cover reasonable pre-agreed loss of earnings for everyone who participates.”

You need to be 18 years old or over, a British national and in good health. You can also go to Twitter and look for @HuntedTakePart and also www.facebook.com/Channel4HuntedHQ on Facebook.

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

JANUARY 2:

Lucian Arama, aged 30, of no fixed abode, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 107mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 140 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge to victim services of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 26 months. No insurance; no separate penalty.

Jayntibhai Patel, aged 51, of no fixed abode, committed fraud by opening accounts in another’s name, intending to make a gain; pleaded guilty, sent to Leciester Crown Court for sentence.

JANUARY 3

Joshua Farey, aged 26, of Treetops, Northampton, sent threatening electronic messages; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85.

Darius Sutkus, aged 39, of Lower Adelaide Street, Northampton, made threatening phone calls; fined £500, ordered to pay a surcharge of £50 and costs of £85.

Andrew Vass, aged 32, of Underbank Lane, Northampton, assault; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85, costs of £85 and compensation of £100. Damaged an internal wooden panel door; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £100.

Brad Matthews, aged 28, of Dovecote Road, Roade, failed to comply with a community order; order varied, now 120 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay costs of £60.

Kristians Olsteins, aged 21, of no fixed abode, breach of community protection order by begging; fined £50, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85. Begging by use of a sign stating that you were homeless; no separate penalty.

Dean Sargent, aged 36, of Churchill Avenue, Northampton, stole three bottles of vodka belonging to Morrisons; conditional discharge for 24 months, ordered to pay a surcharge of £20 and costs of £105. Failed to surrender to custody; conditional discharge for 24 months.

Matthew Mandipira, aged 22, of Gordon Street, Northampton, assault; jailed for 16 weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay compensation of £600.

Oliver Stratford-Burke, aged 38, of Southampton Road, Northampton, drink-driving with a blood test reading of 361 milligrames of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood; jailed for eight weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work, pay a surcharge of £115 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 48 months.

Hasan Kaya, aged 38, of Gorse Close, Northampton, possession of cocaine community order made to carry out 130 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £625. Assault; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £50.

Matthew Young, aged 21, of Cowley Close, Northampton, assault; conditional discharge for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge of £20 and costs of £500.

JANUARY 4

Esther Owusu, aged 60, of The Briars, Northampton, failed to notify authorities of change in circumstance relating to Housing Benefit; community order made to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85.

Lauren Angove, aged 18, of Epping Walk, Daventry, stole two choker necklaces worth £15 belonging to Dorothy Perkins; community order made. Stole various beauty items of a value unknown belonging to Boots in Daventry; community order made. Failed to surrender to custody; no separate penalty.

Commission of a further offence while on a conditional discharge for six offences of theft, criminal damage and failing to surrender to custody; community order made. Stole cosmetics from Boots; community order made.

Used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £50. Stole various items

worth £286.87 belonging to Superdrug; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £286.87, Stole a bottle of Grey Goose vodka; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £20. Stole items of clothing worth £34.99 belonging to New Look; community order and ordered to pay compensation of £34.99.

Jeff Jones, aged 56, of Billing Garden Village, The Causeway, Northampton, damaged a car; conditional discharge for 24 months, ordered to

pay compensation of £500, a surcharge of £20 and costs of £85.

Northamptonshire's subsidised bus network has shrunk by nearly 500,000 miles in the past four years - and is set to get worse under county council cuts.

In 2016, buses supported by the Government travelled over 40 per cent less than they did in 2013, leaving the residents of villages and rural areas stranded from shops, hospitals and doctors appointments.

Over 30 bus routes in the county are subsidised by the county council - but all of them face an even further reduction in funding under the upcoming budget for next year.

In contrast, the county's commercial bus network only shrunk by 140,000 miles in the same time - a drop of only 1.5 per cent.

Alan Jones, a member of BusUsersUK for Northampton, from Duston, said: "If the money is going to be cut then somebody is going to lose their service.

"Rural areas are the hardest hit. What if you are in Cogenhoe or Pattishall? What if you need to go to the doctors or the hospital, or need to do food shopping? Or even see a friend for a coffee in the town centre? You are left stranded."

The county council is bound by law to identify "socially necessary" bus routes run by commercial companies and help fund them to stay running. They can face legal action if this is not upheld.

The local authority proposed to cut all £1.3million of funding from the buses in a draft budget published last year.

But they have since reversed on this following an overwhelmingly-negative response from the public. This pointed out how cutting buses would just encourage more people to use cars and cause more traffic, while leaving many people socially-isolated.

The buses instead now face a cut of £558,000, with only the on-demand "to-your-door" CallConnect and CountyConnect minibuses being spared.

Alan said: "I don't think it will be enough. It only covers certain areas. For example, it doesn't cover Cogenhoe. It's a sticking plaster at best.

"I don't know if the buses can be saved. I think Northampton Borough Council could try running some of them."

The decline in subsidised journeys in Northamptonshire is in line with a national trend.

Children's charity The NSPCC is now calling for police to be given more training to tackle child sex offences, after reports of such crimes hit an all-time high.

The number of child sex offences recorded by Northamptonshire Police rose to 889 last year the NSPCC has revealed.

The number of offences recorded in 2016/17 increased from 868 offences recorded the previous year.

New figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request to police across the UK found officers recorded crimes including rape, sexual assault and grooming – with seven offences recorded against babies aged under one in Northamptonshire.

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: “This dramatic rise is extremely concerning and shows just how extensive child sexual abuse is.

“These abhorrent crimes can shatter a child’s life, leaving them to feel humiliated, depressed, or even suicidal.

"That is why it is crucial every single child who has endured abuse and needs support must get timely, thorough help so they can learn to rebuild their lives.

“These new figures suggest the police are making real progress in how they investigate sex offences against children. To help them tackle the issue going forward, we must ensure the police are equipped to work with other agencies and provide ongoing support and training to officers on the front line.”

A total of 316 crimes were recorded against children aged ten and under, while 87 were committed against children aged four and under.

Nationally there were a record 64,667 child sex offences recorded by UK police in 2016/17, up 15 per cent on the previous year with an offence recorded on average every eight minutes.

One in ten of these offences were flagged as having an online element – a 59 per cent increase on the previous year.

The total number of sex offences committed against children is unknown, as more children may not have come forward out of fear or embarrassment, or may not even realise they have been abused.

The NSPCC is now calling for government to direct more resources to ensure high-quality training and support is available to frontline police officers to help raise awareness of safeguarding procedures and tackle child sex offences, especially online.

County councillors have been told they cannot vote this week on next year's budget after auditors warned it may be illegal.

Northamptonshire County Council was issued with an "advisory notice" on Tuesday night by auditors KPMG, who said the proposed budget by the council for 2018/2019 "is or will be unlawful".

Councils are legally obliged to balance the books with their budgets and not run at a loss.

The announcement by KPMG comes after the Section 114 order was issued halting all new spending in this year's budget, 2017/2018, and is the latest crisis to hit the under-fire county council.

In response, the county council said it would be reviewing and responding to KPMG's advisory notice "as required".

KPMG was appointed to audit the accounts of the county council. In its statement issued on Tuesday night, a spokesman said: "The authority has begun to take a course of action which, if followed to its conclusion, would be unlawful and likely to cause a loss or deficiency.

"KPMG is mindful in this regard of its responsibility to come to a conclusion on the authority’s arrangements for securing value for money in the use of its resources for the financial year ending 31st March 2018.

"The authority’s arrangements include making properly informed decisions and sustainable resource deployment and therefore the need to consider appropriately the deliverability and achievability of the budget that it sets for the financial year 2018/19.

"The authority may not lawfully continue with the course of action set out below until it has considered this Advisory Notice, the Statement of Reasons and the consequences of continuing with this course of action. If it intends so to continue it may not do so until it has written to KPMG to this effect and the specified period has expired."

This means that the council meeting to discuss next year's budget can no longer pass a vote.

A spokesman for Northamptonshire County Council said: “The Section 114 notice issued earlier this month shows that as a council we recognise the very real risk we face in balancing the expenditure demanded of us in terms of our statutory duties and the resources available to us to pay for them. We have also been clear that we do not believe our funding position is sustainable.

“We have been clear that there are risks in our budget proposals for 2018/19 given this funding position and the on-going demand pressures we face. Given the severity of our financial position we are having to maximise the use of capital receipts as encouraged by the government to enable us to transform and protect statutory services. We have worked hard to ensure that the budget proposals being put forward for next year are accurate and realistic.

“We will now review and respond to KPMG’s advisory notice as required.

“Full council will meet as planned on February 22. This will be to discuss the Section 114 notice and debate KPMG’s advisory notice. Because of this notice this meeting can no longer vote on the budget.

“A further extraordinary council meeting will be held on February 28 to debate and vote on the final budget proposals.”

The following people were sentenced at Northampton Magistrates’ Court:

JANUARY 4

Jorge Gomez, aged 42, of Thorn Hill, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 97mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 12 months. Failed to surrender to custody; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

Daniel Sabaluiskas, aged 44, of Middlemore, Northampton, failed to comply with a community order; fined £60 and ordered to pay costs of £85.

Daniel Stratford, aged 37, of Mitchell Close, Duston, stole £32.98 of chocolate and deodorant belonging to Lidl; jailed for three weeks, ordered to pay a surcharge of £115 and costs of £85. Commission of a further offence while on a suspended sentence for threatening with an offensive weapon; suspended sentence of imprisonment for 26 weeks imposed as consecutive.

Gary Devonish, aged 51, of Gray Street, Northampton, possession on an offensive weapon, namely a crossbow; jailed for eight weeks suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay a surcharge of £115 and costs of £250.

Colin Scarley, aged 56, of Drayton Walk, Northampton, assault; jailed for 18 weeks, ordered to pay a surcharge of £115 and costs of £85.

JANUARY 5

Mark Crane, aged 40, of Wrenbury Road, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 120 mcgs of alcohol in 100 mls o breath; community order made to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 30 months.

Nathan Cranstoun, aged 32, of Blisworth Close, Northampton, possession of cocaine; fined £120, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85. Possession of a quantity of cannabis; fined £80.

Luke Cunningham, aged 27, of Springfield Gardens, Deanshanger, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 91mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 24 months. Failing to stop at an accident; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

Imants Dembovkis, aged 30, of Cyril Street, Northampton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 43 mcgs of alcohol in 100 mls of breath; fined £200, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 12 months. No insurance; fined £200. Driving not in accordance with a licence; no separate penalty.

Patrick O’Beirne, aged 45, of Dryleys Court, Northampton, driving while disqualified; community order made to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work, ordered to pay a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85, banned from driving for eight months. No insurance; fined £600.

Nathaniel Sargeant, aged 28, of Holte End, Northampton, possession of cocaine; fined £250, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Owen Welford, aged 18, of Weggs Farm Road, Northampton, assault; community order made, ordered to pay compensation of £50, a surcharge of £85 and costs of £85.

JANUARY 8

Jack Billingham, aged 26, of Portway Drive, Croughton, drink-driving with a breath test reading of 43mcgs of alcohol in 100mls of breath; fined £349, ordered to pay a surcharge of £34 and costs of £85, banned from driving for 36 months.

Robert Szalasky, aged 27, of Axe Head Road, Northamtpon, damaged a car; conditional discharge for six months, ordered to pay compensation of £150, a surcharge of £20 and costs of £85.

Paul Dove, aged 55, of The Manor, Causeway, Billing, failed to provide a breath test; community order made, ordered to pay a surcharge

of £85 and costs of £620, banned from driving for 18 months. Failed to surrender to custody; community order made.

Connor Gilligan, aged 21, of Rydal Mount, Northamptno, used threatening or abusive words or behaviour; fined £120, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Shane Sargeant, aged 28, of Ecton Lane Park, Lower Ecton Lane, Northampton, used threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour; fined £120, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Askor Ali, aged 25, of Lawrence Court, Northampton, possession of cannabis; fined £200, ordered to pay a surcharge of £40 and costs of £85.

Elizabeth Connors, aged 26, of Mushroom Field Road, Northampton, stole various baby products worth £38.54 belonging to Moulton and District Co-operative Society; fined £100, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Joseph Killick, aged 28, of Gloucester Avenue, Northampton, obstructed a police officer; fined £60, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Seamus Kinsella, aged 57, of Royal Terrace, Northampton, used threatening or

abusive words or behaviour; fined £175, ordered to pay a surcharge of £30 and costs of £85.

Daventry's first mosque was opened last Friday.

The town's Muslim communities used to gather in the St John's Ambulance building on Brook Street, but now it has its own space in Cottesbrooke Park on the Drayton Fields Industrial Estate.

Muhammad Ahtaram, who led the project, said the Muslim population in Daventry was growing and now they no longer needed to travel to Rugby or Northampton to find its nearest mosque.

“I was the third Muslim family in Daventry and now there are nearly 40 families here," said Mr Ahtaram.

“Everybody is welcome to the mosque any time.

“I will be here most days because we pray five times a day.”

Guests from the Daventry community invited to the opening included Chris Heaton-Harris MP; the district's neighbourhood sergeant Sam Dobbs; town mayor Lynne Taylor; and the heads of the town's Christian faith establishments.

“I’m really delighted to see this small and vibrant part of the Daventry community happy in their new home and place of worship," said Mr Heaton-Harris.

“Daventry is a happy and tolerant place where people can practice their chosen religion openly and peacefully.”

Sergeant Dobbs, who attended the opening with PCSO Kirsten, described the mosque as an asset to a town of Daventry's size.

“The fundamental principles of Islam are some which we can and should buy into - a prayer cycle and charity for example - and that can only be a good thing," he said.

“What stands out is the money put into this place.

“We have worked with and advised DDC to try to find a new home, and now they have one.”

Donations contributing to the conversion of the Cottesbrooke Park space were received from Muslim communities in the likes of Leicester, Derby and London.

Canon Michael Webber, team rector at the Holy Cross Church Daventry, said: “I was very pleased to be invited along with the other Christian leaders. We welcome the chance to work together in the community.”

Reverend Andy Hardwick of Daventry Methodist Church said: “I wish them well and hope we can get to know each other better and share a friendship.”

Daventry Mayor Lynne Taylor was delighted the community had found a "lovely place to worship".

She said: “We are delighted that our community have found a really lovely place to worship and we very much welcome them here. It’s lovely to be invited.

“Welcome to our community in Daventry.”

There are two major events planned at the mosque in conjunction with Eid celebrations. The first takes place after Ramadan and the other during the annual pilgrimage to the Hajj in Mecca. Followers can also break their fast at the mosque throughout Ramadan.

The complaint brought against Daventry's MP after claims he had used Parliament stationery for personal or political gain has been dropped.

Daventry’s MP Chris Heaton-Harris faced criticism last autumn after he wrote to universities on House of Commons-headed paper seeking information about the teaching of Brexit and the names of the professors involved.

A complaint was brought against Mr Heaton-Harris by Michael Foster because the MPs' code of conduct states that any use of public resources should "not confer any undue personal or financial benefit on themselves or anyone else, or confer undue advantage on a political organisation".

However, after an investigation and numerous exchanges between Mr Heaton-Harris and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone OBE, the allegation was not upheld.

“The allegation investigated was that the member had misused House-provided stationery by writing to 120 universities seeking information about the teaching of European affairs (in particular about Brexit) and the names of the academics involved,” said the commissioner in her written summary.

“In the course of the inquiry, the member explained that the purpose of his request for information was to improve his own understanding of the issue, and that he might also publish some of the responses on his website so that his constituents might also read them.

“The member gave an assurance that the publication of any such material would be free of charge.

“He also gave an assurance that he would not share information obtained through this request with his political party.

“In light of those assurances, the allegation of a breach of the rules and of paragraph 15 of the code of conduct was not substantiated.”

During one of the exchanges between the commissioner and the MP, Mr Heaton-Harris wrote: "The letter was essentially a 'freedom of information' request to universities (and has been treated as an FOI request by many of them) asking for information to help me continue my ongoing parliamentary research into European issues.

"To give some context, before being elected to the House, I was a Member of the European Parliament for ten years and I immediately went onto the European Scrutiny Committee in this place and served on that until the General Election in 2015; so throughout my political career I have been continually researching European issues.

"Indeed, as a founding member of the Fresh Start group of MPs in 2011, the research I was involved in formed ideas around what a renegotiation within the EU could possibly look like.

"I regularly publish the results of my work when it is concluded, usually with the input of other colleagues, on my website."

The charity, which first launched its lifesaving services in 2003, operates two emergency helicopters - the Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance (WNAA) and the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (DLRAA) - that provide rapid response to trauma and medical emergencies, alongside its critical care cars on the ground.

Covering more than 3,850 miles, with an average response time of just 13 minutes, new figures show that in 2017 alone, the service carried out 3,547 missions, of which 2,026 were attended by the DLRAA, and 1,521 by the WNAA.

Out of all completed missions last year, 39 per cent were due to road traffic collisions, 25 per cent to medical emergencies and 9 per cent to falls, while 5 per cent were sports related, 5 per cent due to industrial incidents, and 17 per cent to other accidents.

All were funded entirely by donations, however, as the service receives no government, NHS or national lottery aid Richard Clayton, director of operations at the Air Ambulance Service, said that public support is vital to help keep their helicopters flying.

“We are incredibly proud to have reached this amazing milestone and make such a difference to so many patients and their families.

"As a charity, we simply couldn’t have done it without the support of our wonderful donors, supporters and volunteers, whose generosity over the years has been fantastic.

"It’s also a testament to our wonderful hard working staff, including our pilots, doctors and critical care paramedics who do lifesaving work every day, 365 days a year. Here’s to the next 30,000 missions, and beyond."

Bosses at the charity say that 2018 is a milestone year for both services with plans to extend their critical care lifesaving services to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, later this year.

Gavin Alexander, a critical care paramedic said: “Every life saved is a victory for us, and we are forever grateful for all the donations that help keep this important service flying.

"As a critical care paramedic it’s a job that’s both rewarding and challenging, but to be able to make such a difference to the local community is a fantastic feeling.”

The Shared Lives service, run by Olympus Care Services on behalf of Northamptonshire County Council, offers adults with physical disabilities, learning disabilities and older people the opportunity to live as independently as possible in the community.

The CQC inspection team, in their report published on February 16, praised the staff and carers who, they said, consistently went above and beyond to enable people to have a fulfilled life.

It also recognised the work of the service to support people to have maximum choice and control of their lives and the strong caring relationships between people and their carers.

County council cabinet member for adult social care councillor Elizabeth Bowen said: “We know that our Shared Lives service is highly valued by the people who rely on it, so it’s fantastic to hear that the CQC inspectors share their views.

“Our staff and carers work incredibly hard to make sure that people feel safe and comfortable in a family home environment, and we carefully match them with suitable carers who can meet their needs and provide the support that’s right for them.

“I’d like to offer a massive congratulations to everyone who has helped Shared Lives to retain its outstanding rating from the CQC.”

Shared Lives carers provide a range of support, from long-term placements to respite breaks, and they receive full training and support, as well as a financial reward.

Rob Assall-Marsden CQC’s head of inspection for adult social care in the central region said: “Our inspection team were really impressed by the level of care and support offered to people using this service, which we found gave them an enhanced sense of quality of life and well-being.

“Carers and staff spoke passionately about enabling people to challenge themselves and to try things they may think would be too difficult. This could include building relationships with new people, making meals for themselves or going to college.

“All of this meant people received a high standard of care, which is why it has been rated outstanding.”

Brandon Acton of Yelvertoft was on his way home on from his shift at Northampton General Hospital to see his wife and three children on Monday (February 19) at 6.30pm.

He was travelling down the hill on the A428 towards Long Buckby and was on approach to the crossroads of Great Brington and East Haddon when a car failed to stop at the junction and hit the passenger side of his car sending Brandon's Audi A4 into a 180 degree spin before he hit the grass verge and landed upside down in the ditch.

Brandon and his wife Danielle have reported this incident to Northamptonshire Police and are desperately urging witnesses to come forward as they claim this was a hit-and-run.

Danielle said: "When he landed, he was trapped in the car as both sides of the grass verges were wedging the doors shut so he couldn't get out.

"Cars stopped to help and emergency services were called. He was trapped upside down for roughly half an hour until fire services arrived and secured the car enough for him to unbuckle the child's seats and crawl through the car and out of the boot."

Danielle - who has not passed her driving test - says she and Brandon solely relied on this vehicle for everything, including Brandon's commute to work and back every day.

She added: "We are appealing for witnesses as it was a hit and run and we are now left picking up all the pieces having to sort out finance for a new car and money to replace all our lost goods.

"Luckily he managed to get out with no serious injuries but is suffering from whiplash and bruising.

"Unfortunately, Brandon has to drive this route every day to and from work so will have to pass the junction where the accident took place. He is now very apprehensive and cautious when approaching junctions. The person that left him in his car had no idea what state they left him in and his children were very upset that someone could do this to their father.”

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said the county force was called at 6.38pm on Monday, February 19 to reports of a road traffic collision where two vehicles were involved and one ended up in the ditch.

She confirmed that no-one sustained any life-threatening injuries and there have been no arrests made.

Northampton General Hospital (NGH) and Kettering General Hospital (KGH) have both been extremely busy this week and pressure has built up on wards and A&E departments, bosses at Nene CCG say.

Nursing teams have seen an increase in flu cases and winter-related illnesses, particularly among older people with multiple conditions who need more intensive care.

Dr Emma Donnelly, a local GP and clinical director at Nene Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: “Our local hospitals are seeing a lot of people who are very unwell and need urgent care, and they are doing their best to look after these people as quickly as possible.

“Many of the most unwell are aged 75 or older and some have waited longer than they should to seek medical advice. As a result, they have required emergency admission whereas if they had seen their GP sooner, a hospital admission might have been avoided.

“So the message is: if you are unwell and in a more vulnerable age group or are worried about an elderly relative, seek help sooner rather than later.

“If you are not in a high-risk group and not seriously unwell, then seek help in the most appropriate place; either ask a local pharmacy for advice or see your GP if you need medical input. If you are not sure where would be best for you to be seen, NHS 111 will help with appropriate advice.”

In many cases, patients have developed more serious conditions requiring urgent care that could have been dealt with by their GP if they had sought advice earlier when they started to become more unwell.

With the county facing another spell of cold weather, people are being reminded that there are a number of ways they can access NHS care if they need it:

GP practice – You can contact your GP surgery directly in hours and contact the GP out of hours service via NHS 111 when your GP surgery is closed.

NHS 111 service – If you need medical help fast, but your condition is not life threatening, call NHS 111. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the freephone number is staffed by trained advisors and experienced clinicians who can assess you, offer advice and direct you to the right place to get the medical care you need as quickly as possible.

Corby Urgent Care Centre – For a minor injury or illness that needs urgent attention, this service is an alternative to attending A&E. The centre is located at the Willowbrook Health Complex, Cottingham Road, Corby, and is open 8am to 8pm every day of the year. It has free car parking and appointments are not necessary. The centre has a range of diagnostic facilities including an x-ray department.

Pharmacy – Many common illnesses such as coughs or colds can be best and most easily treated by visiting your local pharmacy where you can seek advice without an appointment. Your pharmacist can advise on how to look after yourself at home with rest and over-the-counter treatments. For details of a pharmacy near you, visit the NHS Choices website here.

Self-care - A well-stocked medical cabinet can help you deal with minor ailments and injuries at home.

KGH or NGH are also urging local people who have relatives due to be discharged from hospital to do everything they can to support this, as it will help them maintain flow and free up beds for serious medical emergencies.

Andrew Gwynne, the shadow secretary, joined GMP union members and regional Labour supporters gathered on George Row in Northampton town centre, to protest against the proposed cuts by the Conservative run county council.

Father Oliver Coss, of All Saints Church, led a sermon last year for the county council where he told the councillors to not forget the poorest and most vulnerable when they made difficult decisions.

But today he said: “I feel very much like this plea that fell on deaf ears,”

“What is happening, and what will happen, is devastating the lives of those who ought to be cared for, who have never felt so forgotten.”

Toby Birch, 73, director of Community Spaces Northampton, was at the protest to express his anger at the cuts to county libraries and community funds.

He said: “The councillors brought this on themselves by not increasing taxes over a period of time.

“They are not looking after people, they are more concerned with themselves, they don’t realise what is actually happening in the community

“For the first time we have a community centre that is running a food bank, we have people living out on the street, which shouldn’t be happening in this day and age and communities are being affected.

He continued: “How is the voluntary sector expected to cope when they are being asked to do more and also have [their] funding cut?”

Wendy Andrews, a Labour member in Daventry, expressed anger at the council’s mismanagement.

She said: “We have an elite few and a mass of people who are literally fighting now for their lives, their very existence.”

Conservatives in control of Northamptonshire County Council were also accused of "political fraud" for years of "financial mismanagement" during today's heated meeting on the authority's unlawful budget proposals.

The summit at County Hall should have seen the council set its budget for the 2018/19 financial year.

But on Tuesday, auditors KPMG advised council bosses to delay for a week as the measures they proposed to save some £30 million were classed as "unlawful".

The firm disputes whether the council can, lawfully, use money made from selling off buildings and land to fund its day-to-day running, due to complicated laws governing the way councils can spend income.

The authority has depleted all but around £11 million of reserves and intends to sell its new Angel Street headquarters - but it is not known how much of the proceeds can be used to balance the books.

It meant today's meeting only formed a debate around the KPMG warning, rather than the scheduled budget vote.

Labour's Northampton south parliamentary candidate Councillor Gareth Eales said the Conservatives had committed "political fraud" by failing to come up with a lawful budget.

He said: "We know you have been passing fantasy budgets around here for a number of years.

"It is going to be an absolute fire sale next week.

"There will be a ridiculous hike in council tax and we will lose essential services."

"The people you represent here have been victims of political fraud.

"If you had any sense of conscience, you would resign immediately."

Councillor Mick Scrimshaw (Lab, Northall) said the council was entering "unprecedented territory".

The advanced notice from KPMG was, to his knowledge, the first of its kind issued by an auditor.

Labour group members went on to call for the council to scrap its current cabinet system in place of a cross-party committee.

Their group's former leader Councillor John McGhee said the state of the authority had gotten so bad, he would not stand for re-election next time around. He has served in Corby for 25 years.

On the issue of using capital receipts to fund the council's revenue stream - finance cabinet member Councillor Robin Brown, said he took responsibility.

He said: "I fully accept the responsibility for, in 2016, 17 and 18, using the in-year capital receipts to ensure that we balance the books and provide the services our directorates identified as needed."

But facing yet another barrage of calls to resign, council leader Councillor Heather Smith again insisted she would not be going.

"We have to accept the KPMG report and we have to accept that mistakes have been made in the past.

"I apologise for not challenging the officers enough, but we are where we are.

"There have been plenty of calls for me to resign and to walk away.

"Even though my feet are well and truly in the fire it is not time for me to resign and run away.

"I have to see this through."

The full council will now reconvene for a special meeting on Thursday, February 28 to set the final budget.

Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Andrew Gwynne today joined a large group of protestors, trade unionists and parliamentary candidates to hold the county council accountable for "eight years of austerity."

His speech was today delivered on the steps of County Hall outside the full council meeting, which was timed for a crucial budget setting meeting that has been delayed until next week.

Mr Gwynne said: "I have never ever, in my 22-year history involved in elected politics, seen such an incompetent shambles as NCC is presenting today.

"On the train coming up here I read the KPMG report, it makes very interesting reading, what it tells you is that in Northamptonshire we have a council that is not only incompetent in how it has delivered its financial plans - it is a system that isn't working.

"I think this is a message that we need to send loudly and clearly to Sajid Javid the Secretary of State for Local Government.

"Eight years of austerity has to lead to the financial collapse of a Tory council, and that doesn't give me any pleasure because what we are talking about here is peoples jobs and peoples services. Services that you rely on, services like adult social care, services like children's safeguarding, services like your libraries, services like your bus subsidies, services that keep your communities alive and afloat.

"And so, the message for Sajid Javid, the message to Theresa May has to be this, 'pull your fingers out, sort out Northamptonshire, but more importantly, sort out the crisis in local Government across England' because where Northamptonshire is today other councils are not far behind.

"Eight years of Tory austerity isn't working, it's not working for Northamptonshire and it's not working for England. Labour is committed to supporting you here in Northamptonshire.

"We need to make sure that you get the funding you need to save your services and to protect jobs.

"And that means not only in the long-term do we need to reinvest in children's services, in adults social care and council services more generally, it also means in that the here and now we need to make sure that Sajid Javid understands the challenges financially and that he needs to give Northamptonshire the flexibilities to be able to set a legal budget and to be able to protect those jobs and service at the same time.

"And that will be my message in Parliament next week, Sajid Javid the world will be watching you and particular local Government will be watching how you treat Northamptonshire."

Roger Eadon joined DSLV earlier this week from Southam College in Warwickshire, having served as deputy headteacher there for nine years.

Mr Eadon grew up on a small farm near Napton-on-the-Hill and said he is passionate about engaging with the wider community.

"It is a real privilege to be the new headteacher of DSLV E-ACT," said Mr Eadon.

"I am delighted to have this opportunity to work closely with the pupils of this academy to maximise their undoubted potential, and I am determined to ensure that DSLV continues to provide high-quality education for children from Daventry and the surrounding area."

As deputy headteacher of Southam College, Mr Eadon was responsible for teaching and learning where he structured lessons around the key features of outstanding learning and the atmosphere needed for this to thrive.

He oversaw record-breaking results achieved by disadvantaged students at Southam College between 2015 and 2016. During the two years, the achievement gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students was eradicated.

Mr Eadon also served as assistant headteacher at the Warwickshire school for three years, taught at Moulton School in Northampton for six years, and for 10 years has chaired the Southam Area Schools Association, collaborating with nine primary schools.

Central England Co-op has today announced that it is putting in place an age limit for sales of energy drinks with high caffeine levels.

From March 1, customers who buy energy drinks that contain 150mg or more caffeine per litre will be asked to prove that they are over the age of 16.

The Society has decided to take this voluntary decision after speaking to dozens of parents and teachers about their growing concerns that more and more youngsters are drinking these products.

This decision falls in line with industry labelling guidelines, which require any soft drink with more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre to carry a high caffeine content warning and state it is not recommended for children.

Hannah Gallimore, Central England Co-op Corporate Responsibility manager, said: “We pride ourselves on being a responsible and ethical retailer based at the heart of our communities and after receiving feedback from teachers and parents we knew we had to act.

“This decision will ensure that strict guidelines are in place to prevent young people under the age of 16 buying these products in line with industry labelling guidelines.

“High caffeine energy drinks carry advice stating that they should not be consumed by children, we hope that our decision to put this voluntary sales age limit in place will help address concerns associated with these drinks being consumed by under 16s.”

Bitterly cold weather is on the way in the coming days and the Met Office has issued a warning to mobile phone users.

The weather service has this morning issued a Yellow Warning for snow for much of the country and the wintry blast could affect your phone signal.

Mobile phone networks could be affected by the big freeze

The weather warning states: “Power cuts may occur and other services, such as mobile phones, may be affected.”

Sub-zero temperatures which are going to grip the country next week can cause power cables to break and cause power outages.

These outages in turn can lead to a loss of mobile phone signal.

During a full council meeting last night, councillors faced several questions from Middlemore residents who expressed their fears and concerns over the prospect of losing their homes.

Daventry District Council’s sell-off of 'lifetime' houses may make 30 families homeless

Residents ask Daventry District Council to postpone sell-off of 30 'lifetime' family homes

In the meeting, Labour councillors Wendy Randall (Lab, Drayton) and Ken Ritchie (Lab, Abbey North) put forward a motion asking DDC to take all reasonable steps to alleviate the difficulties the Middlemore tenants were facing as a result of the decision to sell the properties.

In response, council leader Chris Millar (Con, Long Buckby) proposed an amendment to refer the sale to the Scrutiny and Improvement Committee to further investigate the matter and report back to full council on July 26.

Chairman of the scrutiny committee, Cllr Adam Brown (Con, Weedon), said he was delighted the "important issue" was not going to be rushed through full council.

He said: “I think it’s a testament to the true importance of the issue that we have so many residents here today and I would like to make them three promises on this issue.

“Firstly, that they will be consulted fully on the issue as we take it through scrutiny and improvement.

“Secondly, that it will be led by evidence and not politics.

“And thirdly, that this will be a cross-party affair.

“I’d like to extend an invitation to Cllr Ritchie and Cllr Randall to provide whatever evidence they see fit to the panel.”

He added: “It’s also testament to the true importance of this issue that since this was discussed at our group meeting on Monday night, I’ve had half a dozen offers of assistance from across the Conservative Group.

“They’re all keen to see justice done to this issue, to see us take a full, considered approach to the matter at hand because I know from experience that no matter whether your renting or you own your home… your home is your home and there’s a huge amount of emotion and personal interest invested in this subject.

“So I promise you all this matter will be given the importance it deserves and the respect it deserves.”

Speaking after the meeting, several of the Middlemore tenants said the decision was "the best we could have asked for" and that they were pleased with the outcome.

They welcomed the fact the thought process behind the sale had changed, and that the matter was going to be investigated "properly".

A two-year-old boy and his six-year-old brother were killed in a hit-and-run crash in Coventry yesterday (Thursday).

Police are continuing to investigate how the two young brothers died in a non-stop collision.

The boys, aged two and six, were with their mother on MacDonald Road in the Stoke area of the city at around 2pm when they were struck by a black Ford Focus.

Both boys were taken to hospital with severe injuries – the two-year-old could not be revived and died a short time later and the six-year-old was rushed into surgery, but also sadly died. Their mother was unhurt.

The car was found a short distance away and a 53-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and death by dangerous driving.

They remain in police custody today and will be questioned today.

The road remained closed for several hours while emergency services were at the scene and investigations were carried out into the circumstances of the crash.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from the force’s collision investigation unit, said: “Several witnesses have come forward and I am grateful to everyone who has spoken to us. If there is anyone who has not yet contacted us, they should call 101.

“Specialist family liaison officers are with the family, who are understandably distraught, and they are being kept fully updated.

“This collision has had a profound effect on the community in Stoke and I would ask people not to speculate on what happened which may cause further distress to the family. They need our combined support to help them through this dreadful time.”