Houghton Regis News Desk

This week it was reported that a Houghton Regis stalker had made his ex-partner’s life a nightmare by bombarding her with calls and publishing fake pornographic images of her online. The offender was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years, ordered to participate in a ‘Building Better Relationships’ programme, 30 days of rehabilitation requirement activity, a six-month curfew between 8pm and 5am, and 60 hours of unpaid work. Stalking is actually a crime in England and Wales under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Stalking is described as a pattern of unwanted and persistent behaviour that is motivated by a fixation or obsession that causes a victim to suffer alarm, distress or a fear of violence. The law states that it’s illegal for a person to pursue a course of conduct that they know or ought to know amounts to stalking. A course of conduct refers to two or more incidents of unwanted behaviour. The National Stalking Helpline is run by Suzy Lamplugh Trust

What has 16,575 miles of paths? Has saved £88 million through reduced road congestion? And has contributed £2.5 billion to local economies through leisure and tourism? These are the claims by Sustrans for the National Cycle Network in their review for 2018. 5,000 traffic-free miles have been created in the last 23 years. The ambition now is to create a further 5,000 traffic-free miles in the next 22 years. The review recognises that only 1.5% of the land that the paths run on is owned by Sustrans, the rest is owned by others. The review says that Sustrans will now work in partnership with local authorities, private and charitable landowners, national governments, agencies, users, local communities and all the many organisations that make the Network possible to turn the recommendations into reality:. It is hoped that the report will inspire the general public to help Sustrans ensure a bright, exciting future for the Network that covers the UK, by becoming stakehol

HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Helen Nellis was delighted to support the international commemoration marking 100 years since the guns fell silent at the end of World War One. On Sunday, 11 November 2018, the Lord-Lieutenant, Vice Lord-Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenants across the County of Bedfordshire attended and laid poppy wreaths at 23 Remembrance Services in the morning. On the same day, in the evening, Battle’s Over events took place in many towns and parishes in Bedfordshire, with the Lord-Lieutenant, Vice Lord-Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenants attending at least 11 events.  HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire Helen Nellis at the Remembrance Service, Bedford Organised by Pageantmaster Bruno Peek LVO OBE OPR, the Battles Over events took place throughout the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and in many overseas countries. Events began nationally at 6:00am with over 1,000 lone pipers playing Battle’s O’er, a traditional Scottish air played after a

When it comes to volunteers and the North Chilterns, could you meet a finer body of men and women with time on their hands, a sense of purpose, and a desire and willingness to keep the countryside accessible? It's inevitable that nature will always try to claim back what belongs to nature, and will grow its trees to try to recover the path made by humans, or through decay cause its tree limbs and bushes to block the way for the intrepid lover of nature walks. So it was that 17 volunteers from the Chilterns Society met up at  the Fancott Pub, Toddington, and divided into 2 groups last week for the second session to clear nearby public footpaths. Phil, Sylvia, John, Jonathan W, Martin, Yvette, Greg, Simon, Chris, Linda and Ian all went to Chalton village about 1 mile further on from the Fancott to work on the path begun 4 weeks earlier but from the opposite end. This involved a lot of overhead branches to be cut, and branches of fallen trees at the side to cut back so as not

Two men have been sentenced to a total of nearly nine years in prison for dealing Class A drugs in Dunstable. Richard Foster, 41, of Chelsea Gardens, Houghton Regis, was sentenced to four years and eight months in jail after pleading guilty to a conspiracy to supply a Class A drug, namely crack cocaine. He also pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property. At Luton Crown Court on Friday Howard Powell, 46, of Farley Fields, Luton, also pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to supply crack cocaine. He was sentenced to four years in prison. The two men were arrested following a raid by Bedfordshire Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) at a property in New Woodfield Green, Dunstable in August. Foster attempted to flee officers and threw a bag of cannabis into a neighbouring property’s garden before he gave himself up. The two were found with more than £1,000 cash in their possession. Officers identified this property in Dunstable as the base for the pair’s drug deal

The Houghton Hall Park Visitor Centre in Partnership with  Houghton Regis Heritage Society  present a  Display of Local Images  &  Memorabilia from WWI at the Visitor Centre, Park Rd North, Houghton Regis 6th—16th November 2018 World War I, also known as the first World War or The Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from the 28th of July 1914 to the 11th November 1918. Socially and politically it was described as the “war to end all wars”, more than 70 million personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. It has been estimated that 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died as a direct result of the war. The Great War was considered a contributory factor to many genocides — the wholesale massacre of people — and to the 1918 influenza epidemic which caused 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide. Military losses were made worse by new technological and industrial developments

It's the season for fireworks and bonfires. Central Bedfordshire Council’s Public Protection team are visiting retailers to ensure that the public isn't being sold dangerous fireworks.  The council’s Public Protection team is inspecting retailers selling fireworks to ensure that the fireworks they are selling are safe and that they conform to relevant safety standards. Retailers are being checked to see that they are behaving responsibly and complying with the law. Retailers are reminded of the age restrictions that apply to the sale of fireworks; they must not be sold to under 18s. Fireworks must not be handled   in a public place. The council will check   that retailers are  registered or licenced to legally store and sell fireworks. When you buy  fireworks only buy those  marked with CE . Fireworks are a safety hazard and  using or buying fireworks illegally can result in a £5,000 fine or imprisonment . And members of the public could also get an on-the-spot fin

Bedfordshire Police are recruiting Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), and are inviting people from across the area to apply. Applications are currently open, and candidates are encouraged to complete an online application form before the closing date of Sunday 11 November. Successful applicants must be effective communicators with excellent interpersonal skills and the desire to make a difference in people's lives. Inspector Mo Aziz said: “PCSOs play a vital role in the communities in which they serve. They help build links between our communities and the force and get involved in long-term and proactive crime prevention initiatives. “Our PCSOs work closely with partners and community organisations to address issues like anti-social behaviour, to deliver crime prevention advice and provide visible reassurance to the communities of Bedfordshire.” PCSOs undertake an initial seven-week training course which is classroom-based but involves practical exercises, too.