Four alleged gang members have been arrested on Luton’s streets on gun and drugs charges during a police crackdown.

Operation Malting ran for three nights between Tuesday and Thursday of this week, with Beds Police targeting gang members across Luton.

During the operation, officers carried out stop searches and arrested four people for offences including possession of a firearm and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Sergeant Jamie Harrison, who led the operation, said: “Keeping our residents safe is our biggest priority and we will continue to carry out this operation in the future.

“My team worked extremely hard to identify gang members and crack down on the gang crime in our town. Thanks to their commitment, a quantity of drugs and weapons have been taken off the street and they can no longer pose a threat to our communities.”

Anyone with information about drug dealing and other criminality can report it online or by calling 101.

In case of emergency always call 999.

Police are appealing for information after a man died in a collision on the busway in Luton on Saturday.

A bus and a pedestrian were involved in a collision on the busway near Hatters Way shortly before 3.40am. The man was taken to hospital where he later died of his injuries.

Officers are working to establish the circumstances and are asking the public for any information around the moments leading up to the incident to be reported to police.

The man was dressed in dark clothing and carrying a black rucksack. He may have been walking along the verge at the side of Hatters Way before making his way onto the busway.

He may have also been wearing a high visibility tabard for part of his journey.

PC Felicity Moody, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Forensic Collision Investigation Unit, said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who saw a man matching this description in the area before 3.40am.

“Several motorists were on Hatters Way around the time of the incident and we urge anyone with information that could assist our investigation to come forward.

“We are following several lines of enquiry and need the public’s help to determine the events leading up to the incident in which a man lost his life.”

Anyone who has any information is asked to call police on 101 quoting Operation Night, or via Bedfordshire Police’s online reporting centre.

A Bedfordshire MP has welcomed additional Government investment to help Central Bedfordshire Council support rough sleepers into safe and stable accommodation where they can rebuild their lives.

Central Bedfordshire Council is set to receive £66,866 to help vulnerable people get the specialist support they need. The money for the Rapid Rehousing Pathway will fund innovative local schemes which will help those sleeping rough off the streets for good, as well as specialist support to help them back on their feet.

New support workers will act as a single point of contact to help people with complex needs, such as substance abuse and mental health problems, to get the advice and support they need to turn their lives around. Dedicated letting agents will also be funded to provide advice and housing for those sleeping on the streets.

Alistair Burt, MP for North East Bedfordshire said: “I welcome this additional funding which will provide the specialist support that vulnerable people in NE Bedfordshire need to help them rebuild their lives. No one should ever have to face a night on the streets and this investment takes us another step further towards ending rough sleeping for good”.

We are here to help, by investigating a variety of topics that our readers may be concerned about. We've already looked at how the price of wine will be affected, the supply of EU medicines to the NHS and various travel-related concerns.

Read more: Government asks NHS to build up medicine supply in case of no deal Brexit

JPIMedia is the trusted source of information at the heart of your community and we will be trying to bring you all the facts without any of the spin.

All you have to do is email gemma.jimmison@jpimedia.co.uk and she’ll try to get the answers. Please put Brexit in the subject line.

There had been concerns from council consultants WYG in January of retailers relocating from Luton Town Centre to the site by Junction 10 after a suggested five year no poaching clause expired, plus issues whether the shopping centre would be affected by new stores heading to Newlands Park rather than the Mall.

WYG felt this could potential risk could lead to a significant adverse impact on the town centre, advising the council if they were to approve the Hatters’ applications, a ‘retailer exclusion list’ ought to be included, plus Newlands should be anchored by a ‘high end’ department store and not a mass market retailer.

At that time, Hatters' property arm 2020 Developments had not agreed to such concessions, but have since changed their stance on the two matters, confirming they are willing to also extend the time on the non poaching clause from five to eight years.

That has prompted WYG to update their advice, with director Tristan Hutton's letter to the council’s planning & economic growth department, saying: “We understand that the Council are currently seeking legal advice on whether the mechanisms are enforceable.

“Assuming that the mechanisms are enforceable, and they successfully restrict Newlands Park to a ‘high end’ shopping destination which differs from Luton Town Centre, we consider it unlikely that significant adverse retail impacts will arise on Luton Town Centre.”

Meanwhile, WYG have also declared that Newlands Park wouldn't have an impact on the town centres of St Albans and Harpenden after information provided by 2020’s commercial agent McMullen Wilson.

Town, who have already had the green light on planning permission for a new 17,500 stadium at Power Court, will find out whether Newlands Park has also been successful at a development control meeting on Monday, March 11.

A car park in Luton was one of several NCP car parks affected by a computer malfunction which trapped drivers in car parks across the country on Thursday afternoon.

Exit barriers stopped working at several car parks, including the Luton Regent Street car park, near Bannatyne Health Club and Spa.

The glitch affected a number of National Car Park (NCP) sites across the UK, including Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield, there are five in Luton but only one was affected by the problem.

NCP sent staff to some of the affected sites to assist drivers. A spokesman for the car park operator said: “NCP experienced a technical outage on Thursday night that affected some of our car parks including one in Luton, which caused delays to customers who were trying to exit.

“Our team worked hard to resolve the problem, the issue started just before 5pm and we had the systems back up and running within one hour.

“Where possible we sent staff to affected sites to assist customers with their exit and we apologise profusely for any inconvenience that this caused.”

>> Were you stuck in the Regent Street car park? Email holly.patel@jpimedia.co.uk to share your story.

This includes equal pay, the European Working Time Directive, health and safety in the workplace, annual leave and maternity pay. Will this change after March 29?

A. The short answer is no.

The government has brought into force The Great Repeal Bill. This will convert all EU law, where possible, into UK law from the day we leave. The same rules and laws will apply on the day after exit as on the day before.

The idea is that democratically elected representatives (our MPs) will then decide on any changes to that law, after going through full scrutiny and a proper debate in Parliament.

Theoretically, the UK government could then scrap or change any or all of the aforementioned laws, however, it has pledged to protect workers' rights as they exist now.

The Mayor of Luton, councillor Naseem Ayub, officially opened the MRI scanner suite at the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital.

The MRI suite transformation, consisting of a new departmental layout with installation of a third scanner, new inpatient bed bays and new outpatient seating/changing areas, is now complete.

The suite provides patients with a friendly, comfortable, calming environment and waiting times should be improved.

Simon Nicholson, Imaging Manager, said: “The addition of the 3rd scanner and redesign of the department provides our patients with state of the art diagnostic MRI and a friendly and comfortable environment.

“We are delighted that the Mayor of Luton, Councillor Naseem Ayub, was able to attend and officially open the new facility.”

But if you're struggling to where to eat, these 15 fish and chip restaurants and takeaways come recommended as the best in the Luton area, according to TripAdvisor reviews.

Officers from Bedfordshire Police’s Luton Community Policing team have secured a three month closure order at a property in Wardown Crescent, Luton.

A number of officers searched the property on Sunday, February 10, after receiving reports that it was being used as a brothel.

Two women found at the address were safeguarded and a temporary 24-hour closure notice was issued.

Today (Monday) at a court hearing, a judge granted a three month closure order on the location, and it will now be closed.

Sergeant Barry Smith said: “Our priority was to safeguard any vulnerable people at the location and to close the premises, and I am pleased we have been able to do this.

“It’s important that people report any concerns like this to us, so that we can take appropriate action.

“We continue to work with our partners to deal with issues that matter to our communities, and to protect vulnerable people.”

To report any issues in your area, call Bedfordshire Police on 101.

This was brought into force last year, and along with the Data Protection Act 2018, provides a comprehensive data protection framework.

Regardless of whether we leave the European Union with or without a deal, there would be no immediate change in the UK’s own data protection standards. This is because the Data Protection Act 2018 would remain in place and the EU Withdrawal Act would incorporate the GDPR into UK law to sit alongside it.

However, under GDPR rules, organisations are only allowed to transfer personal data outside the EU if there is a legal basis for doing so, meaning that once the UK is out of the union this will become trickier.

The government has said firms can continue to send personal data from the UK to the EU, but our data protection regulations will have to be assessed before EU countries will be able to transfer personal data to the UK.

It is likely that our regulations will be found to be adequate (after all, we'll still be using GDPR) but discussions won't begin until after we have left the EU and the European Commission has not given a timescale for the issue to be resolved.

Eggs

Let’s start with the good news. The British egg industry can produce enough for the country to be entirely self-sufficient in eggs. In light of the recent scare concerning contaminated eggs imported from Dutch farms, it is unnecessary (other than for cost reasons) for UK supermarkets to use cheaper, foreign-sourced eggs for processed products. So if you fancy eggs for breakfast, Brexit is unlikely to have any effect on this staple.

Bread

Bread is made from wheat and about 85% of the wheat used by UK flour millers is home grown. The majority of the flour produced in the UK is also used there. Only about 1% of UK flour sales are based on imports of flour, whereas about 2% is exported. Canadian wheat is imported due to its excellent characteristics which work well blended with UK wheats.

Depending on the quality of the UK crop, wheat may also be imported from France and Germany. So unless you are after a croissant which requires the softer French wheat, your breakfast toast should not be affected by Brexit.

Read more: Will UK workers lose their rights and entitlements after Brexit?

Sausages and bacon

Now for the less good news. Britain’s breakfast sausages and bacon are dependent on the availability and cost of pork. British farmers currently produce only 40% of the pork eaten in the UK. The other 60% comes from EU countries such as Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. European producers are able to provide pork more cheaply than British farmers who have additional costs related to higher animal welfare standards – 40% of the British pig herd is bred outdoors.

So a hard Brexit would probably lead to a rise in the cost of sausages and bacon, until such a time as the British pork industry recovers sufficiently to supply enough happy pigs.

Hash browns

Although the UK still ranks number 11 in the world among potato producing countries, the harvested area has shrunk by half since 1960 and demand exceeds supply. Mediterranean countries are often the largest source of fresh potato imports to the UK. These usually include new potatoes from both EU and non-EU countries (such as Israel), as well as potatoes from the near continent (principally Holland, Belgium and France).

Frozen, processed potatoes account for the largest proportion of UK imports. Average prices are lower for imported frozen products than those domestically produced with the majority of frozen potato imports coming from the Netherlands and Belgium. This means that if your hash browns come in frozen form, Brexit could make them more expensive.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a relatively new crop in the UK and the industry itself is young, dominated by a single species of mushroom. Mushrooms which can be grown in the UK have seen massive drops in production due to the industry being dominated by a few big companies. The production area of mushrooms has decreased since 2007 from 126 to 86 hectares.

One company based in Ireland dominates production and mushroom growers in Ireland rely on the UK for 80% of sales. Other countries that export mushrooms to the UK are Poland, Belgium and the Netherlands. Recently, G’s Growers Ltd, an independent Producer Organisation, has made a major investment in a new mushroom growing facility in Cambridgeshire in response to demand for UK-grown mushrooms.

But, to complicate matters, the mushroom industry in the UK employs predominantly Eastern European pickers. This indicates that Brexit will have a double-edged effect on mushrooms, with increased prices and shortages due to availability of labour.

Tomatoes

And now for some really bad news. Tomatoes grow where it is hot, and require a long growing season. To combat its climate, the British tomato industry has more than 200 hectares of glasshouses. Despite this, British tomato production amounts to only about a fifth of the total volume of tomatoes sold in the country each year.

About 400,000 tonnes of fresh tomatoes are imported from EU countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy and Belgium, and non-EU countries such as Morocco and Israel. The UK is nowhere near tomato self-sufficiency, and a hard Brexit would definitely mean more expensive tomatoes.

Baked beans

Beans – haricot, navy or phaseolus vulgaris – cannot be grown in Britain. They are all imported – mostly from North America, although scientists are mapping DNA in an attempt to create a strain that will survive in the UK. Breakfast favourite baked beans require haricot beans. People in the UK consume about 2,000 tonnes of baked beans every year. But baked beans aren’t just beans. They also contain a spice mixture, tomato sauce, starch, sugar and vinegar. So although Brexit may not have a direct impact on imports from North America, the fact that baked beans contain tomatoes could influence their price.

So, if you can reduce your breakfast to just eggs and toast, you might not even notice Brexit. But if you want that full English medley, Brexit may not be your cup of tea.

Research by Hana Trollman, PhD Researcher, Loughborough University. Originally published on The Conversation

A drug dealer serving a six-year jail term has been handed an additional 18 months for downloading indecent images of children.

Asim Hussain, 32, from Luton, has been locked up since police found a substantial amount of drugs and cash during a warrant carried out at his home in February 2017.

That warrant was initially executed after police received information that an occupant of the property was accessing indecent images of children.

A number of digital devices belonging to Hussain were seized, including two laptops, three hard drives and a mobile phone, and were found to have over 54,000 indecent images of children ranging from the more serious category A to category C.

He was dealt with initially for the drugs but has now pleaded guilty to a further six charges in total; three charges of making indecent images and three charges of distributing indecent images.

He was sentenced at Luton Crown Court yesterday (Monday) to 18 months in prison, which will run consecutively to the six-year term he was handed in April 2017 when he pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine and acquiring criminal property, including £160,000 of cash and electronic devices, contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Investigating Officer, Nicky Owen from the force’s Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team (ICAIT), said: “We are pleased that Hussain pleaded guilty to making and distributing indecent images and will serve further time in prison for this abhorrent offence.

“Online child sex abuse is not victimless. The viewing and sharing of indecent images is a crime which causes real harm and severe trauma to countless children.

“We absolutely will not tolerate this in our county and our ICAIT officers are committed to tackling those responsible and bringing them to justice so that they cannot inflict their abuse on anyone else.”

Parents can visit the Parents Protect website, which is run by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, for lots of useful resources to help prevent online child sexual abuse. It also contains a list of organisations and resources focusing on keeping children safe in the digital world.

The NSPCC Share Aware website also contains advice and tips about how children can keep themselves safe online.

To report concerns around child sexual abuse call the police on 101.

Work is scheduled to begin on Catalyst’s 100% affordable residential scheme in Dunstable.

The housing association has handed possession of the Brewers Hill Road site to its construction contractor Lovell, who will begin enabling works soon, before starting construction in the coming weeks. The 61 home scheme is expected to start handover of homes in 2020.

Designed by architects Levitt Bernstein, the scheme will deliver 38 houses and 23 apartments, with 43 homes available for shared ownership and 18 for affordable rent. Catalyst received grant funding from Homes England to enable the scheme to be 100% affordable.

The homes will create a new frontage to Brewers Hill Road and face on to a series of internal streets, designed to be accessible for both pedestrians and cyclists. The scheme also features several landscaped spaces, with street-facing green frontages and private back gardens.

Ian McDermott, Chief Executive of Catalyst, said, “The modern and exciting design of the neighbourhood means that this scheme has the potential to be a real landmark development for the town. Catalyst is an organisation committed to delivering genuinely affordable housing across Central Bedfordshire, and we can’t wait to see our first residents moving in and enjoying their new homes.”

Chris Wallace, Construction Director at Lovell, commented, “This is the first time we’ve worked with Catalyst to deliver homes and we’re very pleased to start with a scheme as exceptional as Brewers Hill. While every home will be affordable, every resident will enjoy modern design, a high-quality specification and access to green space.”

Cllr Carole Hegley, Executive Member for Social Care, Housing & Customer Services, said: “The new homes for shared ownership will offer an affordable route to home ownership for local people living in Central Bedfordshire, and the rented homes will provide sustainable housing for families that need it most.”

NHS chiefs from across Luton, Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes have beaten competition to get £1.2million from the government to develop a mental health service for new mums.

Work is already underway on planning new services for Bedfordshire and Luton, and enhancing one that is already running in Milton Keynes but has been “under resourced”.

It has been estimated that some 650 new mums every year, five per cent of the total, may need some support from a perinatal mental health service across MK, Beds, and Luton.

Some 900 women have been asked about their experiences of the health service during pregnancy, not just in mental health, and this highlighted a “lack of continuity that professionals were not communicating with each other or reading notes before speaking with them.”

Among the anonymous comments made, one critical care nurse said: “The treatment I received was shocking. I’m a critical care nurse and I would never treat my patients the way I was treated.

“I was diagnosed with PTSD after my experience of childbirth and will never have another one again after my experience.”

Another said: “I was diagnosed with depression at a children’s centre and that was it. I never went back as I felt stupid. No one followed this up. Two years on I still have dark days.”

A meeting of the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee will today (Tuesday) be told that women who need to access additional support during pregnancy, labour, birth, and post birth have not been receiving quality perinatal mental health services.

The commissioning bodies that pay for health services across Bedfordshire, Luton, and Milton Keynes (BLMK) agree that the provision of a new perinatal mental health service is an “absolute priority”.

Health officials will tell the committee, being hosted by Milton Keynes Council that before the start of the new service “Bedfordshire and Luton did not have a specialist perinatal mental health service.

“There was a service in Milton Keynes, but it was under resourced and did not fully meet national guidance or local needs. It consisted of a limited psychologist and consultant psychiatrist and nurse – which cost £172,100 a year.”

The cash injection means establishing new teams in Bedfordshire and Luton, and building on the small existing service in MK.

“This bid was successful as a result of the close collaboration across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes – other areas that did not benefit from similar collaborative working were unsuccessful,” the committee will be told.

The new and enhanced services will deliver assessment and treatment for women with serious mental illness in the perinatal period (during pregnancy and up to a full year following birth).

The Bedfordshire and Luton team will work from a central hub and reach into local hospitals and services to ensure that women and families have equal access wherever they live.

The Milton Keynes team will continue to be based in MK, but teams will work closely together so that women have equal access to care. They will also work with hospitals and health and social care teams to “jointly support women and their families through what can be a very difficult time.”

They will have access to doctors, nurses, psychology, occupational therapy and nursery nurses.

The Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee is being asked to note the update from the Local Maternity Services Programme and provide any recommendations.

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has already increased its range of drinks from UK and non-EU producers across its 880 pubs.

The pubs have stopped serving Champagne, German Jagermeister, French brandies Courvoisier VS and Hennessy Fine de Cognac and German wheat beers.

They have been replaced with sparkling wines from the UK and Australia, E&J Brandy (the number two selling brandy in the USA), Black Bottle (the number one selling brandy in Australia) Strika, a herbal liqueur produced in England, and wheat beers from the UK.

Wetherspoon founder and chairman, Tim Martin, said: “This is a significant move by us and highlights our commitment to offering an excellent range of UK and world products, with the emphasis on quality and value for the two million customers who visit our pubs each week. All EU products have UK or non-EU replacements, often at equal or better quality and price.”

A grieving former Vauxhall electrician has won a landmark victory over the carmakers.

John Carey’s wife Lydia died of asbestos-related lung cancer, just a week before their case against Vauxhall Motors, was due to be heard at London’s High Court.

This week John, who now lives in Toddington, found the court ruled in his favour.

He could be awarded up to £1m.

John described coming into contact with asbestos as an apprentice and then a fully qualified electrician for Vauxhall, at their trucks division in Dunstable between 1973 and 1979.

He had met Lydia in 1976 and they married in the summer of 1978.

John described how he often used to work overtime and always used to work the summer shutdown, when large maintenance and repair jobs were undertaken.

He described how this involved the stripping off and re-application of asbestos on pipework throughout the factory, and that his work clothes were contaminated with dust.

There were no showering facilities and no compulsory overalls or laundering service.

Lydia commenced court proceedings in the High Court in London early in 2018, and Vauxhall defended the claim, arguing there was very little asbestos left in the factory by 1973, that any jobs which disturbed asbestos were carried out under strictly controlled conditions, and that John would not have taken his overalls home to be laundered.

They disclosed over 2,000 pages of documents, mainly from Vauxhall’s Luton factory, and nowhere within those documents was confirmation that asbestos had already been removed from Dunstable or that safe systems of work with asbestos were introduced until the 1980s, even though the dangers of exposure to asbestos were appreciated from the 1960s.

Sadly, Lydia did not survive long enough to see her claim concluded, or to access the immunotherapy treatment that she so dearly hoped might hold her illness in check. She died in late November. John decided to follow Lydia’s wishes and continue with the trial, which was heard by Her Honour Judge Karen Walden-Smith in the High Court in London over four days in December last year.

On hearing of the court’s decision, John said: “Lydia and I met when we were teenagers and were married for more than 40 years. She was the lynchpin of our whole family. When she became unwell and was told that she was terminally ill her only concern was for her family, including her father who she used to care for.

“She was desperate to access treatment to prolong her life but sadly she died just a week before her trial was due to take place. The judgment in our favour is bittersweet. Obviously I am pleased that my former employers have been found responsible after allowing me – and potentially hundreds of others – to travel home contaminated with asbestos. However, it is very difficult to contemplate that we have lost Lydia so many years too soon – and that her illness might have been prevented.

“I would like to sincerely thank both Helen and John-Paul [Swoboda, his barrister] for their kindness and professionalism. They were often available 24/7 and were such a support to us, and at a time which was a 16-month nightmare for me and my family they were both dedicated and, above all, sympathetic to our feelings. Thank you both.”

Passing judgment, Her Honour Judge Karen Walden-Smith said she was satisfied that Mr Carey had been exposed to significant quantities of asbestos dust which was transferred back home on his overalls.

Helen Childs, specialist asbestos solicitor with Royds Withy King who represented the Carey family, said: “This has been a difficult case which was vigorously defended. The Carey family were courageous and dignified throughout and it has been my privilege to help them secure this judgment.

“Sadly asbestos can affect not only those workers who came into contact with it through their own employment, but also their family members, and employers should have appreciated the dangers of this from the mid 1960s.

“This is the first successful claim for such a family member to be decided at court in England. Mesothelioma is a rare illness but a continuing legacy of Britain’s industrial past. The treatment for mesothelioma is advancing very rapidly, and the only way for those affected to receive bespoke immunotherapy – the most promising treatment – is if they have private funding.

“We would encourage anyone who has any queries about a diagnosis of mesothelioma or about immunotherapy treatment to seek advice from a specialist mesothelioma solicitor.”

A woman from Toddington has thanked WW (the new Weight Watchers) after she lost two stone and is no longer insulin dependent.

WW member Christina Scott, 43, joined the Dunstable workshop in September last year and within two months she was no longer insulin dependant.

She has lost the weight following the WW Freestyle programme and credits the support and encouragement she has received from her friends, family and WW support group as the reasons why.

In August 2017 Christina was told she had no insulin in her blood and she stated medication straight away.

After being diagnosed as diabetic, overweight, uncomfortable frequently out of breath and being insulin dependent she decided she had to do something and joined WW.

She said: “I am a school dinner lady and found in the six weeks holidays I would boredom eat, I needed to lose some weight for my children as I just couldn’t keep up with them. To top this off I had become insulin dependent!

“Fast forward a few months and I am so happy with my life!

“I have turned a big health issue around, I just never thought that changing my lifestyle would make such a big difference.

“The WW freestyle plan has been the key for me, I love the Zero Smart pointed foods, it’s a healthier way of living and I feel so much better even in the short space of time.

“Everything in life is so much easier, I can do my job without getting hot and out of breath.

“A recent trip to the diabetic nurse shows that I really am changing my health, she was so happy I’m following WW and told me to carry on with what I’m doing.

“I know I’m still on my weight loss journey but weight is only one measure, it’s how you feel and your health that’s important, and I have taken back control of mine with the support of my fantastic coach Marisol.”

Marisol Sanchez runs a workshop on a Tuesday at the Methodist Church in Toddington at 7pm.

A Houghton Regis man captured on CCTV fly-tipping a wardrobe and a Christmas tree has been fined almost £1,700, after he failed to pay the original smaller fixed penalty.

The incident occurred on January 2, 2018, at The Old Bottle Bank in Houghton Regis and was captured on CCTV by Central Bedfordshire Council. The council’s environmental protection officers investigated and linked the vehicle license plate to Sebastian Radzikowski from Longbrooke, Houghton Regis.

Mr Radzikowski was interviewed and issued with a £300 fixed penalty notice after he confirmed he had emptied the waste from the vehicle. He accepted the fine, but then failed to pay.

Mr Radzikowski attended Luton Magistrates’ Court (January 29, 2019), and pleaded guilty to fly-tipping. He was sentenced to a fine of £792, ordered to pay costs of £825 and a victim surcharge of £80, amounting to a total cost of £1,697.

Councillor Budge Wells, Deputy Executive Member for Community Services at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “We have a zero-tolerance attitude toward fly-tipping in Central Bedfordshire. Our teams work relentlessly to ensure fly tippers are brought to justice.

“This case demonstrates the value of our investment in CCTV and shows how these cameras can help reduce crime and achieve prosecutions.

“We want Central Bedfordshire to remain a great place to live and work. Failure to properly dispose of your waste is simply not acceptable, and we will take action against anyone caught.”

Residents can report any incidents of fly-tipping to the CBC customer services team on 0300 300 8302 or by emailing customers@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk.

Readers should also note that the bottle bank isn’t there now and was taken out a while ago. It used to be at the site of the old Co-op where new sheltered accommodation is currently being built.

Pupils from Lark Rise Primary Academy have joined volunteers from the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) charity shop in raising money for the charity.

The fundraising took place to mark World Cancer Day, volunteers were raising awareness in the charity shop at White Lion Retail Park and Tesco Extra in Dunstable.

Schoolchildren from the Dunstable primary school took part in a cake competition and raised £92 for CRUK.

Kelly Taylor, assistant manager at CRUK charity shop Dunstable, said: “Denise went to Tesco with some of the volunteers from here to raise awareness of the work the charity does and they raised over £475 there.

“We had a DJ in store here and a tombola and I was going around in a tutu and roller skates, we raised £210.

“We also teamed up with Lark Rise Academy and they had a cake competition, they raised £92.

“The aim of the events was to raise money and awareness of the charity and World Cancer Day.”

Cancer Research UK is a cancer research and awareness charity, its aim is to reduce the number of deaths from cancer.