Tommy Robinson could face a further two and a half years in jail, according to spokesperson for the former English Defence League leader.

Last week the Herald & Post first revealed that Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had been recalled to prison after allegedly breaking the terms of his licence.

The 32-year-old from Luton was initially jailed for 18 months in January 2014, after pleading guilty to a charge of mortgage fraud.

Supporters of the ex-EDL leader fear that he now faces the prospect of a further two and a half years in jail as he has been unable to pay a £125,000 proceeds of crime order.

They claim that Robinson had been given an extension until October to pay back the money, but that the offer has now been rescinded.

A spokesperson for the 32-year-old told us: “He still hasn’t actually been told why he has been recalled. despite the fact that he has been asking.

“(Tommy) asked for extension on the repayment and they agreed, but now they are saying it had to be paid by July 17.

“Obviously he was in prison so physically couldn’t pay it.

“Presumably he will be hauled up in court again, the judge previously said that he would get two and a half years for non-payment.”

The spokesperson added that Robinson has been placed in the isolation block at HMP Peterborough, as an inmate reportedly planned to attack him with boiling water.

Robinson’s recall to prison came a week before his licence was due to expire.

He previously told his Twitter followers that he would “tell all about police blackmail, persecution and bribery” on the expiry of the licence.

Miss Bedfordshire is organising a charity night at Club Cookies on Friday, July 31.

Megan Bayliss, of Barton, is co-hosting the event with Mr Buckinghamshire, Robert Dawe.

They are hoping to raise hundreds for the programme, Beauty With A Purpose, she is also hoping to raise awareness of what it does.

The programme supports charities across the world to raise money and help disadvantaged children.

The 20-year-old won the beauty pageant in May and recently took part in Keech’s 5k Colour Dash to raise money for five different charities.

She said: “All money raised on the night will go towards a great programme that supports so many charities across the world and hopefully everyone will have a great night as well.

“It is something different to do for charity and I think everyone will enjoy it.

“The charity is so important for me and I have already raised a lot of money for Beauty With A Purpose but doing a club night is an amazing experience and I think it is a chance for everyone to let their hair down whilst doing something good for charity.”

DJ Flex and Live-o and DJ Steeler will be on the decks at the Dunstable club and there will be live performances from Jaysim, MC JKD, Leejay and MC H DOT.

Doors open at 9pm and tickets are £5 at skiddle.com or £7 on the door.

As Agatha Christie’s classic play And Then There Were None came to Milton Keynes Theatre on Monday, reporters Bev Creagh and Stewart Carr went along to give their verdict.

CREAGH says...

This riveting revival of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is first class entertainment from beginning to end.

It starts off at a cracking pace as various strangers gather at an isolated island mansion after receiving a mysterious invitation.

Stellar performances from the cast – including an elderly and distinguished Paul Nicholas as Sir Lawrence Nicholas, a wizened Fraser Hines as Rogers and a blustery William Bloe as Colin Buchanan – keep up the momentum as the complicated plot develops.

A dumpy-looking Susan Penhaligon is simply superb as Emily Brent, counting rows under her breath as she knits and lectures glamorous young Vera Claythorne (Verity Rushworth) on the immorality of youth.

Mark Curry is a totally believable Doctor Armstrong while Eric Carte and Ben Nealon as General Mackenzie and Philip Lombard respectively give delightfully rounded character portrayals.

Judith Rae and Paul Hassall may make untimely early exits but they too are totally convincing as nagging housekeeper Ethel Rogers and speed freak Anthony Marston.

CARR says...

All the smouldering glamour of the 1930s was in the air as Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None came to Milton Keynes Theatre on Monday.

Set on a remote island off the southern coast of England, the action follows ten strangers invited for a weekend away by the mysterious Mr and Mrs Owens.

Once there, all ten find themselves confronted by a crackling voice accusing each of being responsible for a wrongful death.

As suspicion sets in, the group break ranks and the truth gradually comes out as an unknown killer targets them one by one.

Bringing another era to life is never easy, but the art-deco period set and old-Hollywood costumes, combined with carefully observed acting brings Agatha Christie’s sinister whodunnit to life.

Among strong performances all round, I have to admit my personal favourite was Paul Nicholas’s austere judge Sir Lawrence Wargrave, followed closely by Susan Penhaligon’s miserly spinster Miss Brent - straight out of the Victorian age.

< And then There Were None is at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday July 25. See here for tickets.

A working smoke alarm helped save a family from a house fire that swept through a property in Olympic Close, Luton on Wednesday afternoon.

Firefighters were called at 2.52pm to blaze in Olympic Close Luton and arrived eight minutes later to find a “very well developed fire” affecting a two-storey semi-detached house.

Both the ground floor and first floor were involved in the blaze which had been started by unattended cooking left on a kitchen stove.

A woman and several children had been upstairs in the house when the fire started but the working smoke alarm alerted them to the danger and they were able to escape uninjured.

Strong winds and open windows and doors combined to help the fire spread, firstly around the kitchen and then up the stairs to the first floor.

Firefighters fought the fire using four breathing apparatus, two hose reels and a covering jet and got it under control after about ten minutes. Within 20 minutes of their arrival it was extinguished.

There were no casualties but the fire caused damage to 70% of the house and smoke damage to all of the property.

Firefighters cleared the smoking using positive pressure ventilation and the incident was closed at 4.40pm.

Station Commander Steve Allen who investigated the fire said: “The unattended cooking on the stove had started a small fire but the strong winds and open windows caused this to quickly spread to the kitchen units and around the kitchen.

“The working smoke alarm alerted those in the house so they could make their escape but in doing so they left their front door open and that helped draw the flames up the staircase which acted as a natural flue and spread the fire to the first floor. Other open windows and the failure of the bathroom windows also helped fan the flames and spread the fire.

“Our firefighters did extremely well to tackle such a complex situation – when they arrived there were ceiling high flames in the staircase with several small fires burning around the house. They had to do lot of firefighting to put these out quickly and did an excellent job in extinguishing it so swiftly.

“Our message is don’t leave cooking unattended, even for a few minutes, as a small fire can develop very quickly into one that threatens life. Make sure your smoke alarm works, it could save your life, and if you discover a fire close all your doors and windows, if it is safe to do so, to help stop it spreading.”

A longstanding and senior employee of Luton Labour has been dismissed and will take the party to an employment tribunal, we can reveal.

Francis Steer has worked for Labour for the last 12 years and over that time has been an organiser and election agent for local and general elections.

The Luton News understands that Mr Steer was sacked by the town’s Labour group of councillors following a secret vote behind closed doors a week after the local elections on May 7– in which the party retained its grip on Luton Borough Council.

It is believed that the termination of Mr Steer’s employment was put forward as a motion by Cllr Mahmood Hussain, seconded by Cllr Raja Saleem.

It is not known why the decision was taken.

A Labour source has told us that arbitration between the party and Mr Steer was launched after the dismissal, but those talks have now broken down.

It is also alleged that Mr Steer found out about his sacking via a third party, who received a text message from Luton Borough Labour Party chair Mick Ireland.

Mr Steer told the Luton News: “I can confirm that I no longer work for the Labour Group and that I am now in a position to take them to an rmployment tribunal for unfair dismissal.

I cannot comment further prior to the case being heard”.

The Luton News understands that it could take several months before the tribunal comes to a decision.

Mr Steer continues to work for both Luton MPs Kelvin Hopkins and Gavin Shuker.

Police are appealing for the public’s help in tracing a missing teenager from Bedfordshire.

Tyler Ogden-Hooper, aged 15, has been missing since July 13.

He has links to Leighton Buzzard, Houghton Regis and Luton, and officers are growing increasingly concerned for his welfare.

Tyler is described as white, 5ft 3ins tall with short straight blond hair.

He was last seen wearing tracksuit bottoms and white trainers.

If you believe you have seen Tyler or know of his whereabouts, contact Bedfordshire Police on 101.

Police have arrested a man who reportedly brandished a machete between Cromwell Road and New Bedford Road, Luton.

Officers were called to the scene at around 2.23pm and arrested a 37-year-old from Luton.

He has been detained at Kempston Police Station.

A Beds Police spokesperson told us: “We were called to reports of a man in Luton carrying an offensive weapon.

“Officers attended and the man has been arrested.”

Police are appealing for witnesses after a road traffic collision in Porz Avenue, Houghton Regis, this morning left a young man with serious injuries.

The collision happened at approximately 4.15am when a blue convertible Mini Cooper that was travelling from Dunstable towards Houghton Regis left the road by the industrial estate.

A young man in his late teens suffered head and chest injuries and was treated by paramedics, who anaesthetised the patient.

The Magpas rapid response vehicle was dispatched to the scene at 4.58am but the injured man was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital by land ambulance.

On arrival at the hospital the patient was in a serious but stable condition.

Officers from the Roads Policing Unit (RPU) are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the collision.

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC 928 Shona Gillen on 101.

Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Olly Martins, believes compulsory GPS tagging for offenders would help them to step off the criminal conveyor belt.

Speaking earlier today (Friday) he added that the government’s delay in regard to rolling out the national contract for GPS tagging is helping to keep offenders in a ‘revolving door of crime’.

“Clearly, it makes sense to reduce demand by reducing offending and reoffending,” he said. “To do that effectively we need to use every tool in the box and it’s a proven fact that tagging reduces reoffending. Regrettably the national contract has been delayed yet again, but PCCs should be able to deliver compulsory GPS Tagging locally to try and stop the revolving door of crime. However, as it stands, legislation does not allow us to do that.

“Compulsory tagging would support the work of our very successful integrated offender management programme, which tackles the underlying causes of offenders’ criminal behaviour, for example drugs, homelessness and unemployment.”

He added: “The role of the Criminal Justice Service covers punishment, monitoring offenders and changing their behaviour. Compulsory GPS tagging could be transformative in relation to all three elements, if only we were allowed to move forward and actually use the technology available.

“Instead we’ve had delay upon delay because the Ministry of Justice is insisting that the tags have to be provided through one monolithic national contract that they’ve so far failed to deliver.”

Mr Martins, along with the three Police and Crime Commissioners for Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, was one of the joint hosts for a conference held today aimed at reducing offending and reoffending.

Over 100 professionals from across the four counties who work together to reduce crime in local communities were in attendance plus representatives from national agencies responsible for working with offenders.

Conference delegates shared good practice and plans to further improve the work carried out through the multi-agency Integrated Offender Management schemes. These highly successful schemes aim to tackle high volume crimes, such as shop lifting and burglaries.

Mrr Martins said, “Whilst I didn’t support the coalition government’s probation privatisation, it is nonetheless vital for the communities I represent that the new arrangements work to reduce offending by tackling the underlying causes of crime. That is why I have worked closely with my Conservative Party PCC neighbours from Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire on shaping the new arrangements.

“By looking across the four counties we can learn from each other, see the bigger picture of how the system could work better and have a louder voice in unblocking national barriers that get in the way.”

Delegates also discussed how to coordinate activity across different organisations to deal with repeat offenders and their families; the role of Restorative Justice in the rehabilitation process; and how individuals are managed and supported on release from prison.

Prisoners who serve short sentences have often been vulnerable to reoffending. Following a change in legislation the BeNCH Community Rehabilitation Company is working hard to support this group of offenders in order to cut crime further.

The four Commissioners will oversee work designed to reduce offending through their new ‘BeNCH’ Reducing Offending Board.

The iconic Wardown Park Suspension bridge will be officially re-opened to the public on Thursday 30 July following an extensive repair and renovation

The Council has spent four months on the project which has fully restored the bridge to its original glory with much of the structural steel work mended and the suspension cables replaced.

The bridge has been a central feature of the park since the early 1900’s and was completed by 1908. It is reported to be shortest single span suspension bridge in the country.

This will be the first official opening of Wardown Park suspension bridge. The house and gardens were officially opened in 1906.

The 2015 opening will be performed by the Mayor of Luton Cllr Dave Taylor. “The bridge is an iconic feature of the park landscape and it plays an important if sometimes unrecognised role linking the communities from either side of the park,” he said.

“It also provides an attractive and accessible route through the park for many Lutonians on their way to the town centre, work and school. The re-opening of the bridge will ensure that this significant achievement is properly recorded in history while acknowledging the important part the bridge plays in the history of Wardown Park. The Parks Service, Luton Borough Council engineers and the contractors have done a wonderful job in repairing it in keeping with the original design.”

The event will begin at 2pm with the Mayor opening the bridge at approximately 2.15pm.

Volunteers at Luton Hoo Walled Garden are encouraging aspiring young gardeners to get down and dirty with a series of workshops.

They take place on Thursday mornings from 10am to 12 noon and are divided into two groups – four to six-year-olds and seven to 10-year-olds. Places are limited, cost £10 a head and must be pre-booked.

The next available workshop – Flowers in the House – is on Thursday, July 30. This will be held in the mansion’s former flower arranging room where budding florists will be shown the best way to pick blooms and how to make them into a posy which they can then take home.

Topics covered at future workshops are Herb Gardens – including how to make a scented lavender bag – on August 6; the ever popular Bug Hunt on August 13; Summer Harvest on August 20 featuring the delicious fruit, vegetables and salads you can grow at home and Seed Gathering, August 27, when keen younsters can learn how to extract seeds and prepare them for storage.

> For more information call 01582 721443 or visit www.lutonhooestate.co.uk

Little learners at Ferrars Junior School have become fantastic fundraisers in memory of a much-loved teaching assistant who died of cancer in 2013.

Each year they hold Race at our Place in honour of Carol Julian, 53, who worked at the school for 15 years. The mother-of-two always took part in Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life even when she was having chemotherapy.

Race at our Place organiser and fellow teaching assistant Fiona Vinall said: “In addition to having a lot of fun, the children also raised £2,006 in Carol’s name.

“They all paid a donation to complete laps on our pink heart ribbon course to earn a medal. The last lap is a fun one when they can choose a fun item to play on the way round and be joined by family and friends.

“We also had various stalls and hook-a-duck, which proved very popular with our younger visitors.”
She added: “I’m so proud of each and every child. They’re all contributing to the research that will eventually find a cure for this awful disease.”

Celebrate the contributions of Luton’s incredible community by voting in the Community Awards 2015.

There are 18 categories covering every aspect of local life, from Charity Champion to to Parent in a Million and from Teacher of the Year to Community Project of the Year.

The 14 judges include Luton MPs Kelvin Hopkins and Gavin Shuker, Luton Town Football Club CEO Gary Sweet, retiring Bedfordshire Chief Constable Colette Paul and our own editor Lynn Hughes.

The awards have been running for six years and for the last five have been sponsored by law firm Pictons, who themselves recently won the prestigious FSB Bedfordshire Business Award for Community Business of the Year.

Managing partner Sukh Saini said: “The Community Awards ceremony is one of my favourite nights of the year because it gives us all a chance to thank everyone for making Luton such a special place to live and work.”

He added: “I am asking everyone in the town to think of someone they would like to nominate for one of these awards which recognise the vitally important contributions of our many unsung heroes - just being nominated means so much to the people involved.”

This year’s chosen charity is Cancer Research UK.

Awards event founder and Community Magazine proprietor Mostaque Koyes explained: “Last year we supported the Luton Food Bank and this year we have chosen Cancer Research UK. It’s such a terrible disease and affects so many people and their families.

“But even when times are tough people are so generous.

“Every year the number of nominations exceeds expectations and this year we’re hoping to get more than 200.”

The awards in full are: Concern Award/Improving Lives, Young Hero, Charity Champion, Service With a Smile, Community Business of the Year, Champion Carer, Role Model of the Year, Exceptional Achievement Award, Community Project of the Year, Community Arts Award, Pictons Community Champion, Lifetime Achievement Award, Volunteer of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Parent in a Million, Bravery Award, Helping Hand and Mayor’s Award.

The prizes will be presented at a glamorous event at Venue Central 2 on Friday, October 23.

> To nominate your local hero go to www.communitycommunication.co.uk or pick up a form at any Luton community centre or local library. Entries close in September.

A former Luton Sixth Form College student will make her professional acting debut next week.

Hannah Kelly will be appearing in Nightflyer at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London’s Covent Garden.

Her old performing arts teacher, Steve Crayon, will be in the audience on Monday, July 27.

The 21-year-old said: “It’s quite surreal and daunting but really exciting as it’s something I’ve worked towards for such a long time.”

Nightflyer tells the story of a group of friends on a night out. One has collapsed and the others have to figure out what to do.

Hannah explained: “Secrets come out as they all have stuff to hide. I play a character called Chloe who has just split up from the boy on the floor and is dealing with it in her own way.”

The five-strong cast were all on the same course at Bath Spa University.

A project looking at the technological implications of moving a whole school to an island has won Stopsley High School a top science award.

The group was praised for its consideration of how the school would use sustainable materials and energy production and how they used the current new build taking place at the school for inspiration.

Pupils worked with industry partenr Vauxhall to take the prestigious GO4SET award against stiff competition.

A man who has been extradited from Nigeria pleaded not guilty to murdering a teenager outside a So Solid Crew gig in Luton 14 years ago.

Adebayo Ekun, 38, is accused of killing 18-year-old Marcus Hall, who was beaten and stabbed to death outside the gig on 21 March 2001.

He also denied a charge of violent disorder on the same night when he appeared at Luton crown court today.

Two previous trials involving other defendants were held in 2002 and 2003.

Ekun was remanded in custody by Judge Michael Kay QC.

A major supermarket will be launching a new partnership with a local charity after it was chosen by customers.

Sainsburys Dunstable has chosen the South Bedfordshire Downs Syndrome Society with the fundraising year kicking off on the August Bank Holiday weekend.

South Beds Downs Syndrome Society were chosen by customers through in store and online votes in June and will receive a year’s worth of support through fundraising and awareness from the store.

Representatives from the charity will join Sainsbury’s colleagues over the weekend to fundraise by running a tombola at the front of the store on Friday and bag packing for customers on Saturday.

Teresa Hurley from South Beds Downs Syndrome Society said “We can’t wait to get started. We’re hoping the partnership will help raise awareness of our cause to the store’s customers and will help us develop the important service we provide to the community.”

The scheme has raised over £7 million to support local charities since 2009.

Police are investigating an assault which left a man with facial injuries.

Officers are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident in Luton’s Harthill Lane at around 12.30am on Sunday, 19 July, to come forward.

During an altercation between a group of white and Asian men, a man was punched resulting in injuries to his face.

PC James Mirza, investigating, said: “I would like to hear from those who were part of this group or anyone who may have been in the area at the time and witnessed what happened.

“We want to ensure the culprit is caught and prevent any further violent offences from occurring.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Mirza on 101, text 07786 200011 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Luton Mela may seem a strange place for a blood donation drive, but it could save a six-year-old’s life.

Yusuf Choudhury, from the town, was diagnosed with the very rare blood disorder Fanconi Anemia in January 2010.

For many patients with a blood disorder, a blood stem cell donation is their only chance of survival, but only half of the people diagnosed in the UK find a matching donor.

Delete Blood Cancer UK will be at the Mela in Wardown Park on Saturday and Sunday to encourage people to register as potential blood stem cell donors.

Yusuf’s mother Laki said: ‘’Yusuf is on a cocktail of medication to help him survive. However, because of the nature of his illness medication will soon cease to work. Before that occurs it is vital we find a donor match to give him the best chance possible. Please come along to the event. ’’

Several fundraising activities will be taking place to raise money for Delete Blood Cancer UK. This money will go towards the cost of recruiting new donors as the tissue typing for one potential donor costs £40.

Aga Chrosciel, Donor Recruitment Manager at Delete Blood Cancer UK, explains the impact of the event: “Signing-up to become a potential lifesaver takes a few minutes but it could lead to you saving someone’s life. I encourage everyone who is able to, to come along to Luton Mela on Saturday and Sunday to support Yusuf’s appeal, and for all those seeking a lifesaving stem cell donation. People can also register online on our website www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk ”

The annual Mela will be a Wardown Park, Old Bedford Road on Saturday between 12pm-7pm and Sunday between 12pm-9:30pm with everything from Bhangra to Rock, Jazz, Soul and Ska. A free event for all the family.

Supermarket giant Tesco is battling childhood obesity and has revealed plans to axe a number of its best-selling sugary drinks and juices at stores nationwide.

A number of soft drinks with added sugar – such as Capri Sun, Ribena and Robinson’s Fruit Shoot – will be replaced with healthier alternatives.

But the change will only take place after children return to school from their summer holidays, according to trade magazine The Grocer.

Health campaigners have called on other supermarkets to follow Tesco’s lead in cracking down on sugary drinks, in an attempt to tackle childhood obesity.

David Beardmore, Tesco’s soft drinks buying manager, told The Grocer: “This is part of our 10-point plan against obesity and we have decided that from September we will only sell no-added-sugar drinks in the kids’ juice category. Most of the suppliers are supportive of it and understand what we are doing.”

The Grocer also reported Tesco has committed to a five per cent year-on-year reduction in the amount of sugar in its soft drinks.

Tim Freed, editor of the Toddle About magazine, said: “In general it’s a very good decision. There are obviously issues with the amount of sugar we are in taking as a nation.

“Any move to help to reduce sugar is a welcome one. I definitely agree choice is an issue. In an ideal world everyone would be educated on the risks and make their own decisions.

“But at the same time there is a big issue with the amount of sugar children are eating and drinking.”