Kieron Holloway helps his best friend, who has cerebral palsy, making sure that he is included in activities.

It is something that he does naturally and does not regard as special, but it means a lot to pal William Meachem.

Now Kieron has been put forward for Bedfordshire Young People of the Year, sponsored by Central Bedforshire Council among others. At the age of 10, he is one of the youngest people ever nominated for a YOPEY award.

Kieron, of Bradford Way, Toddington, was nominated by Bhavani Sarma, who lives opposite and daily sees his kind actions.

She first noticed his kindness when moving to the village three years ago and he helped her son Aswin settle in at St George’s Lower School.

Because of his condition William can walk only short distances, having to use a wheelchair at other times. Kieron takes over from William’s mum, Kirsty, at the gates of Parkfields Middle School inthe village and pushes him into the school.

“Kieron is always considerate of William’s physical limitations and gives up his time to ensure William is always included in the group, whatever activity they may be undertaking,” said Bhavani.

She described him as a very energetic boy who loves to run, climb and explore but who slows down for his pal.

This was best demonstrated at Aswin’s 10th birthday party at Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton. While the other boys ran about, Kieron pushed William’s wheelchair and stayed with him throughout. “Kieron’s a lovely child who does a brilliant job looking after William,” she added.

Kirsty said: “Kieron has made a big difference to William’s life for which he and I are grateful. Kieron genuinely cares about William and makes sure he has the same experiences at school by making sure that he is included.

“The two boys recently went on a school residential weekend and shared a room with William’s official carer next door. It was great for William being able to buddy up on their first time away from home. It meant a lot to him.”

Kirsty said Kieron calls at their home every morning and walks alongside to the school. He then pushes William through the gates so that he has some independence with the other children.

Kieron, who has known William since their first year at school, was pleased to be nominated, and explained why he helped.

“It’s not fair for him not to be able to get around,” he said. “I just talk to him while I’m pushing him to make him feel a bit happier and so that he is involved in what is going on.

“I just think I’m doing something normal. I don’t regard it as special.”

He was proud that William managed to take part in outdoor activities on the residential weekend, that included rock climbing, dragon boat racing and raft building, with assistance from instructors.

This is the seventh time a YOPEY competition has been held in Bedfordshire to reveal, recognise and reward positive role models who go the extra mile to help others. The winner will receive a prize of £800 ­–half for themselves and half for a good cause ­ out of a total pot of £2,000. There will be other prizes similarly shared.

>Do you know somebody who deserves the title Young Person of the Year in Bedfordshire? To nominate logon to yopey.org or write, enclosing an SAE, to YOPEY, Woodfarm Cottage, Bury Road, Stradishall, Newmarket CB8 8YN.

Celebrity diving show Splash! is returning to television screens on Saturday but some members of Inspire sports centre are furious that the filming is once again closing the competition pool.

The show, featuring Olympic diver Tom Daley, is being filmed at the £26 million state-of-the art centre in Stopsley for the second year running.

From 6am until 10pm every day this week, and all Fridays and Saturdays for the duration of the seven-week programme, the pool is closed.

Stopsley resident and Inspire member Frances Pardell said: “I was looking forward to the Christmas holidays so I could combine my visits to the gym with a swim in the competition pool.

“It’s the week that everybody is off work and they’ve blocked off the pool until 10pm every single day.

“They are covered legally with their contract but I think it’s absolutely immoral. That pool is a fabulous pool that’s so popular. This is the one time of year when hard-working residents like myself could use it and it’s closed. It’s an outrage. Why not apologise? Why not offer us a refund? Instead they completely ignore us. It’s not great for the pool or Luton that Splash! is being filmed there. Nobody cares, it’s a terrible programme.”

A Luton Borough Council spokesperson said the first series of Splash! made a positive impact on how Luton is perceived nationally and membership at the centre increased following the show.

Money from the show also paid for new springboards and equipment at the centre.

The spokesperson said: “Most of the work is going on outside of Inspire’s normal operating hours to keep disruption to a minimum. To minimise the loss of water time, the community pool will open earlier than normal on January 6 at 7am and on January 7 at 8.30am. Members can also use the pools at Lea Manor Recreation Centre and at Lewsey Park Pool.”

Active Luton held last year’s prices for existing members in recognition of the inconvenience caused by hosting the TV programme.

The clause in membership agreements allows the centre to close for events and members can use other pools.

There’s more than a hint of David-and-Goliath tales like Local Hero in PROMISED LAND (15: Universal).

And this gently-paced fictional story about an energy corporation buying up farmland also has echoes of true-life legal dramas such as Erin Brockovich.

Matt Damon and Frances McDormand star as slick company reps who arrive in a rural Pennsylvania community to harvest signatures allowing deep drilling for natural gas using the controversial fracking process.

A retired engineer (Hal Holbrook) asks difficult questions about its ecological impact and a charismatic eco-warrior (John Krasinski) whips up the locals into a threatened revolt.But the real focus of the story hinges on Damon’s crisis of corporate confidence, which is subtly played.

Director Gus Van Sant makes the most of the rolling American landscape, although we could have done with the film having a few more surprises up its sleeve.

> An Alaskan state trooper (Nicolas Cage) is on the trail of a serial killer in moody, fact-based thriller THE FROZEN GROUND (15: Koch Media).

The Anchorage area has been terrorised for 13 years and when a young prostitute escapes the maniac’s clutches, the lawman seeks her help in identifying him. But he has a hard time earning her trust and her reluctanc e to give evidence means Cage has to convince his bosses he’s after the right man, while protecting the girl from a murderer intent on finishing the job.

Writer/director Scott Walker stays relatively faithful to the details of the 1983 case and provides an atmosphere that evokes the Nordic noir genre. Cage’s performance is solid, although he occasionally threatens to spill over into manic overacting, and John Cusack is perfect as the ‘Is he or isn’t he’ thrust of the investigation.

> Muddled crime drama HARRIGAN (15: High Fliers) is set on a troubled estate in north-east England in 1974, a time of social unrest, high inflation, power cuts and the three-day week.

Stephen Tompkinson stars as police detective Barry Harrigan, who returns to his home town after an assignment in Hong Kong. As the economic crisis bites, Harrigan struggles to bring a gang leader to justice and is hampered by tight budgets and superior officers all too ready to turn a blind eye to the crime spree.

The case becomes personal when his friend is beaten to death by his enemy’s thugs.

A grim portrait of an industrial city in decline is painted, but the script, by former policeman and TV writer Arthur McKenzie (The Bill, Wycliffe), is too scattergun to hang together as a cohesive story.

Although Tompkinson does well as the honourable man fighting against a failing system, most characters are too close to lazy stereotypes to impress.

>Alan Cumming is a tremendous actor and his exuberance perfectly suits the drag act he performs in a seedy 1970s LA bar in ANY DAY NOW (15: Peccadillo).

He remains larger than life as he falls in love with the Assistant DA during his bid to secure custody of the teenage Down’s syndrome son of a drug-addled neighbour, who has been jailed for a variety of offences.

The period is perfectly captured and the gay rights issues under discussion are given a sharp, contemporary edge.

Two Luton Labour Councillors have been suspended from the Labour party over alleged comments made on Facebook.

Husband and wife Mohammad Ayub and Naseem Ayub are both councillors for the Biscot ward and Naseem is a member of the council’s executive committee.

Allegations were made about the couple before shortly Christmas concerning their use of social media sites.

An East of England Labour Party Spokesperson said: “Following allegations about comments made on Facebook, Councillor Mohammad Ayub and Councillor Naseem Ayub were suspended from the Labour Party.”

The pair will continue their council duties such as attending meetings and voting.

Naseem, who was elected in 2011, is also the Labour candidate for the Eastern Region in the MEP elections.

Mohammad was elected in 2007.

Bedfordshire Police confirmed they are investigating potential offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 (unauthorised access) and/or Malicious Communications Act 1988 (send offensive communication/incite racial hatred).

A Beds Police spokesperson said: “As this investigation is ongoing at this time it would be inappropriate to comment further. As no one has been charged in connection with this investigation we will not confirm the identity of those involved.”

A man was robbed of his phone near his home in Park Street on New Year’s Day.

The man, 21, was walking in Park Street at about 3.15pm when he was approached by a man who dragged him into an alleyway and punched him.

He ended up with a cut knee and hand as a result of the attack.

A second man then appeared and went through his pockets, stealing an iPhone 5S and wallet.

Both robbers are desceribed as white, about 25 years old.

Call 101 with information.

The on-going row over where a village side should build a £275,000 all-weather training pitch is over - with a devastating impact on the area’s young football players.

Eaton Bray Lions has called time on the scheme after failing to win the majority backing of the parish council.

A recent poll, to gauge views on its location in the village, not only split residents but also their councillors.

After a crunch vote last month, the parish council narrowly dropped its support for the original location, at The Rye, but said it may back a second option to develop Holman’s Field at the rear of School Lane.

But yet another delay has proved too much for the football club which has nearly 300 young players on its books.

In a statement from the club they say: “We are very saddened to report that the parish council, in the face of a small but vocal group of ‘Nimbies’ have wavered on supporting the entire project and have effectively ‘kicked the project into the long grass’.

“There is effectively no reasonable prospect of securing their support, which we need to both submit a planning application and also have an operating agreement which would work.

“All of these decisions were taken in the face of the public consultation, which the PC insisted upon, producing a majority in favour of BOTH sites. “So having made us jump through hoops they then ignore the inconvenient results.

“Therefore, despite being granted planning permission at the Rye and winning a majority in the public consultation, neither of the proposed projects will now go ahead.

“We feel that there is no realistic prospect of finding a new site and starting the whole process again.

“With a heavy heart we have therefore decided to close the project and reluctantly accepted that this now will not happen.

“A minority of the parish council have been hugely supportive of what we were proposing. However, with the change of composition of the parish council, the majority have been against this and without their clear support it is now dead as a viable project.

“The practical result of this decision for the club may mean a reduction in the number of teams due to a lack of playing surfaces, which means less children in our villages playing sport and the loss of a fantastic facility for future generations.”

The Lions have spent years trying to improve village amenities and its training facilities by building a pitch but they have been thwarted by residents fiercely opposed to using part of the village green at The Rye for the purpose.

Last year they punted in a second option of developing one of their existing playing areas at Holman’s Field.

To answer criticism about unfair play a poll was circulated throughout the village and beyond asking whether there was support for a pitch and, if so, which one.

Of more than 2,000 electors in Eaton Bray there were 289 responses with the majority in favour of a pitch off School Lane.

Nearly 100 people from Edlesborough and nearby towns/villages, also voted with most supporting The Rye.

Sixties sensations The Overtures will be belting out hits from the golden decade at the Alban Arena later this month to boost an ambitious cinema revival project.

James Hannaway, the driving force behind the successful rebirth of the long-abandoned Rex cinema in Berkhamsted, is looking to perform the same feat in St Albans.

The city’s Odeon cinema gave up the ghost soon after the new multiplex at Hemel Hempstead’s Jarman Park opened its doors in the 1990s.

The London Road site has been standing empty ever since – but plans to restore it to its former glory and get back into business are well advanced.

And the Overtures are backing the ambitious bid with a concert on Friday, January 17, at 8pm.

It’s a chance to get up close and personal to the first choice party band of rock royalty.

They have performed for Elton John no fewer than five times – he calls them “ just the best band of their kind in the world.”

Their repertoire of more than 400 songs covering everything from early Merseybeat and the Fab Four through to the surf sound of The Beach Boys is backed up by the latest technology – when they tour as The Bootleg Sixties show they serve up a visual treat of still and moving images from the period on three screens.

The Sixties show is being readied for a Netherlands tour, but you can catch them before they set off abroard. Tickets are £18, visit www.alban-arena.co.uk or call 01727 844488 for more.

You can find out more the band at www.theovertures.com.

All profits raised will go towards the restoration of the former four-screen cinema into the luxurious 500-seater Odyssey.

For the latest news on the project and the final push for funding, visit odysseypictures.co.uk.

A teenager was hit over the head during a robbery at the junction of Hart Lane and Crawley Green Road.

The incident happened at about 6pm on December 28 when the 17-year-old was struck over the head from behind.

Two men demanded the victim’s phone before punching him in the face several times and searching his pockets - taking an LG mobile phone.

They left the scene on foot towards Park viaduct and the vicitim was left with brusing to his face.

The offenders are decribed as boys with an Asian appearance, around 16 years old.

One was carrying a black man bag across his chest.

Call Det Con David Elias in confidence on 01582 394376, or Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

“Some of this actually happened…”

Here’s a thing – I can make you rich. If you’re in need of credit, cash or liquidity but are somehow challenged, crooked, or desperate, come to me and I’ll sort you out...just as long as you give me an up front non-refundable fee…

American Hustle is the half true but mostly fictitious tale of Irving Rosenfeld – a superbly bulked-up and bloated Christian ‘Dark Knight’ Bale – who is a brilliant con man scamming desperate people out their money.

We meet him as he teams up with faux British-accented Sydney Prosser (Amy ‘Man of Steel’ Adams who sizzles throughout) but just as things are getting interesting for the pair, the FBI shut them down.

They are forced against their will to work for renegade Agent Richie DiMaso (a perm haired Bradley Cooper) who wants them to help him take down much larger fish who include senators, crime bosses and many other targets.

But as the stakes rise so does the danger – and when the Mafia get involved in the shape of notoriously violent overlord Victor Tellegio (an uncredited Robert De Niro) things start looking tricky for our hustler heroes.

The plot is your average twisty turny scam-em-up but it’s the AAA cast who make this movie so much larger than life and must bring Oscar possibilities.

All the leads are excellent and include Jennifer ‘Hunger Games’ Lawrence as Irving’s wild card wife who just might bring the whole hustle crashing down with deadly consequences.

Drawn into the scheme is corrupt mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy ‘Avengers’ Renner) who is prepared to do some shady deals in order to try and make New Jersey a better place – and make some money along the way.

The emotional friendship between Carmine and Irving is one of the film’s cores and you’ll find yourself genuinely moved by the interplay of men whose relationship is built on a lie.

Director Russell brings a convincing 1970s look and feel to the whole production – it really is like stepping back in time as you soak up the fashion and culture of the time.

American Hustle is a love letter to the shady dealings the tore the heart out of the US political system but it maintains a great balance between danger and fun.

A man was seriously injured after a fight broke out at a house party in Brunel Road in the early hours of this morning.

Police were called to the scene at about 1.30am where a man in his 40s was found with puncture wounds to his chest.

He was taken to hospital and another man, aged 16, was arrested and remains in police custody being questioned by detectives.

Detective Sgt Martin Eaton said: “The victim is receiving medical treatment at this time and we believe the injuries are not life threatening. Although this incident happened during the early hours of the morning it is possible that local residents or motorists passing through the area may have seen the assault. I would urge these people to contact the police to help piece together exactly what happened.”

Scenes of crime officers were in Brunel Road this morning gathering evidence.

Call Det Sgt Eaton on 01582 394310 or Beds Police on 101 with information.

A 17 year old Luton teenager, who robbed three taxi drivers in the town in a matter of weeks, has been sent to a detention centre for the next three years.

In two of the robberies the boy, who can’t be named for legal reasons, lured the drivers to a spot in Dunstable Road.

In the third robbery last September, he lured a taxi driver to outside the Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

At Luton crown court, the tearaway appeared for sentence having pleaded earlier to robbing a driver on August 29 last year of £150.

He pleaded guilty to a second robbery carried out on September 21 in which he had snatched £45 from another driver.

And finally he admitted robbing the driver he had lured to the hospital on September 22 of £45.

Recorder Timothy Clark was told that in the first two robberies, the teenager had produced a knife and held it to the face and throat of his victims, causing terror.

In the final holdup he had grabbed the driver around the throat and caused a small cut with his finger nail to the man, behind his ear.

Warwick Aleeson defending, said the boy had been brought up in a succession of care homes since the age of seven

Later he had fallen into bad company and it was against that background the offences had been committed.

Passing sentence the recorder told the teenager “These were robberies of taxi drivers serving the public and two of the robberies involved you pulling out a knife and holding it to their throat and face.

“They must have been terrified.”

Proposals to enlarge Warden Hill Junior School are being consulted on.

The aim is to increase the capacity of the school in Birdsfoot Lane from 360 to 480.

This is to accommodate 120 pupils at the year three intake point in September.

See www.luton.gov.uk/currentconsultations to view the full plans and comment on them

Barristers protested outside St Albans Crown Court today against government cuts to legal aid.

The half-day walkout, called by the Criminal Bar Association, is the first in the history of an organisation which can trace its roots back to the 13th century.

Outside the court, the chairman of the Herts & Beds Bar Mess, Kerim Fuad QC, said “For the last six years, the government has slashed the Legal Aid Fund – it is about to do so again.

“In real terms, for barristers who do criminal legal aid work, that will amount to a 41 per cent cut.

“Every time it happens, the Criminal Justice System is weakened, and when the system is weakened, the eventual result is that the guilty go unpunished and the innocent are wrongly convicted.

“Legal Aid provision, like the NHS, is part of the welfare state.

“Years ago, people who knew the value of justice in our society designed a system which, like our NHS, meant that if you needed it, the state would not provide some second-rate service for the poor, but the best available help at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer.”

He said that raiding the Legal Aid fund was a lazy way of saving money that will, in time, reduce the quality of judges.

He added: “It will have poor consequences for the most vulnerable, including victims of crime and witnesses.

“ It is socially divisive. It has a disproportionate impact on those who want to work in the profession who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is not a policy that has been thought through, it is unnecessary.”

A shopkeeper had her bag snatched as she closed her business on Friday night.

Two men approached the woman at about 8.30pm as she locked up her shop in High Town Road.

They assaulted her and grabbed her handbag before attempting to flee but members of the public gave chase and were able to recover the bag.

Det Con Tim Worden said: “This was a cowardly attack on a woman who has been left extremely shaken by the assault and robbery. Thankfully she did not suffer serious injury and members of the public were able to assist her and retrieve her belongings.

“However, this was a violent attack and it is important that we find the people responsible. I’m keen to speak with anyone who may have seen the assault and robbery taking place or from anyone who has further information.”

Call 01582 394434, the non-emergency number 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

Two balaclava-clad men armed with a handgun and knife threatened a man who woke up to find them in his house in Cranleigh Gardens on Sunday.

They stole £200 in cash and his iPhone during the aggravated burglary at about 2.45am.

The pair then fled the property and ran along Fountains Road towards Culverhouse Road.

Det Con Ben Stone said: “This was a terrifying ordeal for the victim who genuinely feared that he would be harmed if he did not hand over his belongings.

“I would urge anyone with information about this crime to come forward and talk to us. Even the smallest pieces of information, which may not seem relevant, could be important.”

The offender armed with the handgun is described as being a white male, around five feet six inches tall, dressed in black clothing and wearing a balaclava.

The second offender – armed with a kitchen knife – was a black male, around six feet two inches tall, wearing dark

clothing and a balaclava.

Call Det Con Stone on 01582 394471 with information.

A report documenting the Department for Education (DfE) investigation into the Barnfield Federation is set to be published “as soon as possible”.

The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) and Education Funding Agency investigation concluded in October last year and a report was expected within six to eight weeks.
At the start of December, the former director general of Barnfield College, Sir Peter Birkett, resigned from his new job, saying the Barnfield investigation could be a ‘distraction’.
Sir Peter, who was the founder of the Luton-based federation, resigned from his role there in July last year.

A DfE spokesman said today: “The Skills Funding Agency (SFA) received serious allegations relating to financial irregularities and governance at the Barnfield Federation in late August 2013.

“A joint Skills Funding Agency and Education Funding Agency investigation was quickly launched in September.

“The SFA and EFA investigation reports have not yet been finalised. These will be published as soon as possible.”

There’s been a lot of tutting about the suggestion that there should be a charge made if you visit a hospital A&E department and it turns out that it’s not really an emergency, and I can see how people would have their reservations about introducing payments of this kind into the NHS system.

But as usual, I have a solution – and if you think it’s all a bit complicated, all I can say is that if it’s good enough for Tesco and Sainsbury’s, it shouldn’t be too difficult to pull off.

If the grocery giants are able to keep tabs on me to such an extent that they know precisely what sort of biscuits I prefer and how often I am likely to buy them, why isn’t it possible to have some sort of citizenship loyalty card?

Here’s how it would work, although you’re doubtless aware of the general idea.

Everyone would have a card, and it would contain basic information about who you are and other handy information that would aid any medical professional trying to help you – blood group, health history and the like.

All clear so far? Let’s take it a step further – it would also flag up to anyone arriving at A&E that your GP has been consistently urging you to cut out smoking, reduce your booze intake, take a bit of exercise and occasionally add a vegetable to your diet.

If it’s clear that you’ve been ignoring all that guidance and that your current state of health is largely self-inflicted, why shouldn’t you go to the back of the queue?

If you’re the sort who has a season ticket at A&E because you won’t take the time to see a GP, phone 111 for help or learn a bit about how your body works and change your lifestyle accordingly, I’m not suggesting that you should be shown the door – but the prospect of having to wait your turn might be enough to get you moving in the right direction, surely?

Here’s another thought – if you’re a regular blood donor, if you’re signed up to offer up your organs in the event of your death, why shouldn’t that give you a push up the line?

If you’re a realist about just how much information there is about you on record already and you’re not trying to fly under the wire, let’s take it a little bit further.

Are you up to date with your taxes? Do you follow the rules on recycling? Do you have a criminal record? Do you regularly volunteer to help others? I’m sure that the majority of us who tick those boxes wouldn’t have a problem with getting a bit of a leg-up because of our commendable citizenship.

Conspiracy theorists will quickly add other data to that list – did you vote for the government, have you made an official complaint about your treatment in the past, that sort of thing.

But we need to do something to stem the needless A&E tide, and the technology is available now.

Around 60 staff are likely to lose their jobs as a Luton-based windows company went into administration yesterday.

Frame fabricators, Weathershield Windows Limited which is based in Selbourne Road has been placed into administration and ceased trading.

The staff are expected to be made redundant with immediate effect.

A spokesperson for joint administrators Begbies Traynor said: “We are undoubtedly conscious of the effects that the redundancies will have on the company’s workforce, and the individuals concerned however there is no other option at this time given the financial position of the company.

“We will be working extremely hard to assess all viable options for the future of the business and are hopeful that we will find a purchaser for the whole or part of the business in the near future, which will allow for some employees to secure ongoing employment. Whilst there are enquiries from certain interested parties, the outcome is far from certain at present.”

Right, you’ve all had quite enough silliness and merriment over the holidays. Now let’s tackle some serious issues, OK?

First up in the ‘released just in time to build up a head of steam for the Oscars’ slot is the much-discussed 12 Years A Slave, Steve McQueen’s blistering true story of slavery in pre-Civil War America.

Chiwetel Ejiofor has been tipped for all sorts of honours for his performance in the lead role, a free black musician living in mid-19th century New York who is kidnapped and dispatched in chains to the Deep South.

He’s given a new name, sold to a plantation owner and has to buckle down to brutal servitude for more than a decade.

Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt are also in the cast but all eyes are on Ejiofor, and on McQueen who has followed up cult hits like Hunger and Shame with a costume epic that has real clout. The running time is more than two hours, but it will fly by.

Also based on a grim true story is The Railway Man, based on the experiences of a young soldier forced to work on the notorious Burma railway – you know, the Bridge On The River Kwai one – after being captured by the Japanese in the Second World War .

Not surprisingly he’s scarred by the experience and years later is still trying to come to terms with the psychological damage he suffered during three years of hard labour and a daily battle to survive.

Colin Firth plays the older man, and Nicole Kidman is the wife who encourages him to deal with his demons, and eventually track down the captor who brutally tortured him.

It’s a first screenplay credit for Frank Cottrell Boyce since he was on Danny Boyle’s gold medal Olympic opening ceremony team, and it’s a sensitive and engrossing story about damage, despair and forgiveness which again shows just how well Firth does buttoned-up Brits.

A patient at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital visited casualty 234 times over the course of a year.

Figures obtained by the BBC in a Freedom of Information request revealed the L&D held the dubious top spot for most visits from a patient during 2012-13.

Doctors warned that the 12,000 people nationally who made more than ten visits to the same A&E were adding to the mounting pressures on hospitals this winter.

An L&D spokesman said: “We know that a tiny minority of patients have very complex health and social needs which are not easily addressed in any setting and these people visit many different health services that are available very frequently.

“Anyone arriving at an A&E department might require clinical investigation and treatment, and at this hospital, we have diagnosed very serious illness, including cancer, in people whom others might regard as abusing A&E with their frequent visits.

“For some people, A&E really is the last resort for them to turn to and all emergency departments have a legal duty of care for people who arrive with worrying symptoms.”

The hospital has increased the number of doctors and nurses in A&E to cope with demand and opened a specialist paediatric emergency unit.

Nearby hospitals such as Milton Keynes Hospital and Peterborough City Hospital are currently on black alert over a shortage of bed caused by high numbers of emergency patients.

Black alert is the highest possible level of crisis put in place in hospitals, and is one step up from the serious red alert.

An L&D spokeperson said whilst they are not on black alert, they are extremely busy as is expected at this time of year and there is pressure on bed numbers so they are working with local health and social care services to manage the situation.

The spokesperson said the L&D has one of the busiest emergency deparments in the Midlands and East of England but is one of only three hospitals in the region which consistendly acheives the A&E waiting time requirement to see and treat 95 per cent of patients in under four hours.

Last year, the L&D emergency department dealt with 80,000 episodes of care –so the patient who visited 234 times made up 0.3 per cent of the cases.

A&E staff also directed more than 30,000 minor cases to the GP Urgent Clinic which is at the hospital.

Dr Cliff Mann of the College of Emergency Medicine told the BBC there were a variety of issues which led patients to become frequent visitors, including mental health and problems such as drug and alcohol abuse.

He said this suggested that with better support in the community, particularly from social care, repeat visits could be prevented.

Others may be using A&E units because they find struggle with English and find it difficult to navigate the NHS system.

At the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield, one patient visited 223 times in 2012-13 whilst at Hull Royal Infirmary someone visited 197 times.

Of the 12,000 people making more than ten visits, just over 150 attended more than 50 times.