Two suspected pickpockets are due to appear in court today after being arrested at Luton Airport on Monday.

They were attempting to fly back into Luton and Beds Police arrested them when they arrived.

Claudiu-Viorel Stefan, 32, of no fixed address, and Andrea Sipos, 28, of no fixed address, are both charged with three counts of theft which were committed in August 2013 on the London Underground.

They will appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.

Officers also arrested another wanted thief at Luton Aiport last Thursday.

A schoolboy was robbed of his iPhone by a knife-wielding, bandana-wearing thief in Fairford Avenue.

The boy, 14, was walking close to the junction of Bradgers Hill at about 12.30pm on Tuesday when he walked passed two men stood behind a car.

One of them, who was wearing a red bandana across his face, started to follow him.

A few moments later the offender approached the youngster, pulled a knife from his trousers and demanded that he handed over his phone and passcode.

Fearing for his safety, the victim did as he was told and the offenders fled the area.

The offender who was armed with the knife is described as being an Asian man, 17 to 20 years old. The second offender was also an Asian man.

If you have information relating to this incident, contact Det Con Brecknock, in confidence, on 01582 394499, 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.

A woman went missing from her home in Luton last night and police are becoming increasingly concerned.

Samantha Paine - also known as Samantha Chase - was last seen when she left Rivergate Towers at around 6pm.

Officers are concerned as it is out of character for Samantha not to contact her family or friends.

Samantha is a white woman, around five feet tall, of slim build and with brown/red shoulder length hair that would have been in a ponytail.

She was wearing a black and orange Adidas hooded top, a white Ralph Lauren body warmer over the top, dark coloured Adidas jogging bottoms and white Vans plimsolls.

Samantha left home without her bag, mobile phone or any money but could have taken her dog with her – a blue Staffordshire bull terrier with white chest, brown collar, hazel eyes and a scar under its jaw.

She has links to the Hart Hill and Hockwell Ring areas of Luton as well as Dunstable.

If anyone has any information about the whereabouts of Samantha please contact the Missing Persons Unit at Bedfordshire Police, in confidence, on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Olly Martins is to recommend a ‘small increase’ in the amount of council tax paid for policing.

Mr Martins will present his budget proposals to the Police and Crime Panel on Thursday and set out how he intends to protect frontline policing and tackle the funding gap faced by the force in future years.

There has already been a 4.8% reduction inflicted on Beds Police’s main policing grant from the Government, but £8.5m in efficiency savings still needs to be found over the next two years.

This is on top of the £15 million already saved over the last three years.

The Commissioner is recommending a revenue budget of £101.691 million for 2014/15, which entails a small increase in the amount of Council Tax paid for policing.

However, on the basis that the Government has not announced any information in relation to the increase in Council Tax that would lead to a referendum, Mr Martins says he is still waiting to hear whether the Government agrees that Beds has a more pressing case for flexibility about any increase and will lift the referendum limit for this year.

If the Panel agrees, the current recommendation would see a small rise of about 6p a week for a Band D household. The maximum increase envisaged is less than 9p a week.

Mr Martins said: “The referendum threshold is effectively a cap because the costs involved in holding one fall on the police budget. The Government is making life awkward for PCCs and councils by not announcing the threshold until the eleventh hour.

“But whilst I don’t relish increasing the amount local people have to pay towards policing, especially when many families are struggling financially, a small increase will help to protect frontline policing and the financial position we are in means that I need to maximise every available resource to do that.”

“The force is fast approaching the position where it has exhausted the options it has for reducing its costs. There are very limited opportunities to further reduce expenditure after March 2015 without resorting to making significant cuts to frontline local policing. There is a danger that the service to the public will suffer as a result.

“Our financial plight is well-rehearsed and therefore I have to do the very best I can with every tool at my disposal. Public feedback over the past year strongly indicates that, perhaps uniquely, people are willing to pay a bit more towards policing.

“The Chief Constable and I have worked very hard with the public to develop a Police and Crime Plan that reflects what they tell us they want to see and this budget is designed to deliver it.

“The plan focuses on three key areas, policing visibility, victim satisfaction and crime prevention - which in itself leads to fewer victims and less demand on police resources. We are also working hard to reduce costs and increase resilience through our joint working with other forces.”

A family with a two-month-old baby is struggling to cope with flood water which is blocking their driveway.

The Watermans have lived in Poynters Road in Luton for six years, but since roadworks in the street they have experienced flooding outside their house and that of their neighbour during heavy rain.

Central Beds Council, who are responsible for the highway and the roadworks, deny the flood water is from Poynters Road. Katie Waterman, a teacher, said: “It’s up to a foot of water at times and the water is dirty. When the rain stops for a few days it drains away but then the drive is covered in mud. It’s filthy.

“We’ve been in wellies for weeks. You can walk through it but carrying the baby or a car seat or a pram it’s a problem. I’m struggling with access especially with my new baby. I’m at the end of my tether.”

Mrs Waterman, 29, said she has run up huge bills phoning Central Beds Council since Christmas, but they rarely get back to her.

The drains have been cleared out twice but every time it rains the water returns.

Cllr Brian Spurr from Central Beds said: “When we designed and built the Poynters Road improvements, we carried out works to ensure that rain water falling on the road and footways did not end up flowing on to people’s driveways.

“Our engineers met with the residents of 94 and 96 at the time to explain what we were doing and to show that rain water collecting on their drive was not rain water from Poynters Road.”

Residents who receive adult social care from Luton Borough Council are being asked to give honest feedback about the services.

Around 1,000 randomly selected services users will receive a survey asking them about the quality of support for older and vulnerable people in the town.

The results of the survey will be analysed carefully to find out what is working well, what needs improving and what needs changing.

The survey will also compare the experiences of people across different demographic groups to ensure that our services meet the needs of everyone.

Cllr Mahmood Hussain, portfolio holder for adult social care, said: “This survey is the most important way of finding out what impact our services have had on the lives of residents so I hope everyone that receives one takes the time to complete it. It will help us understand what we need to do differently to improve services for you.

“It is no secret that we have been faced with massive budget cuts, so we are also hopeful that the survey will help us understand how we can provide services more efficiently and effectively in such a challenging financial environment.

“Whether it’s home care, occupational therapy or you have had your home adapted in the last year, if you do receive a survey it is vitally important that you give us honest feedback.”

The Department of Health-led survey is being sent out by all councils across the country with adult social care responsibilities.

Surveys will be sent out from February 1 and responses are treated completely confidentially with no individual being identified. The findings will be published by July 2014.

If you have received a questionnaire and have difficulty completing it call 01582 54 76 92 or 01582 54 77 82.

A well-known archaeologist visited Luton Sixth Form College to talk to A-level archaeology students.

Alex Langlands, best known for presenting Channel 4 series Time Team, spoke about his career and conducted a question-and-answer session.

Topics ranged from how to get started in archaeology, what careers it can lead to and different sites the first year students were interested in.

Alex said: “They were a brilliant, lovely group and it was good chatting to them. It was good fun.

“The students were really bright and asked question after question – and they were good, incisive questions.”

Alex has a BA Hons in medieval archaeology, an MA in world archeology and a PhD in Anglo-Saxon history from the University of Winchester, where he now works as a post-doctoral researcher.

He was part of the team behind BBC2 historical documentary series Tales from the Green Valley and follow-ups Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm and Wartime Farm, which investigated the farming methods of different time periods.

He then joined Channel 4 series Time Team as a presenter and specialist landscape archaeologist.

Mr Langlands said his visit to the college came about thanks to his role at the University of Winchester, where he is involved in community engagement.

He said: “My campaign is to try and get across that archeology is more than just three trenches and a geophysics plot. Archaeology is the study of our human history through the physical remains we leave.”

Two violent crimes in Caddington which happened days apart have shocked the village, but residents are fighting back with Facebook.

A schoolboy and a 50-year-old man were both knocked unconscious and police believe the two incidents may be linked.

Councillor Richard Stay said these incidents are “shocking” but residents are making good use of the Caddington Parish Council Facebook page to share information including crime alerts.

Councillor Stay said: “The advent of social media means people know about incidents very quickly. The parish Facebook page is amazingly useful at getting messages out to the community.

“It’s almost real time advice to let others know to look out for a certain suspicious car or person. It’s turning into quite a useful tool, although you don’t want people to think crime is endemic because they hear about it more.”

Two Manshead School, Dunstable, students were approached by a group of three men in Dunstable Road late on Thursday afternoon.

The men demanded money and the boy was punched and knocked out before the robbers stole his phone. The girl with him was pinned against a wall and searched for property before the men fled.

On Sunday evening, a man was attacked in the alley leading to Crosslands after leaving the Cricketers Arms pub.He was approached by a man who demanded he hand over his wallet. The victim refused and punched the would-be robber, but a second man attacked him from behind, hitting him round the head and leaving him unconscious on the ground.

The attackers fled empty-handed and residents say the victim was found about an hour later and taken to the Luton & Dunstable Hospital where he was treated for a suspected eye socket fracture.

He is now believed to be recovering at home.

Councillor Stay said: “I am very shocked that this type of crime – which is fortunately very rare – has resulted in a young man going through the sort of experience he did.”

Councillor Stay said there has been an increase in domestic burglaries in the village, but street robberies are a rare occurrence.

He said: “We always get an increase in domestic burglaries in the run-up to Christmas but in the 17 years I have represented Caddington I have never seen a blip like this.

“I think domestic burglary is one of the most despicable crimes you can commit and residents are concerned.

“We have seen a virtual disappearance of uniformed officers which is a problem for rural areas and this may make Caddington and Slip End look like an unprotected easy target. However I have no concerns about the response we get from police when something has happened.”

Councillor Stay said despite the recent crime increase, Caddington “remains a very pleasant and relatively crime-free place to live”.

Of the three men involved in the robbery of the school students, one was of mixed race. They were all in their late teens, about 6ft tall and wearing dark clothing.

The man who was attacked in the alley only saw one of his assailants who is described as a white man, aged 20-25, about 5ft 9ins, wearing a grey hooded top. Call Det Con Tom Hamm on 01582 394498 with information.

Chief Insp Tania Coulson said: “Crime rates in Caddington remain relatively low compared to the rest of the county but it is important that any criminality is reported to Bedfordshire Police.

“There continues to be a police presence across Central Bedfordshire with members of the Local Policing Team regularly engaging with residents and last month officers provided crime prevention advice at the Co-op store in Manor Road, Caddington, and distributed property marking kits, cycle security packs and a range of leaflets about property and personal safety. We also hold Operation Vision days.”

Two pickpockets were sentenced to 40 weeks each in prison after being arrested at Luton Airport on Monday.

Claudiu-Viorel Stefan, 32, of no fixed address, and Andrea Sipos, 28, of no fixed address, were attempting to fly back into Luton.

Beds Police arrested them when they arrived.

They were both found guilty of three counts of theft which were committed in August 2013 on the London Underground.

Two young women were involved in a car crash outside Manshead School on Wednesday.

Emergency services were called to the scene in Caddington at 1.30pm where a car had crashed and flipped onto its roof. No one was hurt in the incident.

A fresh application to build 234 homes by Luton Rugby Club in Farley has been met with despair by residents.

The previous application from Templeview Development Ltd - for 230 homes - was refused and an appeal rejected, but the developers have submitted a new proposal for the same area of land by Newlands Road.

Councillor Richard Stay who represents Slip End and Caddington said he and the residents are strongly opposed to the plan.

He said: “We think it’s unsustainable and entirely inappropriate. There will be visual intrusion onto the green belt and the proposals will impact on an area of outstanding natural beauty in the green belt and in places like Stockwood Park in Luton.

“The last proposal was refused by LBC planning committee and I really hope they take the same view this time. The developers are trying to shoehorn hundreds of houses onto a pocket handkerchief of land and it will have a detrimental impact on area, strain the road network and impact on local schools.”

Councillor Sian Timoney who represents Farley said one of the reasons the previous scheme was rejected was because it was very overcrowded.

She said: “We have always supported development to the West of Luton but the previous scheme for this area of land wasn’t suitable. I don’t know yet how different the new application is from the last one but it would have to be really quite different with far fewer houses and much better design for it to be considered.”

A Caddington resident commenting on the proposals on the village Facebook page said: “That junction cannot take any more traffic let alone 234 further dwellings, it’s a joke.” Another resident said: “Let’s keep some green fields, build on brown sites, or buy old houses and do them up.” Other comments included: “Very bad news - especially for anyone who would have to live in such crowded conditions near such dangerous roads and junctions.”

Homes are needed but so is quality of life.”

Tom Hanks is at the very peak of his powers in Oscar-nominated CAPTAIN PHILLIPS (12: Sony), a true-life tale that doesn’t pull any punches.

Hanks steps into the shoes of Richard Phillips, the captain of an American cargo ship hijacked by pirates while on a dangerous course around the coast of Somalia in 2009.

Director Paul Greengrass re-creates the shocking events with heart-pounding urgency, just as he did in his 9/11 drama United 93. There’s a sense that violence could erupt at any moment – and it often does – after the raiding party of four pirates, pressed into service by local warlords, takes the captain hostage.

Greengrass skilfully conveys the growing desperation of both Phillips and lead pirate Muse (Barkhad Abdi) during the five-day crisis which follows the initial, breathtakingly staged swoop going awry.

Phillips may be the one being held at gunpoint on the claustrophobic vessel, but Muse is revealed to be as much a victim as the situation plays out. Even when the US Navy turns up, the tension continues to escalate as the political ramifications of the kidnapping call for a decisive solution.

> The performances of the three leads – Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan and Jeff Goldblum – are terrific in comedy-tinged relationship drama LE WEEK-END (15: Artificial Eye).

Middle-class Birmingham couple Nick and Meg take the Eurostar to Paris in order to revisit the haunts of their honeymoon 30 years previously.

They hope that returning to the site of happier times will revive their marriage, which is finally on the rocks after many turbulent years.

Appalled by the state of their hotel, Meg insists they move to somewhere much more upmarket, even though they clearly can’t afford it.

But a chance encounter with Nick’s prosperous college friend Morgan offers a distraction when he invites the pair to an arty dinner party that changes their outlook on life.

Broadbent is as good as ever and Duncan is superb as the waspish, unfathomable Meg, while Goldblum steals scenes as the upholder of all the ideals that a downtrodden Nick has long since abandoned.

> Irvine Welsh’s invective-strewn novels have largely remained unfilmed and are even regarded as unfilmable, with the exception of Trainspotting.

FILTH (18: Lionsgate) could have been a case in point with its rough sex, drug abuse, political incorrectness and human cruelty.

James McAvoy gives a vanity-free performance that could be the crowning glory of his career as Det Sgt Bruce Robertson, a corrupt Edinburgh cop with a cocaine habit who plans to advance his own career by turning colleagues against each other.

He’s also hoping to persuade his ex-wife to take him back, but rapidly loses his grip on reality as the drug use spirals out of control and his web of lies grows increasingly complex. A top-notch supporting cast (Jim Broadbent, Jamie Bell, Eddie Marsan, Imogen Poots) raises the palatability of what remains a deeply unpleasant journey.

> TURBO (U: Twentieth Century Fox), a slice of computer-generated cartoonery, offers fast and furious fun.

The eponymous hero is a garden snail obsessed with motor racing who gets sucked into a car’s exhaust pipe and emerges having gained superspeed. This stroke of luck allows him to realise his dream of competing against human drivers in the Indianapolis 500 race.

Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti and Samuel L. Jackson provide the voices.

A new diving programme aimed at young people with disabilities is starting next week

‘DiveAbility’ sessions will take place each Thursday from February 6 from 4-5pm and 5-6pm at Inspire: Luton Sports Village.

Diving has seen a recent surge in popularity in Luton following the opening of Inspire as well as the weekly prime time television show Splash! being filmed at the centre.

Believed to be one of the first of its kind in the UK, the programme was developed by David Jenkins and Harry Glover, both elite divers who are employed by Active Luton to develop the sport locally.

The sessions will be led by head coach Hayley Sage, an ex international diver who competed at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships. Hayley is an experienced coach and has a lot of experience in working with disabled people and those with special needs.

Helen Barnett, Chief Executive of Active Luton, said: “This inspiring new programme aims to offer young people with disabilities enjoyable fitness opportunities with elite coaches while enjoying our world class dive facilities.

“It was great to see Paralympic runner Richard Whitehead competing on Splash! last weekend and it makes the timing of this new programme perfect as he showed the nation that his disability did not affect his ability to take part in the fantastic sport of diving.”

Cllr Mohammed Ashraf, Portfolio Holder for sports and arts, said: “Inspire is a venue that everyone, irrespective of their ability or culture, can use to get active and become healthier. This fantastic new programme hopefully demonstrates our commitment to making sport more accessible to residents.”

The programme caters for disabled individuals aged 11–25 years who have a moderate level of co-ordination.

Divers should be able to swim 25 metres, be comfortable in 5 metre deep water and have a moderate level of co-ordination. People are encouraged to call first to discuss theirs or their child’s requirements.

Sessions are sold in six week blocks for just £18 and people can choose between the two allocated time slots.

For more information or email 01582 393230 or email diving@activeluton.co.uk

Larger families in Luton have been hit by the bedroom tax and are now in rent arrears according to a housing association.

Aldwyck Housing Group told the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee that the borough had twice the national average of households with five or more people.

Andrew Cobb, the group’s executive director of housing and customer service invited the committee to share first hand the impact of welfare reforms on the borough.

He told members one size does not fit all. Luton is densely populated and there are limited opportunities to develop within the catchment area.

With the demand for social housing outstripping availability in the area, there is a greater reliance on private landlords, which cost more than paying social housing providers such as Aldwyck.

Universal Credit has not yet been implemented in the area, but both Aldwyck and Luton Borough Council expressed fears about the potential financial impact on tenants and social housing providers.

Dame Anne Begg MP, Select Committee chairman said: “What we learned from the visit will really help us to shape our inquiry into support for housing costs in the reformed welfare system.”

The Select Committee’s report is due in March 2014.

As a family, Phoebe Heins, her mum Barbara and dad Paul were staunch supporters of the Cancer Research Relay For Life event in Luton, taking part as Barb’s Barmy Army.

Barbara was being treated for ovarian cancer and she would join the Survivors’ Lap with other people living with cancer, cheered on by Paul and Phoebe. But in March 2012 Barbara lost her battle for life, aged 48, just a few months after she had married long-time partner Paul.

In September 2013 Phoebe, now 14, took over her mum’s role as captain of Barb’s Barmy Army and led friends, family and school chums dressed ascharacters from Alice In Wonderland on the 24-hour relay run and walk around Stockwood Park athletics track.

Phoebe says Barbara was with them in spirit every step of the way. The Barmy Army looks set to raise £5,000 on top of the £5,000 donated last year. ­It’s a remarkable tribute to Barbara and to Phoebe’s determination to keep her memory alive and help others suffering ovarian cancer.

Phoebe, of Talbot Road, Luton, has been nominated for a Bedfordshire Young People Of the Year (YOPEY) award.

YOPEY, now in its seventh year in Beds, is open to young people, aged 10-25, who live, work or study in the county.

Typical entries include fundraisers, young carers, club leaders, volunteers on projects at home or abroad and young leaders who pass on academic or sporting skills.

Phoebe was put forward by family friend Fabiana Panetta who describes her enthusiasm for fundraising as infectious. “She took this on as a mission and does it with joy and love,” she said.

“She can be very persuasive. She engages with adults, youngsters and headteachers with her irresistible will and joy. Phoebe is not only, I believe, a role model for her peers but for anyone who has the luck to meet her.”

Barbara, a senior lecturer with The Open University, began to feel unwell in 2006.

“It was put down as IBS, although Barbara felt it was something more serious. It wasn’t until 2008 we had the diagnosis of ovarian cancer,” said Paul. “Phoebe was eight and we made the decision to be straight with her about her mum’s illness and she came on the journey with us.”

Paul, who is a young 66, working for a community arts charity in Luton and as a jazz musician, said: “Barbara’s illness brought us all closer together and we went on family trips including seeing the Northern Lights.”

In November 2011 her condition worsened and the couple were married at Mount Vernon Hospital just before Christmas. Barbara came home and died in March 2012, just missing seeing Phoebe become a teenager. Her birthday is at the beginning of April.

Phoebe had already lost her maternal grandfather to cancer in January of that year.

“Continuing with mum’s Barmy Army helped me get through my grief,” she said.

She said mum would have approved of the Alice theme with its tea party and games of croquet at the relay. Paul dressed up as Tweedledum.

The fundraising continues at Phoebe’s school, Stopsley High, with regular cake sales. The family also support Target Ovarian Cancer which aims to raise awareness of the disease among women and the medical profession. Phoebe is helping Paul organise jazz concerts at a restaurant in London’s Soho for Target.

The YOPEY awards ceremony will be held at the Luton campus of the University of Bedfordshire in April.

To nominate someone logon to yopey.org or write, enclosing an SAE, to YOPEY, Woodfarm Cottage, Bury Road, Stradishall, Newmarket CB8 8YN for paper entry form.

Craig Ferris: The Psychology of Golf

In my role as resident Golf Pro at Bedfordshire’s Luton Hoo Golf Club I coach players of all ranges and abilities.

From the most talented player to the new beginner, there’s one thing that’s common to everyone at some stage in their golf-playing journey: a lack of belief in their game.

It can creep up on any player gradually, or it can be a sudden onset phenomenon - for example, after playing an especially poor game (and the reasons for that poor performance may have nothing to do with golf).

Once a lack of belief takes hold it’s like a creeping garden weed, stealthily choking your belief in your game. The solution is to take it firmly by the root, pull it out and throw it away. That of course is always more easily said than done. The important thing to remember is that it can be done: your game will be back on course along with your development as a player.

My studies and qualifications in sports psychology make me a firm believer in the power of psychology and how it can be used to overcome problems in performance.

Playing golf is of course about the physical aspects of the game, but, as with all sport, there is a very strong mental element too. Get the technique and equipment right by all means, but don’t neglect the mental aspect either

Here are some tips to enhance mental strength as part of your development and raise your game to a whole new level.

• Work on your relationship with your coach. As a PGA professional I have been trained to observe, assess and coach players. I need to understand what drives them in their ambitions as well as understand their individual learning style. By working together and forming a sound relationship with your coach, you can focus on every aspect of the game, including golf psychology.

• Learn how to breathe correctly. This also sounds so simple, but it’s crucial in controlling tension, lowering the heart rate and maintaining focus. It needs practice, but this can be done anywhere. It can be helpful initially to place one hand on the abdomen and another on the chest. Inhale, noting the hand on the abdomen moving away from the backbone and returning there as you exhale. Once you have mastered deep breathing in your diaphragm the hand on the chest will not move at all. Practice for at least 10 breaths.

• Visualisation. This allows you to focus on your shot and avoid lapses in concentration.

Visualise your target, whether it’s the fairway, for example, or the green. Then imagine the ball in flight, moving towards its goal. In your mind’s eye continue to watch it travel – and your swing will improve to copy this image.

There is of course a lot more to golf psychology, but if the concept is new to you, the above tips will make an excellent starting point.

The Sports Relief 2014 roadshow is gearing up for another bumper fundraising year in March.

And events have already been organised in Luton and Dunstable to help local raise much needed charity cash during the activity weekend.

Lea Manor Recreation Centre hosts the Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Swimathon on March 21 wuth Dunstable Leisure Centre hosting the swimathon the day after on March 22.

You can enter individually, as a family or as a team, and divide the lengths among your group.

For runners there are two local Mile runs on March 23.

Stockwood Park and the sports pavilion at Barton le Clay overlooking Sharpenhoe Clappers have runs for all the family. You can walk, jog or run round the courses.

Individuals can also organise Mile runs as long as they follow Sports Relief guidelines .

Sport Relief 2012 raised more than £50million which went to help vulnerable people both in the UK and abroad.

To find out how you can register for events in your area, go to http://www.sportrelief.com/

A total of 14 firefighters using breathing apparatus helped fight a fire in Luton this morning.

Crews were initially called to a detached three storey property in Hayton Close just after 5am.

On arrival they saw the roof was on fire and called for reinforcements to battle the blaze.

The gas and electricity supplies were isolated and over the next two hours crews from Luton, Stopsley, Toddington, Leighton Buzzard and Bedford got the fire under control.

“You are never out of the fight.”

Attention! Your mission – should you choose to accept it - is going to be harsh…

You will be exposed to hostile fire and feel every bullet. You will witness brutality, fear, bravery and sacrifice – up close and personal.

Prepare to be moved, to have your eyeballs assaulted and your emotions torn, Lone Survivor is a heavy-duty ‘based on true acts of courage’ account of a seriously messed up situation in Afghanistan which walks a fine line between gung-ho US propaganda and a heartfelt accolade to honour the forward operation Navy SEAL Teams on the front line of battle.

Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg) is the lone survivor of the title, which as titles go is a handy synopsis.

He is tasked with taking his four man team on a mission into Taliban controlled territory to capture or kill notorious al Qaeda leader Ahmad Shahd.

Alas, the mountainous terrain snags their comms and then an unforeseen crossing of paths with a group of local shepherds sees Luttrell, Murphy (Taylor ‘John Carter’ Kitsch), Dietz (Emile Savages’ Hirsch) and Axelson (Ben ’30 Days of Night’ Foster) with an angry army of Taliban soldiers hunting them.

Director Peter Berg delivers some of most visceral battle scenes ever committed to the screen.

This is a far cry from the Call Of Duty/Killzone virtual battles where you respawn after getting shot.

If anyone still has a taste for signing up after seeing this, it will be with eyes wide open not just to the potential horrific death that could await but also to the moral dilemma of having to choose who to spare or free.

The SEALS here are efficient killing machines who fight for each other and who exhibit savage bravery – but they are still men, and the film does a good job in showing that they have families and friends outside of their unit.

As the ill-fated team fight against impossible odds, the ‘action’ is balanced and believable.

There is also a strong twist which I won’t spoil here but enough to make you think beyond the ‘war is won’ headlines about the conflict happening in Afghanistan.

Wahlberg gives a great, gritty performance and he’s ably backed by all the cast.

Lone Survivor is a valiant film and a fitting tribute to those who are ‘never out of the fight.’

Personal animosity between the boss of Dial a Ride and Luton Borough Council’s transport manager helped leave dozens of vulnerable people stuck without transport last year.

A report into South Beds Dial a Ride’s (SBDAR) sudden decision to stop providing a door to door service for housebound people, says better controls could have prevented the situation.

The report, to go before the council’s exec committee next week, states:”We have grave concerns that animosity between individuals was allowed to develop to the extent that it was a major factor in the withdrawal of the service.”

It says there was a complete collapse of the situation without effective management intervention.

An interim service, set up by the council in the aftermath, was not running as smoothly as hoped with some reports that passengers had not been collected for return journeys.

SBDAR pulled out of Luton in August last year stating a reduction in council funding of 37% made it inviable. Chief Executive Dave Barratt told the Luton News the service carries out around 22,000 passenger journeys a year.

The review group found there was no effective service level agreement in place which led to disagreements between the service and the council. It also called for “clear strategic ownership and management within LBC”.

The service still operates in Central Beds and Leighton Buzzard.