A fake Costa Coffee voucher scam is catching people out on Whatsapp and allowing criminals to steal personal data.

Police have issued an urgent warning about this new scam that starts with Whatsapp users receiving an offer for a £75 voucher in celebration of Costa’s 50th birthday.

Victims are then asked to enter personal information before they can access the ‘voucher’.

Costa has confirmed the message is a scam.

If you get this message, do not click on the link and do not enter any personal information.

Scams can be reported to Action Fraud UK on 0300 123 2040 or visit https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/report_fraud

A team of officers from Bedfordshire Police cycled 200 miles and raised £7,500 in memory of officers who have passed away.

The officers completed the Police Unity Tour on Sunday, July 29, in honour of fallen officers including Bedfordshire officer PC Jon Henry who was stabbed to death while on duty in Luton on June 11, 2007.
The Police Unity Tour is held every year and sees over 300 officers from across the country take part in a three day bike ride to raise money for the charity, Care Of Police Survivors (COPS). The charity provides support to the families of officers who have died while on duty.

The cyclists finished their ride at the National Memorial Arboretum where a service was held to commemorate fallen officers, alongside the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones.
Sergeant Matt Crouch, organising the Bedfordshire Chapter, said: “I am so proud of everybody for their efforts, their enthusiasm and their determination to get round the challenging route.”

“My thanks go to the police motorcycle escorts who were incredible ensuring the safety of the team and public on route, the van support crew who without their tenacity we would still be riding, and to every single cyclist for putting themselves out to train, fundraise and volunteer to make this event possible.

“Not forgetting the support we received from our colleagues and the public and I thank everyone for the donations they made towards the COPS charity to help families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty.

“As a force we have raised £7,500 which is invaluable to help families cope with their loss.

“My final thanks goes to Bedfordshire Police Federation for supporting and sponsoring the event and to Chief Constable Jon Boutcher who has been 100 per cent behind me and the tour.

“This was just a beautiful weekend with amazing people doing an amazing thing. Without doubt we will be doing it next year.”

Struggling to keep up to date with the major planning applications currently hitting Chronicle Country?

Welcome to our column of what’s planned, what’s been approved and what’s heading down the pipeline in the area.

Campaigners are celebrating after an application for 170 houses on land north of Sandy Road, Potton has been withdrawn.

In May, it was revealed how despite the plot not being considered suitable for CBC’s Local Plan, the developer had still put in for planning application for this area.

The applicant had previously applied for 186 houses on the same plot last year and withdrew the application then.

Independent councillor, Adam Zerny said: “I am delighted the application has been withdrawn. There was huge local opposition to this huge development and I suspect it would have been turned down”

In the pipeline:

> Up to 228 homes on land to the north of Sunderland Road, Sandy.

> Land at Bonds Lane and Foundry Lane Biggleswade, 50 residential apartments.

> Loft Farm and west of Church Street, Langford, Outline planning application for up to 95 dwellings.

> Land west of Hitchin Road, Shefford, Outline application for up to 150 homes.

> Land to the south of Arlesey Road, Stotfold, 161 dwellings.

> Land between 21 and 39 Thorncote Road Northill, outline plan for 10 new dwellings.

> Land east of Baden Powell Way, Biggleswade, full planning bid for 240 homes plus outline plans for a further 1,260 dwellings

Total seeking planning permission so far in July – 2,194.

The total of approved homes and outline plans for June is 982. The total approved for July is 28

Appearances at Luton Magistrates Court

On June 22

> Sam Smith aged 29 of Winston Crescent, Biggleswade, was fined £1,000 and was issued with a community order for assaulting a man in Sandy on December 15, assaulting a man in Kempston on the same date and being found in possession of drugs,

On June 25

> Steven Hartwell aged 32 of Winchester Road, Sandy, was fined a total of £155 for being drunk and disorderly in Bedford on May 26.

> Alexander McGregor aged 31 of Brunel Drive, Biggleswade, was fined a total of £569 and banned from driving for 36 months for drink/driving in Bedford on June 9.

On June 26

> Cevdet Karakoc aged 46 of Biggleswade Road, Upper Caldecote, was fined a total of £7,989.96 for using a property on Hitchin Street, which he knew had a prohibition order on it because of poor living conditions, to house four men.

On June 27

> Russell Owen aged 41 of Bridge View, Shefford, was fined a total of £1,268 and received six penalty points for speeding on the A507 at Clifton on September 20.

On June 28

> Harjeet Singh aged 34 of House Lane, Arlesey, has been made the subject of a community order and, disqualified from driving for 28 months and fined a total of £170 for drink/driving in Stotfold on June 10.

On July 3

> Miss Rosie Howden aged 21 of Foster Grove, Sandy, was fined a total of £811 and received six penalty points for failing to provide the name of a driver of her vehicle believed to have committed an offence in Langford in January.

A health campaigner is taking to the skies on Tuesday to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Laura Chavez-Waite will be skydiving in the Swiss Alps to raise money in memory of her grandmother.

She said: “Despite my intense fear of heights, I will be throwing myself 13,000ft out of a plane over the Swiss Alps to raise much needed funds for the vital services provided by Macmillan Cancer Support, so they can continue to provide the wonderful palliative care and support to those with cancer as well as support for their loved ones during what is an incredibly difficult time.

“My grandmother was one of those affected and the Macmillan nurses did such an incredible job in taking care of her, by not only offering practical help where she needed it but also by helping keep her as comfortable and pain free as possible whilst ensuring she was treated with the utmost dignity and respect.

“She was later admitted into a hospice where she spent the final weeks of her life. Having seen first-hand the effects of this disease and having lost a loved one to it, this is my way of standing up to cancer and giving something back so that Macmillan can continue to help more people affected by cancer.

“My aim is to raise £750. A portion of the donation will be used by Macmillan to reimburse registration costs for the skydive, with a minimum of 60% going directly to help people affected by cancer.”

Laura, aged 30, from Biggleswade, has already smashed her initial target but is hoping to raise much more.

It’s not her first charity success though.

Laura suffers from endometriosis, a painful disorder and chronic condition in which tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It affects one in 10 women and can have a debilitating effect on sufferers.

Laura has now taken part in a charity calendar for 2019 to highlight the condition.

Twelve women, who are all sufferers of endometriosis, have come together for the project to raise the profile of the condition which in many cases doctors still fail to diagnose correctly.

Laura added: “In my case, it took well over 10 years and countless trips to the GP who turned me away for a long time without any tests, despite telling them I strongly suspected endometriosis based on my symptoms.

“By the time I was diagnosed, I had stage 4 widespread and deep infiltrating endometriosis which had also spread to my bladder and bowel.

“Due to the severity, my first consultant advised that it was too severe for him to treat and was “certainly beyond my surgical skills”. This resulted in me being referred to a specialist who had me in theatre. They found that both of my ovaries were so enlarged that they were touching in the middle. Everything in the pelvic region was covered in endometriosis and stuck together, as was my bowel. I also had several large endometriomas on both ovaries.

“My last excision surgery was 3 years ago but my symptoms have returned and I am now in the process of being referred to a gastroenterologist specialist as it is believed that due to the severity of my endometriosis when I was finally diagnosed, it has resulted in some degree of bowel/bladder dysfunction which is causing a lot of the pain I am now experiencing.

“In February, in a bid to raise awareness on this condition, myself and 11 other women across the country who began as complete strangers, came together to create a 2019 calendar, with 100% of the profits going to Endometriosis UK. The photo shoot took place in an American style diner in Blackpool and when the BBC caught wind of our project, they got in touch and asked if they would be able to not only interview us but film the entire event. They put together a short film of our shoot for Endometriosis Awareness month which went live in March on the BBC news website homepage, as well as on the BBC Like That Facebook page. The video has racked up over 600,000 views so far.”

To find out more about the condition go to https://endometriosiscalendar.com/

To support Laura’s skydive go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/macmillancancerskydive

A Year 10 student with Asperger’s has won the John Bunyan Museum Diary Writing Competition.

Oscar Francis West, a pupil at the Samuel Whitbread Academy, Shefford, was one of more than 100 entrants in the prestigious competition.

Run by the John Bunyan Museum in Bedford,the competition was open to all students and visitors to Bedfordshire. Entrants were invited to write a text as John Bunyan in one of the four stages of his life (tinker, soldier, prisoner or preacher).

Oscar wrote a diary entry as John Bunyan the prisoner, a piece of work commended for its research.

Oscar says he loves history and Sarah Jellis, the Head of Learning Support at Samuel Whitbread, has been encouraging him to write about it.

Oscar, who won in his age group (Year 8 - 10), attended the prize giving ceremony at the Museum last month and received a £20 book token. His work will also be displayed in the Museum throughout the summer.

Oscar said: “I am very proud to have participated in such a wonderful competition.”

The following is an extract from Oscar’s prize winning diary entry, written as John Bunyan:

“‘No force on God’s green earth shall ever make me denounce my preaching words of Christ and so I may well stay here until judgement day.’”

Sarah Jellis said: “Oscar thoroughly deserved to win.

“It was a beautifully crafted and well researched piece of text. It was quite simply one of the best pieces of student writing that I have seen in all my years of teaching.”

In the future, Oscar would like to be a history writer or a curator of a museum.

Ambulance bosses are appealing for help after a patient transport service (PTS) vehicle was attacked, with a patient still inside.

At around 10.50pm last night (2nd August) a non-emergency patient was being transported back to their home in Luton, when a rock was thrown through the rear window. The rock just missed the patient but showered the crew in glass, all involved were uninjured.

Graeme Toliday, Interim General Manager, said: “It’s horrible to think that someone felt it okay to behave in such a violent way. Our staff and the patient are physically unharmed however it was a terrible experience for them. The vehicle is now off the road for a period of time waiting to be repaired.”

Russell Glenister, Inspector for Bedfordshire Police, said: “Attacking an ambulance service vehicle under any circumstances is appalling and we are glad to hear that both the members of staff and the patient were unharmed. We would urge anyone who has any information about this incident to come forward, by calling 101 or via the report page on our website, quoting reference 4015792-18.”

Picture EEAST, Twitter

Fairfield now has its very own mini lending library.

The telephone box library has now been delivered, fixed in place and fitted with shelves.

Residents are now being asked to help stock it by providing books

Books are required that are suitable for all ages, are in good clean condition and should be a “suitable” read as they will be on show to all.

If the library is full, residents arte asked not to leave the books but take them back home for use on another day.

The end of any school year is met with relief at the completion of another successful term, excitement at the prospect of the forthcoming holiday and more than a little sadness as the time has come to bid farewell to the pupils who are leaving to continue their education elsewhere.

The end of this school year has, however, been even more poignant as all the staff and students parted company and closed the door on Gamlingay Village College for the final time.

The College is closing as part of a move to introduce two-tier education in the area.

A spokesman said: “‘A small school that thinks big’ became our mantra three years ago and never has this been more apt than in the last 12 months. As our pupil numbers dwindled you may have thought that GVC would just drift along to the inevitable end. Nothing could be further from the truth. We have had an action packed year starting at the College, where we rattled around in the building, before relocating to a mobile on the field at Gamlingay First School which, with just two classrooms, was a much cosier fit. The resilience our pupils have shown, as they continued to study hard and take the many changes in their stride, has been admirable.

“In the penultimate week of term, we had a school trip to France, camping in Normandy. The pupils enjoyed a trip to Mont St Michel, although many saw similarities with Hogwarts and Diagon Alley. A guided tour across the bay, retracing the pilgrim’s journey was one of the highlights, especially the sinking sands. Another day, pupils were each given 3 euros and taken to a French market to buy suitable fillings for a sandwich. In groups they were then judged on their choice and presentation, before eating their creations. Paddle boarding and kayaking were very successful and much enjoyed as were games on the beach and paddling. The enormous climbing wall was exhilarating and everyone faced up to and overcame their fears. A visit to a goat farm to learn about how the cheese is made was also fun, with many of them having a go at milking a very patient goat.

“ The World Cup added to the excitement of the week with our guide teaching them “allez les bleus”.

“While in France we received our Year 6 SATs results. 2017 saw our best ever results, but in 2018 they were even better! 89% of our students are working at Age Related Expectations – a fantastic achievement for our staff and students alike and a fitting accolade for all the hard work put in by everybody. The way our students approached their tests back in May was commendable and the results richly deserved; we could not be more proud of each and every one of them.

“During the last week of term we had an RE day where the pupils learnt about festivals in one of three religions: Hinduism, Judaism or Islam. The groups were then remixed so that they could teach each other and design a multi faith centre.

“And so to our final day: having registered the pupils, we took them all to GVC where we had a fun morning of games, sumo wrestling and a bungee run on a large inflatable. Parents and friends joined us and thanks to Mr and Mrs Daisley we had a delicious barbecue lunch, followed by ice-cream and a fantastic cake commemorating 53 years of Gamlingay Village College. The pupils each gave a short speech about their best times at GVC and this was followed by the giving of awards and prizes. It was a fitting tribute to all at GVC and a chance for us to acknowledge our parents and supporters. We would like to extend a huge thank you to all those in the village who believed in us to the end and to those parents who supported us totally during the last year.

“Gamlingay Village College has always had a very special environment; one of trust and caring commented on by many including Ofsted. Those of us who have worked there have always had a strong sense of family so it is with enormous sadness that we have said our final farewells. We hope that a little of our spirit and resolve will remain and wish everyone all the best as they start a new chapter in their lives.”

Humanitarian aid workers and trainers from RedR UK, joined students from Cranfield University’s MSc course in Water & Sanitation for Development, on a visit to Silsoe quarry.

The visit was to study the structure in the quarry’s walls, for an understanding of the types of ground they may need to excavate to sink a well in disaster relief zones.

Aid workers often have to provide water, sanitation and hygiene support at refugee camps in areas affected by war, famine or natural disasters.

Is Bedfordshire winning the struggle against child sexual exploitation (CSE)?

Could what happened in Rotherham or Rochdale take place here?

A single CSE prosecution in Luton and a low level of children identified as being at risk in the town suggests all is well.

But the authorities closely monitoring the evidence acknowledge more work needs to be done.

There were 38 CSE-related crimes in Luton, 34 in Bedford and 21 in Central Bedfordshire from April 2017 to June this year.

Between 2014 and 2017, 146 children and young people were flagged as being at risk of CSE in the county.

Currently, as of June 2018, there are 19 children or young people considered to be at risk of CSE.

Luton benefits from having a multi-agency safeguarding hub (or MASH) in which staff are well briefed about all forms of exploitation.

Within Luton to date “there has been one successful prosecution, one youth caution and two adult cautions administered”, according to a report to Luton Borough Council’s children service’s review group.

The links between CSE and other emerging threats and hidden crimes are becomingly increasingly apparent, says the report.

These offences range from domestic abuse, modern slavery and trafficking, to cybercrime, gangs and criminal exploitation.

CSE is a form of child abuse. Child abuse includes any act of forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities.

A CSE disruption toolkit was introduced for Bedfordshire in February 2017.

After an initial focus on taxi drivers and hotels, the authorities are spreading their prevention message to fast food outlets across Bedfordshire.

The council’s head of strategic safeguarding Glen Denham said a proactive approach included training taxi drivers to recognise the signs of sexual exploitation.

“It’s part of taxi drivers’ licensing process now that they have to attend training,” he told a review group meeting on Tuesday. (July 31st)

“That approach has been adopted across Bedfordshire.

“Police and council staff have been really proactive under Operation Make Safe, identifying hotels where we have intelligence to suggest that there could be sexual exploitation happening.”

He said hotels were visited to ensure staff are aware what the signs are, such as thinking about a child with an adult, about where rooms have been booked and for how long, and asking what their safeguarding policy is.

“We’re also doing the same now for fast food outlets where we know there are challenges in relation to young people being at risk.”

Bedfordshire’s CSE co-ordinator Lisa Robinson said: “We invited every hotel across Bedfordshire to a conference. A big part of our role is about prevention.

“Now what we’re finding is that hotels are calling in, with concerns, before a child is being taken into a hotel room.

“I wouldn’t like to say we’ve had an increase in the number of offences taking place in hotels. It’s because we’ve raised that awareness,” she added.

“We had a recent case where someone who’d had the training saw a mattress being taken out of the back of a takeaway shop and that didn’t seem right, so they reported their concerns.

“Clearly that could have been a situation of modern day slavery or other form of exploitation,” she told the review group.

“In Luton specifically, we’re targetting areas where we have got that intelligence, the fast food outlets where we have concerns, that are our hot spot areas.”

Mr Denham said: “There has been one prosecution in Luton recently, but at the end of the day we can only state the facts.

“We’ve got low prosecution rates. We’ve had a number of individuals under surveillance, and lots of work across the partnership in terms of disruption, and raising awareness about individuals.

“It’s about cases being prepared to the level where the police think they having sufficient evidence and that’s supported by the CPS.

“I don’t want to give impression that we are patting ourselves on the back across the partnership and Luton Borough Council to say ‘aren’t we doing well’?

“We are doing well in our approach to try to prevent and protect,” he explained.

“But I still think there’s lots more to be done, particularly in relation to the four recommendations to the review group.

The review group was told the next campaign will be ‘It happens to boys too’.

A man has been charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent after a vehicle collided with a police officer and left her with a broken leg.

Jack Mitchell, 19, of Kingsmoor Road, Harlow, Essex, was charged yesterday (Sunday) with causing grievous bodily harm with intent to resist or prevent arrest and dangerous driving.

The incident took place in Sandy on April 24.

In addition, he was also charged with the same two offences in relation to a separate incident in Essex on April 26.

Mitchell has been remanded ahead of a future court appearance.

A former Detective Chief Inspector with Bedfordshire Police is to face a misconduct hearing on Wednesday.

Chris Beresford faces charges that between November 26, 2015 and October 2016 he accessed Bedfordshire police computer systems outside of his police role, accessing personal information whilst doing so.

The conduct hearing, which will look at a potential breach of professional standards, will be held at Bedfordshire Police Headquarters, in Kempston.

An Everton school is fighting back after it claims Central Beds Council tried to offload its liabilities over pension arrears.

Everton Heath Primary School is transitioning to an academy but the process has been halted after solicitors noticed CBC had attempted to “dodge” potential arrears for pensions.

The school’s chair of governors told a full council meeting that the circumstances were “shocking to say the least”.

It is understood that between 2007 and 2013 in Central Beds, there were cases of contributions missed from teachers signed up with the pension scheme, and others wrongly taken from those who had opted out.

To cover these arrears, CBC has included a clause within the commercial transfer agreement that offloads these liabilities to academy trusts once schools have converted.

Everton Heath’s chair of governors Nabeel Mardi said: “How is it fair for a trust to take over mistakes and liabilities that the local authority is responsible for?

“They are opening us up to risk that we can’t possibly assess... They won’t tell us how many schools are affected and we can’t quantify how much money we’re talking about.”

After a successful consultation with parents last year, Everton began the process of transitioning to an academy as part of CAM Trust – which runs 14 schools in South Cambridgeshire.

The target date for conversion was June 1, however this was halted after solicitors spotted the extra clauses added to the commercial transfer agreement.

Guidance from the Department for Education sets out the standard contract for academies and CBC is the only known local authority to have added in such a clause. Local authorities usually remain liable for school pensions that predate the transfer.

Mr Mardi added: “We argued that this seems an unfair clause but CBC have said they won’t sign the commercial transfer agreement if we don’t agree to it.

“Our understanding is that in some cases, £12,000 to £15,000 is owed. A lot of the teachers we have are young. Imagine a teacher joining in their early 20s but they don’t identify the discrepancy until retirement – the potential costs are huge.”

The Department for Education has chosen not to intervene in the dispute, leaving matters between the school and the council at a standstill.

Sue Harrison, Central Bedfordshire Council’s director of children’s services, said: “These claims are just not accurate.

“We’ve done everything we can to support Everton Heath Primary School, first with their move to become a primary, and now with their journey to academisation.

“We have worked closely with the Department for Education and done everything we can to assist the school, mitigate the risk and put a cap on the risk.

“It was in 2013 when we approved the Teachers’ Pensions clauses that set out the transferring of liabilities.

“This has not hindered any conversions and we have had 20 schools become academies in the last five years.

“We recently wrote a letter to the chairman of the school’s board of governors outlining this and that the liability in relation to pension arrears is set at a maximum of three per cent of the budget share, which is also the case for council maintained schools.

“In 2013, there were no cases of teachers’ pensions arrears identified for Everton Heath Primary School through the retrospective checking of current and leaver records held by Central Bedfordshire Council.”

An appeal is being made for items to be loaned for an exhibition being held in Biggleswade next month.

The call comes from St Andrew’s Church as organisers prepare for the popular annual fundraiser.

The annual country fayre is being held in the grounds of St Andrew’s Church, Shortmead Street, on Saturday, September 22, from 10am which will be supporting the two charities,‒ Combat Stress and Chums.

As usual all monies raised will go directly to these two charities.

The exhibition in church that day will be entitled ‘Celebrating 100 years since the end of World War I’.

The organisers are appealing to anyone who has artefacts that could be borrowed to use in the display.

Stewards will be present throughout the day, so the artefacts will be secure and returned to the owners within the following days.

If you have anything that you could offer to be shown within the exhibition, however small or large, please contact Sue Oldroyd on 01767 310394 or email at sueoldoyd663@gmail.com and she will get back to you asap.

In spring 1918, the German army had made a surprise attack on the Allies with significant gains on the Western Front.

By Charlotte Czyzyk, Imperial War Museums

What happened before the battle?

However, the strain of holding onto these positions with exhausted troops and supplies meant that there was no decisive German breakthrough.

The Allies prepared to launch their own attack in August 1918, having learned crucial lessons from previous bloody battles at Ypres and on the Somme. A combination of men on the ground, tanks, artillery and aircraft – and crucially, improved communication between them all - would end the stalemate of trench warfare. A key element of this plan was secrecy – troops and equipment were moved under the cover of darkness, and false intelligence reports were sent out about the location and timing of the attack. Even those involved in the offensive only received their orders in the days and hours before the beginning of what became known as the Battle of Amiens.

What happened during the battle?

At 4.20am on 8 August 1918, the attack began with a sudden artillery barrage. Under the cover of smoke and fog, British, Canadian and Australian soldiers went into action, to the complete surprise of the German army. Tanks and aircraft helped to clear the way for the Allies, who advanced around 8 miles on the first day. The French Army also enjoyed success further to the south.

The fighting continued over the next three days, until Allied momentum began to slow down. The battle was halted on 12 August to allow the armies to regroup, before going into action again at the end of the month.

What was the impact of the battle?

The immediate military successes were seen not only from the land gained but also in the capture of thousands of German prisoners, leading General Erich Ludendorff to describe it as “the black day of the German Army”. As with many other battles of the First World War the human cost was high, with around 50-70,000 German and 40,000 Allied casualties.

Nevertheless, as Oliver Woodward of 1st Australian Tunnelling Company reflected, “the essential fact was … that we had the game well in hand and eventually the winning goal would be kicked.” 1 The Battle of Amiens marked the beginning of the end of the First World War, with 8 August 1918 as the start of the last 100 days of the fighting. Over the following months the Allies, also joined by the USA, slowly defeated the German Army and the long-awaited victory was finally achieved on 11 November 1918.

After four years of fighting, the Allied Forces managed to get out of the trenches and they never went back.

On August 8, we will commemorate the centenary of this battle at the awe-inspiring Amiens Cathedral in France.

On that day 100 years ago, the Allied forces - made up of British, Australian, Canadian, French and US troops - gained over seven miles of ground.

It was one of the greatest Allied advances of the First World War and more than in the entire 141 day campaign of the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

But despite its importance to the outcome of the war, the events of 1918 are not as prominent in the British collective memory as other battles. That is why the ceremony at Amiens Cathedral is so crucial.

The commemoration this week will bring the story of this battle and its significance to a wider audience.

It will not only honour those who lost their lives, but also those who fought and survived, and whose service finally led to the end of the war.

The three-day battle heralded the beginning of the final Hundred Days Offensive, which culminated in the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918.

It was described by the German General Erich Ludendorff as ‘the black day of the German Army’.

It was the first time that the coalition of Allied nations fought under one strategic command, using tanks and air power to push forward.

Over the past four years we have marked this pivotal period of our history and encouraged the country to remember this unique generation, recognise their service and understand the huge impact the war had on Britain and the world.

One of the great privileges of being appointed Culture Secretary in July is that I will be involved in the final few months of the First World War centenary commemorations.

Since 2014 my department has marked a number of key moments in the conflict including the outbreak of war, Gallipoli, Somme, Jutland and Passchendaele.

Amiens is an important addition to this list and it is right that we use the event on August 8 to look at how this battle shaped the war and brought it to a close faster than anyone thought possible.

I look forward to hearing the stories of the men who fought and about the conditions they served in.

Almost every family was affected by the First World War and I encourage everyone to explore their own connections through livesofthefirstworldwar.org.

It would be a fitting tribute to those who fought at Amiens and over the four years, to be able to put names and faces to the eight million people who served between 1914 and 1918.

Police are so determined to crack down on speeding in Bedfordshire that they have decided to devote all available patrols to tackle the road menaces.

A week-long campaign was launced across the three counties of Beds, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire on Monday (August 6).

As well as tackling dangerous drivers who choose to ignore the speed limit, the campaign aims to raise public awareness of the potentially fatal consequences of driving at an inappropriate or illegal speed.

BCH Roads Policing Sergeant Ian Manley said: “There is clearly still a lot of work to do to tackle dangerous driving across the county.

“Speeding is one of the ‘Fatal Four’ offences that are most likely to cause a collision, therefore we must do all we can to prevent as many avoidable collisions on the roads of Bedfordshire as possible.”

In 2017 alone, roads police dealt with more than 70,000 speeding offences across Bedfordshire, with men aged 36 - 45 proving to be the most prolific offenders.

Sgt Manley added: “We don’t want the public’s money, we want people to stop driving dangerously and keep safe on the counties roads.

“There have been too many lives lost as a result of speeding and all we ask is that people do their bit by sticking to the limit or driving at speeds that are appropriate for the driving conditions.”

To report an incident of dangerous driving, visit www.bedfordshire.police.uk/report

A Dunstable couple have had to be put up in a hotel after rats invaded their council flat.

Gemma Hill says she has been battling for seven months to get the rats removed from her flat in Flint Court, on Dunstable’s High Street.

She says the rats have been damaging beams and insulation in her loft and have been nesting underneath the bath.

“They keep me up at night, all we can hear is them scratching,” she said.

“The rats are damaging the property and getting into the wall cavities. They have been chewing the beams in the loft.

“There is a massive hole in the wall cavity in the loft.”

Five of the six flats on the block are owned by Central Bedfordshire Council, and Gemma said everyone has been affected.

The support worker, who has also involved her local MP Andrew Selous to try to get action from CBC, said pest control had been out twice to put bait down but had not investigated where the rats were coming from and it had not solved the problem.

Gemma, 26, has even caught four of the rats herself, but after five years at the flat she says she now wants to move out because she fears even if the problem is sorted, the rats will come back.

After the Dunstable Gazette got in touch with the council, Gemma was offered emergency accommodation in a hotel in Luton while contractors worked to deal with the problem.

“It’s pushing me to breaking point, I’m now at the point where I just can’t deal with it anymore,” she said.

“We want to be out of that flat because they will come back.”

A spokesman for Central Bedfordshire Council said: “As the problem is in a communal space, the council takes responsibility for organising and paying for this work.

“We investigated this issue when the tenant got in touch to report it and did an initial survey on 20 June. Since then we have issued several orders to our pest control contractors to undertake a programme of work to sort the problem out. The latest instruction, on 1 August, was to seal all holes into the bathroom to allow the next round of baiting to take place. We’re just waiting for confirmation that that work has taken place.

We know it must be frustrating to still hear the rats, but we are working hard with our contractors to make sure this problem is sorted out properly and sometimes that takes a bit of time.”

A quarry in Arlesey was evacuated today after an old hand grenande was found.

A police spokesman said: “We were called just after 11am to reports that an old hand grenade had been discovered by workers at a site in Hitchin Road, Arlesley.

“The site has been evacuated as a precaution and an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team are at the scene.”

The site is believed to have been used by the Home Guard during World War Two.