Luton is to be a ‘dementia friendly community’ after the launch of the Luton Dementia Alliance on Friday (November 29).
Local businesses, the council and the Alzheimer’s Society have committed to supporting people living with the condition to make a real difference to them and their families.
Thousands of people die from cold-related illnesses every winter and numbers are rising, but in Luton, Age Concern is helping to buck the trend.
Around 100 people in Luton died in winter in 2009/10 and 2011/12, but by 2012/13 this had dropped to 70, which Age Concern believe is partly due to their innovative emergency heating scheme.
The charity says it’s “a scandal that anyone dies of cold in 2013” and is asking for support for the scheme.
Age Concern Luton director Colette Mckeaveney said: “It’s simple but it’s innovative. We loan people an electric heater and we give them a fuel voucher to pay for it. I believe a large part of the reduction in winter deaths in Luton is down to our free emergency heating loan. That’s the one thing that is different in Luton and that’s why nationally the figures went up in 12/13 to 31,000 deaths but in Luton it went down. Something so simple is making a big difference.”
Age Concern Luton provides the heaters for people when they have no heating at all in their house, such as when their boiler is broken and they can’t afford to repair it.
Colette said: “We get a heater out to a household within two hours of them contacting us. We don’t waste time with forms and visits, we just put a heater in their home, give them the fuel voucher, and that’s it. Meanwhile our handymen will work with the council to sort out any repairs.”
Last year Age Concern spent about £11,000 on heaters and fuel vouchers, and sent out around 100 radiators a week during the coldest spells,
The government is set to officially announce plans to cut energy bills by an average of £50 a year tomorrow.
Colette said: “That would be welcome but the reality is it’s not enough. If you are at home all day as many older people are, it costs a lot to heat the house. Old bodies can’t manage the cold as much and many people are bed-bound or frail so can’t move around to keep warm. Giving them a heater is just common sense. Then they’re not going to hospital for all these cold-related illnesses. Luton has bucked the trend because of this. Every town should do it.”
Luton is rated 33rd out of 455 local authorities in England and Wales for highest number of winter deaths.
Of the 25,000 average in the UK who die due to cold related illnesses every winter, around 19,500 of these are over 75.
To support Age Concern, donate via http://ageconcernluton.org.uk/ or visit an Age Concern shop: 57 Birdsfoot Lane or 9 Market Square, Farley Hill.
A man was stabbed several times following an argument in a Luton underpass.
The 34-year-old was walking through the underpass under the M1 which connects Kestrel Way and Butely Road at about 1.30pm on November 27,
He became involved in an altercation with two, possibly three, men which resulted in one of the offenders assaulting him with a knife leaving the victim with injuries to his shoulder and arm.
The victim made his way to hospital where he his wounds were treated.
Det Con Sam Toombs, who is investigating the attack, is keen to speak with anyone who may have witnessed the assault or may have further information about the offender who is described as a white male, in his 20s, wearing dark grey clothing.
If you have information relating to this incident, contact Det Con Toombs, in confidence, on 01582 394132, the non-emergency number 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
Alternatively contact independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
Champion boxer Billy Schwer is backing a new sports development programme coming to the Hightown area if it gets council approval next month.
The former British, Commonwealth and European lightweight champion said: “Coming from Luton I can see a real benefit to the area for a sporting facility as large as this.
“It is a facility which will be there for use by all local residents and also the rest of the Town with visitors being expected to come from out of town for team competitions and to enjoy the facilities.
“Hightown has a real need for an affordable sporting facility where kids can generate their energy into sport rather than crime and this is a fantastic opportunity for them to do just that and also receive mentoring and guidance in terms of focusing their attention for finding employment and working together with each other.
“I plan to be fully involved and active and will be operating from the premises myself.
“I now coach and mentor following my retirement so I am looking at the opportunity to put something back into the community and really help show local kids how to focus.
“The success of the London Olympics in 2012 and the promise of a lasting sporting legacy is everyone’s duty to ensure that future generations can enjoy sport, learn through sport and achieve their goal and potential through sport. We must as a local community ensure that we do not allow younger generations to miss out because of our inability to act immediately on the euphoria connected to the success of the Olympic Games.
And he is calling on Luton Borough Council to approve the plan next month.
“Glasgow is hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014 so there should be a renewed interest again next year which will surely mean that there is another robust effort by local governments to get children and teenagers involved in sport,” he said.
One month since Leon Briggs died in the custody of Beds Police, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has outlined its investigation into his death.
Mr Briggs, 39, a father of two, died on November 4 after being restrained and detained by Beds Police at the junction of Marsh Road and Willow Way.
Two armed response officers, one police constable, two custody sergeants and two detention officers were interviewed under criminal caution by IPCC investigators on suspicion of offences including gross negligence and/or unlawful act manslaughter, misconduct in public office, and/or offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
IPCC Commissioner Mary Cunneen said: “Today marks one month since Leon’s death and I know that both his family and the wider community are still struggling to come to terms with their loss.
“I hope that by outlining the parameters of our investigation, those affected by Leon’s death can understand the scale of our investigation, the progress we have made so far and the considerable amount of work we still have to do in order to find out exactly what happened to Leon and why.”
Mr Briggs was taken to Luton police station in a police van rather than an ambulance and detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act.
The IPCC is examining all police contact with Mr Briggs and the decisions made, such as whether requirements under the Act to take him to a ‘place of safety’ were considered and followed and why he was transported in a police van.
The IPCC is investigating the treatment of Mr Briggs throughout his detention including the use of force or restraint, the assessment of physical and mental well-being, the ongoing risk assessment by officers and staff, and whether they complied with their duty of care.
The post incident procedure which followed Mr Briggs’ death is being examined to establish whether it was conduct in accordance with the relevant guidance.
The IPCC is also examining the involvement of paramedics at the scene of the initial restraint and detention and will consider the relevant joint working protocols, policies and procedures between Bedfordshire Police and East England Ambulance Service (EEAS) in relation to section 136 of the Mental Health Act.
This includes the response by both police and the ambulance service to the initial 999 call.
Over 60 witnesses have been identified either by IPCC investigators or who have come forward, and saw Mr Briggs either at Marsh Road and Willow Way, at Luton Police Station, or earlier in the day.
Investigators are continuing to take statements.
Statements have also been taken from two paramedics from the EEAS who attended at Marsh Road and Willow Way while Mr Briggs was being restrained.
CCTV has been seized from a number of shops and premises on Marsh Road and Willow Way as well as from local authority cameras.
IPCC investigators have also seized CCTV from the custody suite and the yard at Luton police station.
The police van which attended Marsh Road and Willow Way and the cell at Luton police station have been forensically examined.
IPCC Commissioner Mary Cunneen said: “We have also had a very positive response to our witness appeal and have identified over 60 witnesses who may have information which could assist us.
“I would ask people to be patient while we carry out our investigation. This is a complex inquiry but our focus remains on establishing what happened to Leon and to providing answers to his family, friends and the wider community.
“We are in regular contact with Leon’s family via their solicitors keeping them updated with the progress of our investigation.
“I have also committed to providing regular updates through Luton Council’s Community Cohesion Contingency Planning Group and I am grateful to them for inviting me to their meetings.”
The IPCC is continuing to appeal for witnesses with information to contact the investigation team on freephone 0800 096 9072 or marshroad@ipcc.gsi.gov.uk.
Action movie Kick-Ass was so lively and inventive that it stood out from most other superhero adventures.
KICK-ASS 2 (15: Universal) doesn’t quite press all the buttons of its predecessor, but nevertheless it delivers a high level of thrills and comedy.
Teenagers Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace Moretz) are trying to adjust to the growing pains of normal high-school life.
But they’re forced to revive their alter egos (Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl) when they’re targeted by the vengeful, rich brat son (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) of the crime lord they defeated in the first film.
This second outing has a more pedestrian tone compared with the original, and now that Moretz is a few years older, the shock of her spouting foul-mouthed dialogue is diluted.
The violent set pieces and edgy humour remain the same though and the arrival of Jim Carrey as another would-be vigilante is an enjoyable bonus.
> More antiquated, globetrotting nonsense fuels OAP espionage caper RED 2 (12: Entertainment One), but it’s slightly better than the original.
Frank (Bruce Willis) calls on his ageing secret agent buddies (including John Malkovich) to track down a nuclear device invented by a Cold War era weapons genius (Anthony Hopkins) whose mental instability poses a threat to world peace.
Frank is also struggling to inject the fire back into his relationship with one-time hostage Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker).
As before, the rapport between the stars is the film’s best asset. Apart from that, director Dean Parisot takes one joke – the elderly in action mode – and mines it to death.
On the plus side, the sight of Helen Mirren in a slow-motion shoot-out still hits the spot, as does her dotty impersonation of the Queen to gain access to an asylum.
Catherine Zeta-Jones’s femme fatale adds little to the film, but new addition Byung-hun Lee makes a big impression as a contract killer on Willis’s trail with a choreographed whirlwind of fight moves and flying bullets.
> There’s plenty of prehysterical slapstick to keep kids entertained and adults amused in THE CROODS (U: Twentieth Century Fox), a Flintstones-esque slice of CGI-animated family fun.
Nicolas Cage and Emma Stone voice the father and daughter of a not-so-modern Stone Age family who hit bedrock when a rock slide destroys their cave.
They flee impending apocalypse in the company of a more evolved teenager (Ryan Reynolds) from another tribe and seek safety, shelter and enlightenment through a weird landscape of land whales, elephant mice and piranha parrots.
> Another decent diversion for youngsters is provided by the return of those little blue heroes in THE SMURFS 2 (U: Sony).
The first film, adapted from the Belgian comic and 1980s cartoon series, was good-natured fun for the under-sevens and easily amused – and so, too, is this.
CG smurfs interact with hapless returning human stars Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mayes and Hank Azaria against a Parisian backdrop.
The French capital is where hiss-boo baddie Gargamel (Azaria) takes Smurfette (voiced by Katy Perry) in an evil plot to create two pseudo-Smurfs and harvest their ‘true blue’ magical essence.
More than 300 family, friends and campaigners turned out on a freezing December eveing to mark the one month anniversary of the death of Leon Briggs.
The 39-year-old father of two died in police custody after being arrested on Marsh Road in Luton on November 4.
His death is now the subject of an independent inquiry but campaigners have set up Justice4Leon to make sure justice is done.
The crowd outside Luton police station, where a makeshift shrine has been growing since Leon’s death, heard from his friends, and campaigners for other men who have died in police custody.
One of the speakers was Carole Duggan, aunt of Mark Duggan whose inquest into his death during a police investigation is now taking place.
She said families need to band together to ensure justice.
And campaigners have said they will hold monthly vigils.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) says 60 witnesses have come forward during the ongoing investigation.
Five police officers and two support staff have been suspended.
An inquest has been opened into the death of 70-years-old Mary Evans, known as May, of Liddle Close, Luton. today.
Mrs Evans was stabbed through the window of her car as she was travelling along Trent Road in Luton on November 18.
John Evans, aged 56, has been charged with her mirder
Police are appealing for information after two robberies in the town centre.
A 20-year-old man was robbed of his Sony Xperia phone and wallet under the Park Street Viaduct on Friday.
A man, aged about 17 years old and white, approached the victim from behind and demanded his property.
He was with another man who was aged about 16 years old.
In a separate incident in Guildford Street on Sunday, a 29-year-old man was approached by a man who asked for some change at about 8.25pm.
The victim noticed the man was holding a knife and then the robber felt his pockets and demanded he hand over his wallet which contained cash.
The offender is described as a black man, approximately 23 years old, 5’11” tall with an average build. He wore a black hooded top with the hood pulled up and dark jeans.
Detectives from the South Bedfordshire Robbery Unit are keen to trace anyone who witnessed either of these offences or anyone who can help identify those responsible.
Anyone with information relating to this investigation can contact Det Con Tom Hamm or Det Con Jo Bosson, in confidence, at Luton Police Station, on 01582 394441, Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
Alternatively, contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
A special needs school in Luton is planning an expansion and the council would like the public’s views.
The development of Woodlands Secondary School in Northwell Drive would allow the school to accommodate 100 additional students and 75 more staff over the next five years.
The plans include modern classrooms, therapy and nursing rooms, a space for dance and drama and a remodelled school entrance.
Cllr Waheed Akbar said: “We are currently investing in schools to accommodate Luton’s increasing population. The expansion of Woodlands Secondary School will help us to address much-needed school places in the town.”
The unique school caters for pupils with a range of special education needs using a variety of learning resources including multi-sensory facilities and a therapy pool.
The proposals will be on display on Saturday from 10.30am-1pm and Thursday December 12 from 3pm-7pm at Woodlands Secondary School. Members of the project team will be present at the exhibition to explain the proposals and answer any questions.
The consultation will remain open until January 13 2014 before a planning application is submittedin February. Visit www.luton.gov.uk/currentconsultations to find out more.
A mum of four died after hospital staff missed ‘a window of opportunity’ to repair damage done during an earlier operation.
An inquest on Thursday heard that Emma Hughes, 41, of Dunstable Road, Luton, had suffered serious complications during an operation to remove a kidney at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.
Staff failed to realise that damage to a main artery was cutting off the blood supply to vital organs until several hours after.
She had further surgery but suffered three cardiac arrests on the operating table and died the following day, October 24, 2012.
Beds Coroner Tom Osborne heard from consultant urologist Ashraf Alum that there had been complications during the original operation to remove a kidney and tumour.
Mrs Hughes was later moved to the high dependency unit to recuperate. Mr Alum told the inquest at Ampthill, that although he did not give specific instructions to nursing staff to contact him if her condition deteriorated, he believed that all staff were aware that is what he preferred.
But the inquest heard that despite Mrs Hughes’ condition getting worse and notes from doctors and senior nurses suggesting Mr Alum should be contacted, he did not receive a call until around 4am the day after the initial operation.
Mrs Hughes was then operated on again at 5.30am on October 23.
A senior review carried out at the hospital following the death has since introduced an escalation policy which is prescriptive for all medical and nursing staff at the high dependency unit.
Dr Douglas Whitelaw, one of the authors of the report, said the policy was designed to change the culture at the hospital and ensure staff were empowered to call a consultant without fear of being reprimanded.
Of Mrs Hughes’ death he said: “There would have been a window of opportunitywhen the outcome would have been different.”
Mrs Hughes died of an intestinal infarction.
In a narrative verdict Mr Osborne said: “there were no written instructions to the nursing or clinical staff that the consultant should be contacted in the event that there was a deterioration in her condition.
“This resulted in a lost opportunity to return her to theatre earlier and render further medical/surgical treatment.”
Tory MP Nadine Dorries received less than £7,000 for her appearance on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.
The payment was revealed in the latest Register of Members’ Interests which showed she also earned £13,268 for TV appearances, interviews and photoshoots associated with her I’m A Celebrity appearance, totalling an additional ten days of work.
For the show itself in November last year, the Mid Beds MP received £6,960 for 12 days of work.
On her personal blog, Ms Dorries wrote: “One advantage of my own outside earnings is that they can be used to help subsidise my parliamentary work. I now no longer claim personal expenses from the taxpayer. I pay for my own Westminster accommodation when Parliament is sitting, my own constituency home and make no claims for travel, food etc. My position on expenses remains unaltered, they should be abolished and until they are the British public will have no faith in politicians.”
The MP was suspended by the Conservative Party for her appearance on the ITV reality show but had the whip restored in May this year amid fears she was going to defect to UKIP.
In total her earnings listed came to £129,558 and included payments from national newspapers for articles and public appearances on shows such as The Chase and Have I Got News For You.
She also received a £75,000 initial payment for her trio of books about life in 1950s Liverpool, the first of which is due out in April next year.
Four stolen motorbikes have been recovered and one person has been arrested for theft in the Beds Police clampdown on nuisance motorcyclists.
Primiarly thanks to information from members of the public, the four vehicles have been returned to their owners and one man has been arrested on suspicion of theft.
On November 15 in Hitchin Road, three males were seen acting suspiciously with a red Honda motorcycle which was later reported as stolen.
A 23-year-old man was arrested and is on police bail as further enquiries are carried out.
Two PCSOs discovered an abandoned Yamaha motorcycle in St Thomas’ Road on November 21 and an hour later the owner reported it as being stolen from Felstead Way and was reunited it.
Three days later, members of the Local Policing Team received information from members of the public concerning a number of motorbikes being driven across Stopsley Common and in the surrounding streets.
When officers arrived shortly afterwards, they discovered two stolen motorcycles - a red Yamaha and a blue Honda – that had been dumped.
On the same day, another local resident called 101 to report a quad bike which had been abandoned in bushes in Butterfield Green Road.
Officers attended and discovered the black and white Haili vehicle which had been reported stolen from Tower Way, Luton, earlier in the month.
All of the vehicles were recovered and reunited with their rightful owners.
Sergeant Melissa Cunningham of the Local Policing Team said: “We have seen some very positive results ever since we appealed to members of the public to come forward with information about nuisance motorists and this has enabled us to recover stolen property and reunite it with their rightful owner.
“Nuisance vehicles are a blight on residents’ lives across Luton and I hope that residents will continue to work with the Local Policing Team in an effort to crackdown on this form of antisocial behaviour.”
While officers are able to take full advantage of Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002 which gives them the ability to stop anti-social motorists and warn them about their behaviour as well as issuing fines and seizing their vehicles, it is stopping suspects in the first instance that can be the biggest problem.
Sgt Cunningham said: “One of the issues we have is not being able to chase after every single nuisance rider or motorist but by providing information such as names, addresses or where the vehicle may have been previously, we can build up a picture of the offenders and take appropriate action.”
Anyone with information concerning nuisance vehicles can contact Bedfordshire Police on the 101 number or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
A free mobile phone service launched by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) goes live this week to help accident victims check vehicle insurance details at the roadside.
The new ‘askMID Roadside’ service, which is only accessible via a smart mobile device at www.askMID.com can be used to check the insurance details of the other parties involved in a road traffic incident.
MIB Chief Executive, Ashton West, says the service will help drivers and take some of the stress out of collecting important information at the time of the accident.
“Accidents can be harrowing experiences, but collecting accurate details at the scene of the accident is absolutely essential to making insurance claims for damage and injuries. The new askMID Roadside service provides drivers with an instant check of the Motor Insurance Database (MID) from their mobile phone. This confirms whether the other vehicle involved in the accident is showing as insured on the MID and provides the other party’s insurance details so that the claim can be pursued quickly.”
“It offers motorists peace of mind that the insurance details provided by the other driver at the scene of an accident match the records held on the MID.”
base. If the results from askMID checks are inconsistent with the person you’ve had an accident with, you should report that to your insurer immediately.”
Luton Borough Council has opened up a book of condolence for Nelson Mandela.
The book will be available for the public to sign between the hours of 9am - 5pm in the Town Hall reception
from Monday to Friday.
I’ve lost patience with the fairy steps approach to cigarette packaging, I’m afraid. It’s time for a more radical proposal.
You’ll recall that back in the dark ages, when people first began to suspect that gulping down lungfuls of noxious smoke on a regular basis might not the best way to ensure continued good health, the warnings began with a discreet bit of guidance on the side of the pack.
It was wordy, it was resigned, and it seemed more designed to give those at the top a ‘Well, don’t say you weren’t warned’ get out when wheezing victims of the wicked weed presented themselves for expensive medical treatment years down the line.
Because small print on the side of a pack was never likely to outweigh the siren call of nicotine addiction, it didn’t do much good, so the guardians of our health began to up the stakes.
The type started to get bigger and bolder, the messages starker and more severe, and the warnings moved from the side of the packet to cover most of the surface front and back. Still the smokers puffed on.
The next step saw pictures of diseased lungs and other exhausted organs slapped on to the pack, in the fond but foolish belief that diehard smokers would take a long look at medical specimens each time they were tempted to light up and be encouraged to think again.
Most recently we have seen cigarettes hidden away behind closed doors in all larger stores – but not corner tobacconists, so what’s the point? – and vending machines banished.
And now we are told that the way forward, particularly when it comes to steering children away from taking up the habit in the first place, is to do away with all glossy typefaces and bright inviting colours and force cigarettes to be sold in the plainest packs possible.
This, we are told, will make smoking less glamorous to impressionable youngsters – because we all know that grey-faced puffers shivering outside pubs and workplaces in the rain while they feed their pariah habit is such an irresistible recruiting call.
My solution, for what it’s worth, is simple. Ban all packaging completely.
How would that work? Well, you probably know that you can’t buy certain types of painkillers these days in bulk for fear of overdoses.
I think we should introduce the same sort of thinking to cigarettes.
It should be illegal to sell them except as individual units, or possess them, which would mean that every time you wanted a fag you’d have to walk down to the shops.
What’s more, shops allowed to sell tobacco would not be permitted to sell matches or lighters. Think about it – smokers would either finally give it up as a bad job, or at least get a bit of exercise as they feed their horrible habit.
I honestly thought we’d made a bit of a breakthrough this Christmas, but she cracked.
It has long been Mrs Dee’s habit at this time of year to buy a selection box for every child of everyone she works with, and the list has obviously extended as families have grown.
It never got any shorter, though, despite the fact that some of the recipients have now left home, completed university, and embarked on careers. None are yet parents in their own right, but that day can’t be far off – never mind, they still get a selection box of chocolate treats.
Having patiently explained that it was probably time to call a halt, I secured her agreement that the list would be trimmed to include only those whose age was still in single figures.
But then one of the big supermarkets trumpeted a buy one, get one free offer and she couldn’t resist. The list currently stands at 26 names, since you ask, and it’s the same at Easter, but that’s a cross I will just have to bear.
My belief that grown-ups have no need of the sort of kiddy choc compilation provided by a selection box could well be misplaced, though.
I reluctantly came to that conclusion after overhearing two twentysomethings comparing the contents of their respective Advent calendars.
Cue a decided doubletake on the part of yours truly.
It’s a free country, of course, and if you wish to pick away at a cardboard flap in the expectation of a thin sliver of greasy chocolate that’s entirely your affair, although I do think it’s a little sad if you have to buy your own.
For those confused about whether or not they should still be indulging in these childish Christmas treats, here’s a checklist of questions that should be answered before you open that next window.
1. Do you actually know what Advent is all about, and will you be attending a church service on Christmas Day?
2. Do you still believe in Father Christmas, and do you still write him a list every year?
3. Does that list include anything but high-end electrical items and hard cash?
4. Are you still required to wear a school uniform on a regular basis? Fancy dress parties or adult roleplay doesn’t count.
5. Will you be required to go to bed early on Christmas Eve to clear the way for Santa?
6. Do you still expect a stocking full of goodies at the foot of your bed when you wake up?
7. Is your main source of income pocket money provided by your parents?
8. Will the most intoxicating drink you sup this festive season be just a single sip of mummy’s wine?
If you answered no to most of the above, it’s time to turn your back on the Advent calendar. And the selection box. And, with an eye to future savings, on Easter eggs as well.
“Ask not why you were imprisoned. Ask why you were set free…”
If you were held captive and isolated for no obvious reason for 20 years you’d probably be very, very angry when finally released.
Almost as angry, in fact, as if someone had the cheek to remake one of the more provocative, visceral cult-classic thrillers out there and turn into a scene-by-scene exercise in badly-judged tedium.
Just when you thought it was safe to venture back to the cinema in the light of some recent remakes not being complete rubbish, along comes Spike Lee with what could be the worst film of the year.
The original Oldboy, released in 2003, was a kinetically charged, twisted, revenge-em-up from Korea that packed a seriously sick sting in the tail.
Directed by Chan-wook Park, who made this year’s excellent Stoker, it delivered a cinematic shock to the system.
Alas, although the 2013 US version is equally nasty it lacks any redeeming features despite a cast including Josh ‘No Country For Old Men’ Brolin in the lead, supported by Elizabeth ‘Red Lights’ Olsen, Sharlto ‘District 9’ Copely and the mighty Samuel L. Jackson.
The grim tale features Joe Doucette (Brolin), kidnapped and locked in solitary confinement for 20 years.
With just a TV for company his days are spent watching crime, keep fit and martial arts shows, and he devotes his energies to working out and honing his body so that, should he ever get the chance of revenge, he will be well prepared.
One day, without explanation, he is released and begins an obsessive quest to hunt down whoever imprisoned him.
But things aren’t all they seem and as his violent odyssey for answers continues Joe discovers that the real mystery might be just why he was set free.
Most of the scenes from the original are faithfully recreated, even the much discussed and admired comic book-esque thug battle.
But this is a lacklustre effort that fails to commit to the manic over the top spirit required to pull off such a mind-bending plot.
Spike Lee is an accomplished director, so one can only wonder at his thinking here.
Take this as a warning – there should be only one Oldboy and it’s the original. Do not fall for the vapid attraction of this counterfeit cinematic tripe.
A business man was fined over £12,000 for poor hygiene standards at Ambala Sweet in Dunstable Road.
Khalil Amhad, owner of the premises, pleaded guilty to eight offences under food hygiene laws.
Food safety officers discovered kitchen walls stained black by the carbon produced during cooking samosas and other fried foods, and raw meat stored next to ready-to-eat food such as sweets, increasing the risk of cross-contamination.
Chopping boards used to prepare onions, ginger and pakoras were found to be very dirty, blackened with mould and stored underneath a prayer mat. Other equipment including fridge shelves, handles and containers were sticky to the touch and dirty.
The hand basin was not properly attached to the wall and raw meat was washed in the same sink as equipment and utensils.
Food was found stored in cardboard boxes.
Officers were very concerned by the poor standards of cleanliness, poor handling practices and poor hygiene knowledge among staff.
Cllr Mohammed Ashraf, portfolio holder for Environmental Health, said: “Food law lays down basic cleanliness and hygiene standards for food businesses to help keep customers safe and healthy. Cleaning and separating raw and ready to eat foods is not difficult or expensive but the consequences of getting it wrong can be life threatening. Businesses that continue to ignore these basic hygiene standards face prosecution and fines.”
The business was told to write down how they were going to ensure their food was safe; although this had been done in the past, pages were missing and staff were not following control measures necessary to prevent cross contamination.
Ahmad attended court and pleaded guilty to eight offences under the food hygiene laws on 11 November. Magistrates ordered Ahmad to pay £10,000 in fines, £120 victim surcharge and council costs of £2,031.
To check out the hygiene rating in any restaurant or takeaway, see www.food.gov.uk/ratings
A man who committed criminal damage to property in Flowers Way car park is wanted by police.
Beds Police are asking for help to identify the man who committed the offence on November 25.
Anyone with information relating to this incident can contact DC Jo Barkat, at Luton Police Station, in confidence, on 01582 394316, or Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.
Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.