Complaints about parking charges more than doubled in the last year according to the latest figures released by consumer advice website, Resolver.

The research found that 2,748 people complained to Resolver about their parking fines in the last financial year. This was an increase of 111 per cent on the previous year (1,300).

However the latest findings do not fully depict the scale of charges of council land as individual councils are responsible for these fines.

People don’t realise they have a right to complain

With 1,405 parking fine complaints made from April 2017 alone, Resolver expects this trend to continue.

James Walker, founder of Resolver says, “We’ve seen a huge increase in complaints about private parking fees over the last few years at Resolver.

“Yet the vast majority of people we speak to still tell us that they didn’t realise they had any right to make a complaint, felt intimidated into paying up, or were just so angry about their experience they didn’t want to deal with it.”

He adds, “So if you feel that you’ve not been treated fairly due to a parking charge, don’t give up – it’s not hard to make a complaint.”

In total Resolver has received 5,663 complaints about private parking companies since the service began in September 2014.

Resolver’s private parking tips

1. Don’t stick your head in the sand. Private parking companies will increase their charges if you don’t pay up. Act quickly and tell them to suspend charges while you formally complain.

2. Don’t pay up straight away. But do tell the firm you’re going to appeal. It’s often harder (but not impossible) to get your cash back after you’ve paid. But don’t assume the firm has no right to charge you. Deal with the situation head on.

3. Gather evidence. The pay and display sign forms part of your contact with the parking firm. If it’s unclear, hidden, overgrown, vandalized, etc, you can argue you were misled. Take photos, write down everything you can remember, get witnesses if need be.

4. Give the human touch. We’ve seen shocking cases, from midwives at hospitals being ticketed while helping expectant mothers to people rushed in to hospital being charged for not being back to their cars in time. Parking firms aren’t charities. But explain why you weren’t able to pay in time or return to the car.

5. Tell the landowner. Parking companies are working for the landowner. If their contractor is being overbearing or intimidating, they need to know about it.

A former championship body builder has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a child aged just four-years-old.

Jenev Varghese, 32, a personal trainer from Luton, was convicted of two counts of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13 at Luton Crown Court on Friday.

During the trial the jury heard how Varghese sexually assaulted the young girl on a number of occasions and threatened to kill her family if she spoke out.

Detective Constable Samantha Shane, of the Bedfordshire Police Public Protection Unit, said: “Varghese took advantage of a young child in the worst and most sickening way possible and I am pleased that he will be made to pay for his actions.

“We are absolutely committed to tackling child sex abuse, clamping down on dangerous individuals such as Varghese while providing support and justice to victims. I’d like to praise the victim and her family for the bravery they have shown in coming forward and having to relive the experience in court.”

Varghese was been remanded in prison ahead of sentencing on 8 September.

Police are investigating after three suspicious packages were found near Whitefield Primary School in Marsh Farm on Friday.

Officers were called to reports of a suspicious package found by an underpass off Stockholm Way shortly after 6pm, a further two packages were found in the grounds of the primary school.

The area was cordoned off and Luton Borough Council assisted with temporarily evacuating a small number of residents as a precaution.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal ensured the devices were made safe through three controlled explosions. It is not believed the packages were viable and investigations are ongoing.

Acting Inspector Milo Brown said: “Protecting people is the number one priority for Bedfordshire Police and it was important to ensure everyone was kept safe throughout the incident.

“I would like to thank the residents of the local community for their support and understanding around this matter.”

Anyone with any information around this incident, or who witnessed anyone acting suspiciously in the area, should call police on 101 quoting incident 329 of 11 August, or alternatively call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Opening up to a teenager about being the victim of a really nasty crime might not be easy for an older person. But in Dominika Greszczak – at the age of 18 – Luton Victim Support has found an ‘older head on young shoulders’.

Dominika is a volunteer at the service which provides one-to-one support to crime victims of all ages, listening to them, giving emotional and practical support and helping them through to the other side of a traumatic event.

She has just finished a three-year Public Services course at Central Bedfordshire College with an eye on a possible police career, holds down several part-time jobs, does three days a week at Victims Support and on Saturdays is training to mentor young people with problems.

Now Dominika, of Tithe Road, Luton, has been shortlisted for the final of Atlas Converting Young People of the Year awards or ‘YOPEYs’ – Oscars for young people who ‘give to others’.

Dominika was nominated by Maggie Parsons, a tutor at Central Beds College in Dunstable. “Dominika has worked really hard this year, and after meeting a guest speaker from Victim Support who visited the college, she volunteered there and has gone through training. She is now supporting people and is very positive about the work she is doing.”

The nomination is also seconded by Saadia Khan, Victim Services Delivery Manager for Luton Victim Support. She said the service offers support to victims of crime, listening to them and offering emotional and sometimes advocacy support.

“We try to find the tools to empower the victim to move beyond the crime,” she said. “The qualities we look for in a volunteer include listening skills – listening to what a client says in their own words, with empathy – and body language that is open.

“Dominika has been with us since January and I am very impressed with her progress so far. She is very good at meeting a client’s needs. Another quality is the ability to let the client know that you understand how they are feeling.”

Saadia explained: “Dealing with people who perhaps are upset, angry and very emotional takes a real maturity. Dominika is only 18 but she is a very mature 18 with a good head on her shoulders. Since gaining her accreditation, she has already supported about three or four clients, victims of various kinds of crime.”

Dominika is currently supporting the victims of burglary, criminal damage, anti-social behaviour and hate crime. These are known as ‘core clients’ and Dominika has done the mandatory five-day core training which is City & Guilds accredited.

When she has gained enough experience she will be allowed to help the victims of more serious offences, such as domestic violence and sexual crimes.

Dominika has also attended networking events for the Luton team. “It might be difficult for a mature victim who is the victim of a really heinous crime to open up to 18-year-old, but Dominika comes across as very mature. I am very impressed with her,” added Saadia.

Dominika can speak fluent Polish as well as English. She was born in Poland and brought to the UK as a child. This gives her an advantage – which also impresses Victim Support – when supporting people in Luton’s immigrant community.

Dominika said: “I have always been interested in helping people and have done work experience in a nursery and worked with young people with anger management issues with The Prince’s Trust.

“I have just finished Public Services at college and found that really interesting and in the future I will perhaps look into going into the police. I am a ‘people person’ and like to be out there talking to people.”

She is currently doing a volunteer training course for GreenHouse Mentoring based at Stopsley. “It is mentoring young people with learning and behavioural difficulties and not doing very well at school and sometimes with family issues. We sit down with them and have a chat and try and help them,” she said.

“I heard about Victim Support when someone came into college, applied to be a volunteer and found it better than I thought it would be. I have had quite a few cases helping people of different backgrounds and cultures, and until you speak to someone who has been through a crime you cannot understand how it can affect them.

“I really feel we are helping these people, seeing their feeling of well-being improving and feeling safer. Helping someone get beyond the crime and them telling you that they have got over it is so fulfilling. It makes me happy that I could help change someone’s life!

YOPEY started in Bedfordshire in 2006 and has expanded to many other counties. Its founder, former national newspaper journalist Tony Gearing, said: “There are many young people in Bedfordshire doing wonderful things for others. It’s just that they live in the shadow of a well-publicised anti-social minority.

“We need to give young people the respect they deserve and set up the best as positive role models for others to copy rather than focusing on the small number who appear in the press for negative reasons.”

The Bedfordshire awards will be presented at St John’s College, Cambridge, this autumn.

Restaurant chain, Nando’s, is giving away free chicken to A-level students across the UK this week.

“On August 17 anyone picking up their A-Level (or equivalent) results will be able to grab themselves a free quarter chicken or Firestarter* on that day,” a Nando’s spokesman confirmed.

“Just bring your results papers, ID and spend a minimum of seven pounds in any restaurant across the UK (excluding Scotland) and you will be eligible.

“Don’t worry Nando’s don’t need to see your grades, unless you want to brag about them!”

The deal does not include Wing Roulette or All Together Now and the offer is open to students who are legal residents of the UK with the exception of Scotland.

The offer runs until 17th August 2017 and can only be redeemed once.

For more information and the terms and conditions visit the Nandos website.

It’s a debate that you may not know exists, but in the world of social media, it has been a hotly debated topic.

So fierce is the debate over the pronunciation of Primark that some customers have even asked in stores across the UK about the proper way to pronounce Primark.

Others have submitted a written question on the ‘help’ section of the Primark website.

Much debate has followed the brand over the pronunciation of their name, with customers debating whether it should be called “Pr-eye-mark” or “Pree-mark”.

Finally, Primark have revealed the correct way to say their store name.

In the ‘other stuff’ segment of their ‘queries’ page, where you can search for FAQs, they answer the question: “How do you pronounce Primark?”

They responded saying: “That’s a very good question. We like to use Pr-Eye-Mark.”

Have you been wrong this entire time? How do you say Primark?

Officers investigating an altercation in Hurst Way, Luton, which may have been racially motivated, are appealing for witnesses.

Between 10.30pm and 11.30pm on Tuesday, August 8, two people were walking along Hurst Way when they were approached by a man, described as white, aged around 35, and a woman, described as white and aged around 45, who threatened them.

A wider altercation then broke out between a group of six people, during which one person is believed to have used racially motivated language.

Police are appealing for information to help piece together the events leading up to the incident.

PC Daniel O’Mahoney, investigating, said: “We are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident who saw a group of people in Hurst Way involved in an altercation.

“Racially motivated incidents will not be tolerated and we are working hard to tackle such behaviour in the county.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC O’Mahoney on 101 quoting crime reference number C/33941/2017, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Luton Mall was evacuated this morning as crowds of confused shoppers stood outside the centre wondering what was going on.

At around 10am this morning, customers, staff and retailers had to leave the shopping complex, while other worried summer holiday shoppers arrived outside wondering why they couldn’t get in.

Thankfully, it turns out that nothing serious was behind the closure.

Roy Greening, general manager, said: “We’ve just run a fire drill evacuation test, so there are no problems here.

“Everyone is back inside now and The Mall was shut for about half an hour.

“The drill began at 10.02am and staff, retailers, and customers were allowed back in at 10.35am.

“We have to test our procedures but staff and retailers weren’t aware that this drill would be happening.

“We evacuated 2,500 people from The Mall - quite a responsibility really. Everyone was calm.”

Mr Greening thanked the Luton News for checking that everyone at The Mall was OK, after we received reports of its closure.

He joked: “It’s just harder to get people back in when we reopen!”

More that 25 roads are to be repaired in Luton over the coming weeks,

And residents on the affected roads are being asked to park elsewhere while work is being carried out.

According to Luton Borough Council road treatment is a cost effective way of prolonging the life of the existing surface by sealing it from air and water which are primary causes of pot holes.

The Council is increasingly looking for ways to use treatments to prolong the life of carriageways rather than letting the surfaces deteriorate until it becomes necessary to resurface. Resurfacing is an expensive process and to undertake this in isolation is not cost effective.

The works going ahead this month and next, supplement the existing resurfacing programme where the Council is investing over £2.2 million to tackle cracked and potholed roads.

The roads below are scheduled for treatment, known as micro asphalt and the surface takes a few weeks to weather and bed in by road users. Residents are asked not to park on the road while the works are taking place.

Malham Close – 16 August

Clover Close – 16 August

Ramsey Close – 16 August

Guernsey Close – 17 August

Jersey Road – 17 August

Orpington Close – 17 August

Percheron Drive – 17 August

Minorca Way – 18 August

Purcell Road - 18 August

Beadlow Road - 16 & 18-20 August

Alder Crescent - 21-22 August

Emerald Road – 23 August

Rowelfield – 17 August & 6 September

Jubilee Street – 17 August & 2 September

Drayton Road – 20 August

Vesper Close – 17 & 24 August

Wimple Road – 18 & 24 August

Chapterhouse Road – 21–22 & 24-25 August

Poets Green – 23 & 29 August

Browning Road – 24 & 30-31 August

Byron Road – 31 August & 1 September

Williton Road – 16 August & 3 September

Yeovil Road – 30 August & 5 September

Burnham Road – 31 August & 3-4 September

Alpine Way – 31 August & 2 September

Clevedon Road 1 September & 4 September

Work on May Street and Oxen Road was carried out yesterday.

Dates may change due to the weather. Residents have been informed of the works by a letter and are asked to look at the advanced warning boards placed on the road for further updates.

Cllr Paul Castleman, portfolio holder for transport, said: “Maintaining the roads is essential to ensure that they are kept in good condition for drivers. These works follow concerns raised locally about the condition of the road surface.”

For enquires related to the programme, please contact Luton Highways on 01582 547056 or email highways@luton.gov.uk

>For up to date information on road works in Luton visit www.luton.roadworks.org

Bosses of a former Indian restaurant have been fined after food safety officers found their premises in a filthy state.

When Luton Borough Council food safety officers visited Khan’s at 215 Selbourne Road in July 2016, they found no soap or hand drying facilities at the kitchen basin. There was no hot water at the basins in the staff lavatory.

Standards of cleaning and maintenance of structure were extremely poor throughout, with filthy food containers and kitchen equipment.

Officers noted dirty finger marks on doors, food spills, dirt and debris on shelves and surfaces, thick grease on floors and the extraction canopy, and lime-scale build up around taps. A partly smoked roll-up cigarette butt was lying on a shelf amongst dirt and food spills.

Items of equipment were also dirty, officers noted that plastic tubs containing food ingredients were sticky and dirty: some of them had crusty food remains dried onto them. The microwave oven was splashed with dried on food spills and the dials on the front were sticky. A food cutting board was blackened with dirt, and mould was seen growing in the rubber seals on fridge doors.

Some equipment was in poor condition: a fridge had been repaired with cardboard, and rubber door seals were split and perished.

The flooring was in poor conditions, officers noted areas where the vinyl floor covering had been damaged and repaired with sticky tape, which itself had become damaged.

The lavatories were in poor condition: the lavatory pans were soiled and the paint was peeling from the walls which were mouldy and had fungal growths growing from them.

Raw meat was stored amongst ready-to-eat foods in the fridges, posing a risk of cross-contamination, and there was no effective stock control system for cooked food.

The business closed in 2016 and is no longer in operation.

Business owners, Mr Sohail Rafiq, of 37 Maidenhall Road, Luton and Mr Ajaz Khan, of 48 Sherwood Road, Luton pleaded guilty to 7 hygiene offences at Luton Magistrates Court on 8 August. Magistrates ordered them each to pay fines of £750 plus a £75 victim surcharge each, as well as a contribution of £407.76 towards the council costs.

Councillor Aslam Khan, Portfolio Holder for Place and Infrastructure said: “Food law lays down basic cleanliness, structural and hygiene standards for food businesses to help keep customers safe and healthy. These standards can be easily achieved by any business and should not require any great expense other than physical effort to remove dirt and grease and to maintain surfaces and equipment in good condition. It is inexcusable not to provide basic facilities such as soap at hand basins. Businesses that continue to ignore food hygiene requirements face prosecution and fines.”

The premises is now known as Zaheers Venue & Buffet. The Food Business Operator is a Mr Mohammad Zaheer and there is no connection to the previous business.

The Food, Safety and Environment Team carry out inspections in over 1,700 food premises in Luton, and are available to provide advice and guidance to food business owners on food hygiene. For food hygiene information go to www.luton.gov.uk/food

To check out the hygiene rating of your favourite food business, go to www.food.gov.uk/ratings

More than one in ten UK holidaymakers have misplaced an electronic device in their luggage, resulting in them being stopped by airport security, according to a new report.

The survey, by online retailer AO.com, asked UK holidaymakers about their habits when it came to taking tech abroad.

It revealed that wait times at airports are being increased due to travelers not knowing the rules regarding packing of electronic items.

With tighter security measures, and with more and more of us taking multiple devices on holiday abroad, Brits are consistently finding themselves at a standstill at airport security. According to the ONS, there were 70.8 million visits overseas by UK residents in 2016.

One of the situations most likely to get a tourist stopped is when a phone or tablet is buried in hand baggage, rather than being placed in the security tray.

And even if the item is ‘declared’, it must be able to be switched on to prove it is a working device.

77.2% of UK holidaymakers think it’s ok to bring a phone or tablet that has run out of battery in their hand luggage.

However, if it cannot be turned on then it’s likely that the device will not be allowed on the flight.

The survey also found that more than a quarter (28.7%) of UK holidaymakers think it’s ok to take a TASER in their hand luggage onto a plane.

The study also found that more than a quarter - 27.8% - have forgotten to put a device on airplane mode during a flight

And 21.7% of 16-24 year olds have damaged an electronic device whilst abroad

The 25-34 age group is most likely to incur a charge when using electronic devices abroad. 37.7% of those surveyed had suffered a charge, 15.7% of which came in at more than £50.

The information has been released in support of a new interactive guide for holidaymakers entitled Sun. Sea. Tech. Easy! At http://ao.com/life/sun-sea-tech. Simon Exton, Director of Consumer Electronics at AO.com,said:

“It appears many of us are still confused about the rules and regulations of taking tech with us on holiday. Nobody likes delays at the airport, and getting held up at security can be a nerve racking experience, especially if you’re unable to take belongings through with you.

“Our advice is to carefully check the airport and airline guidelines before packing your bags, and to play it safe when deciding what to take aboard with you. Remember, the vast majority of technology is permitted to travel within luggage in the hold.”

These stunning images of rare natterjack toadlets were captured by RSPB Picture Researcher Ben Andrew.

“It’s not every day you get the chance to see these rare toads, let alone photograph them, which you can only do under licence because of their protected status,” he said. “When I was invited to join The Lodge wardens on their monitoring surveys I didn’t have to think twice.

“Finding and photographing the adult toads at night was really exciting, and then to see and photograph their toadlets felt very special – they are incredible little characters!”

In July, RSPB wardens and volunteers counted more than 300 of the thumbnail-sized amphibians emerging from the pools at the RSPB’s nature reserve at The Lodge in Sandy.

RSPB Warden Lizzie Bruce said: “We’re delighted and actually a bit relieved to have counted so many toadlets this year. A cold April combined with a very dry May meant conditions were not ideal for the toads early on in the breeding season, and some of the ponds even dried out completely.

“Rain in June filled the ponds up again and the number of toadlets we’ve seen in July and August is evidence the natterjacks were able to move quickly to spawn. Just this week we counted another 2,000 tadpoles, so there may yet be more natterjack toadlets this year.”

Natterjack toads are one of the UK’s rarest amphibians and are only found at about 60 sites in Britain – nine in Eastern England. They live exclusively in coastal sand dunes, coastal grazing marshes and sandy heaths, where they can find the combination of bare ground or very short vegetation for hunting and shallow seasonal pools for breeding that they need to survive.

The species’ numbers have fallen dramatically due to habitat destruction, with 70 per cent of colonies lost in the twentieth century.

The first natterjacks were introduced to The Lodge from Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s (NWT) Syderstone Common nature reserve in West Norfolk in the 1980s.

In 2011 the RSPB were able to repay the favour when the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust oversaw the transfer of more than 800 tadpoles back to Kings Lynn in Norfolk.

In recent years they have thrived in the new ponds that have been created for them on the reserve with the help of volunteers from Tesco and grants from the Biffa Award scheme.

Dell Farm, which faced closure last year, has made steady progress under Active Luton’s new operating model, according to a report for the council’s Executive.

The report, which will be presented at the Executive for Luton Borough Council on Monday, August 21, outlines progress the children’s farm in Whipsnade has made since a report to the Executive in July 2016.

That report proposed changes to Active Luton’s operating model, due to budget cuts being faced by the operator.

In March 2016, it was revealed that the centre faced the axe as London Luton Ltd planned to cut its donation to Active Luton by £500,000.

It was not doing well financially, and was not being used as much because of competition from larger centres.

In the report for Monday’s Executive it notes “the progress by Active Luton regarding the first year operating model and the council’s on-going financial challenge to repair and maintain the facility.”

After public and staff consultations Active Luton informed the council that it would continue to operate and manage the centre.

The current position for Dell Farm is reported as being positive, with “increases seen in usage, quality and both external and internal funding and resources.”

The goal is “to establish a more sustainable model of operation for Dell Outdoor Education and Active Centre”.

The proposal from the report is to note the “council’s ongoing financial challenge to repair and maintain this facility”.

Bedfordshire Police are at the scene of a collision involving a motorcycle and a car in Dunstable Road, Chalgrave.

A spokeswoman said: “The collision between a motorcycle and a Vauxhall Zafira occurred at approximately 1.10pm, on the same stretch of road as a police car was travelling on blue lights to attend a separate incident.

“Emergency services are at the scene where the rider of the motorcycle is being treated for serious injuries and the driver of the Vauxhall for minor injuries.

“An investigation has been launched in line with usual protocols following an incident involving police presence.

“Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact police on 101 quoting the reference 197 of today’s date. (August 16).

“The road has been closed at the junction with Chalgrave Road while emergency services are at the scene.”

A man who had his vehicle vandalised has criticised the police for their response to the incident.

Vincent Sweeney, of Leagrave, is unhappy that the police did not come out to see him and collect the CCTV footage he had of the vehicle being vandalised at the weekend.

He said: “I caught it on CCTV, they smashed up the windows, the van was parked at the back of my house. It happened Friday night, I was away, when I returned on Sunday I called 999. When they eventually called me back they asked me to tell them what happened over the phone, I said no they had to come and see me and get the CCTV.

“When I complained about the response to the office they said they had tried to call me for the statement but I had hung up, I did because I want them to come and see me and get it. I am unhappy with what has happened and what if these kids now think they can get away with more serious crimes.”

A spokesman for Beds police said: “ We prioritise our resources based on what risk there is to life, whether the crime is still in progress, and the type of offence that has taken place and resources are allocated accordingly. In this case as there was no immediate threat to the victim, response officers were not deployed. In cases like this, our Crime Bureau would complete a crime report with the victim over the phone. Where a victim has CCTV for a crime such as vandalism, we would arrange for a CCTV pack to be sent to them, and ask them to complete it and return it along with the CCTV footage. Asking the victim to supply CCTV in this way instead of sending officers to collect it means our officers are able to use their time more efficiently to tackle higher level of crime”.

Call 101 with any info.

A police car, motorcycle and Vauxhall Zafira were involved in a collision in Chalgrave yesterday afternoon.

A Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman, said: “We were at the scene of a collision involving a police vehicle, motorcycle and a car in Dunstable Road, Chalgrave.

“The collision between a police vehicle, a motorcycle and a Vauxhall Zafira occurred yesterday (August 16) at approximately 1.10pm. The police car was travelling on blue lights to attend a separate incident.

“Emergency services were at the scene where the rider of the motorcycle was treated for serious injuries and the driver of the Vauxhall for minor injuries.

“An independent investigation has been launched by the Independent Police Complaints Commission in line with usual protocols.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact police on 101 quoting the reference 197 of August 16.

An East of England Ambulance Service Trust spokeswoman said: “We were called to a road traffic collision in Chalgrave, Dunstable at 1.09pm on August 16.

“An ambulance and a rapid response vehicle attended and treated two patients. One man with a leg injury was taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital and a female with minor injuries was discharged from scene.”

A motorist was injured in an argument over a damaged vehicle in a Luton car park.

The incident took place on the top level of the NCP multi-storey car park in Silver Street on Tuesday, August 8, at 1pm.

During a disagreement over damage to the offender’s grey Seat car, the offender forcibly grabbed hold of the victim’s wrist causing minor injury.

The offender is described as black, in his late 40s to early 50s, around six feet tall and bald. He was wearing a hi-visibility coat and black trousers.

PC Davies, of Bedfordshire Police, said: “The victim was left very distressed and upset, as the offender was quite forceful and injured her wrist. She also had three children in her car with her. We’d like to speak to anyone who witnessed the disagreement in the car park or may have any information about the incident.”

Anyone with information should contact 101 quoting reference C/33868/2017 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Five Luton men have been sentenced to a combined total of more than 83 years behind bars for their roles in conspiring to import and distribute firearms into the UK, following an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU). Five members of the organised crime group, headed by Muzaffer Ali, 39, of Maidenhall Road, were convicted following a 12-week trial in July.

At St Albans Crown Court today (Thursday) they were sentenced to the following:

- Muzaffer Ali, 39, of Maidenhall Road – found guilty of conspiracy to import guns and ammunition and of the transfer of guns and ammunition, sentenced to life imprisonment (22 years)

- Haroon Khatab, 41, of Jasmine Road – found guilty of conspiracy to import guns and ammunition, sentenced to a total of 19 years imprisonment

- Sajid Khan, 25, of Manx Close – found guilty of conspiracy to import guns and ammunition and of the transfer of guns and ammunition, sentenced to a total of 18 years imprisonment

- Khalid Hussain, 39, of Maidenhall Road – found guilty of conspiracy to import guns and ammunition, sentenced to a total of 17 years

- Faisal Mahmood, 20, of Maidenhall Road – pleaded guilty during the trial of the transfer of firearms and ammunition, sentenced to a total of seven years and 10 months

In March 2016 a number of guns and ammunition were recovered by police after they were supplied to a criminal group based in Leicester.

A joint surveillance operation between the Special Operations Units in East Midlands and the Eastern Region (EMSOU and ERSOU) evidenced the supply of three Hungarian FEG semi-automatic handguns and 21 rounds of ammunition by the Luton gang to the Leicester group.

ERSOU officers uncovered the fact that Ali, as head of the group, had been responsible for sourcing the weaponry in the Netherlands before using other members of the group to provide security, package and store firearms, collect money, and deliver the weapons to other criminal groups.

Dutch Police and the National Crime Agency were instrumental in supporting the investigation, leading to a multi-agency operation in which two members of the organised crime group were stopped at the border with the UK in Coquelles, France in May 2016. They were arrested after firearms were found hidden behind the dashboard of a hired Ford Mondeo estate.

During the trial, evidence was heard that the group had used more than 60 mobile phone numbers in a four month period, 18 of which were attributed to Muzaffer Ali.

Detective Sergeant James Panter from ERSOU, who led the case, said: “I am pleased that the sentences passed today reflect the severity of the crimes this organised gang were involved in.

“The profits and consequences of gun crime have far-reaching effects in the community, not least to mention the potential loss of life which could have been caused had we not managed to intercept these overseas arms transfers.

“ERSOU has worked closely with a number of agencies in order to achieve these results and I hope that the sentences send out a message to other organised crime groups – you will not get away with your highly dangerous and damaging actions.”

James Cable, Senior Crown Prosecutor for Thames and Chiltern Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said: “Both cases involved substantial work by the Dutch authorities and National Crime Agency and a joint surveillance operation between the East Midlands and Eastern Region Special Operations Units. Mobile phone, automatic number plate recognition and police surveillance evidence along with the use of bank cards (to book flights, hotel rooms, Eurotunnel etc.) and hire cars were all used to successfully convict the gang.

“The impact on communities of illegal firearms is immense. The defendants were motivated by money, without a care for the potential misery their actions were causing to the lives of others.

“Thanks to a dedicated and detailed investigation followed by robust prosecutions, a substantial quantity of weaponry has been removed from the supply chain, these organised criminals have been removed from society, and the public has been made safe from their dangerous, harmful, and life destroying activities.

“These cases send out a clear message that the CPS and the police take these offences very seriously and anyone involved in the illegal firearms trade can expect to be prosecuted robustly. We will continue to work closely with our partners to ensure that persons involved in this kind of criminality are brought to justice.”

Three other defendants were found not guilty of all charges during the trial.

A Luton MBE and octogenarian is on a mission to find old friends from his wartime years thanks to a special photograph.

Raymond Aldous MBE, 84, of Luton, is wondering if any Lutonians may be able to put him in touch with his former companions from the 1940s.

The group, comprised of children from Hurst Way, Willow Way, Marsh Road and River Way used to meet and collect salvage in their local area.

Raymond said: “I remember being part of the team and I think the photo was taken in the late 1940s; if you look at the car you can just see the ‘Blackout’ shutters on its lamps.

“The lady is ‘Mrs Beesley’ and she instigated the group and I’m on the far right of the image - I must have been about ten years old.

“I’ve had this photo in my pack for years and years and years!”

Raymond used to live on Hurst Way and grew up with his mother, a housewife, and his father, who used to work as a machine operator in Kent’s of Biscot Road, for the war effort.

Raymond said: “I was an only child but I had friends who lived in the street. We enjoyed ourselves but in Luton we were fortunate that we didn’t face much in the way of bombardment; the nearest bomb was in Limbury Road. A big bomb destroyed a house.

“Vauxhall got hit and I know a bomb dropped on the railway which wasn’t too far from where I lived.”

After the war ended, Raymond grew up and held jobs as a pattern maker and as a radio mechanic.

He has two children and two grandchildren, while his late wife was called Sylvia.

Raymond’s greatest achievement to date was being awarded his MBE in 2015 for services to young people and scouting, enjoying many happy years with Icknield District Scouts.

If you are one of the children - or think you may recognise someone - please get in touch with reporter, Jo Gravett, via 01582 798505 or joanna.gravett@jpress.co.uk.

Children who skip breakfast may be doing themselves long term harm by not getting enough nutrients, warns new research.

The findings show that youngsters who often skip the first meal of the day may not be consuming the daily amounts of key nutrients for growth and development recommended by Government guidelines.

British kids who ate breakfast every day were deemed to have ‘overall superior nutritional profiles’ compared to those who didn’t.

The eaters were found to have higher daily intakes of key nutrients such as folate, important for the development of genetic material, calcium, iron and iodine,

key to the development of thyroid function, than children who skipped breakfast.

The study also showed that only 6.5 per cent of four to 10-year-olds missed breakfast every day, compared with more than a quarter of 11 to 18-year-olds (27 per cent).

The findings also suggested that girls were more likely to miss breakfast than boys while household income was found to be higher in the families of children eating breakfast every day.

The researchers from King’s College London used food diaries collected for the National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling programme between 2008 and 2012 from a group of 802 children aged from four to 10 and 884 children aged 11 to 18.

Nutrient intake was assessed using a food composition databank from the Department of Health.

Breakfast was considered as consumption of more than 100 calories between 6am and 9am.

The findings also showed that almost a third of those who skipped breakfast (31.5 per cent) didn’t meet even the lower recommended nutrient intake (LRNI) of iron, compared to only 4.4 per cent of children who ate breakfast.

A fifth of non-breakfast eating kids (19 per cent) didn’t meet LRNI for calcium, compared to 2.9 per cent of those who had breakfast, while 21.5 per cent didn’t meet lower levels for iodine, compared to 3.3 per cent of those who ate breakfast.

None of the children who ate breakfast daily had a folate intake below their LRNI, compared to 7.3 per cent of those who skipped breakfast.

The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition and conducted with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, also compared breakfast habits and nutrients within individual participants.

The analysis showed that, in children aged four to 10-years-old, on days when breakfast was consumed, children had higher intakes of folate, calcium, vitamin C and iodine compared to their breakfast-skipping days.

Out of these same nutrients, for older children aged 11 to 18 only calcium intakes were higher on breakfast-consuming days.

The researchers attributed the findings to higher levels of parental control over eating habits at a young age.

They said there is also the possibility of mis-reporting in food diaries, particularly in older children who reported their own intakes.

Study senior author Dr Gerda Pot, lecturer in Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London said: “This study provides evidence that breakfast is key for parents to ensure that their children are getting the nutrition they need.”

She added: “Further studies that investigate specific foods and dietary quality would help to identify if the differences are due to the different types of breakfast being eaten by different age groups, as well as provide more insight into the impact of breakfast on dietary quality overall.”