Two teenage boys bailed after major Dunelm fire in Northampton.
It advised people living or working nearby to keep doors and windows closed if they could smell smoke.
Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Confidence in police plummets to record low
Victim satisfaction with how police handle crime in England and Wales has dropped to a record low, a new survey has suggested. The number of people who reported seeing officers regularly on the beat in their neighbourhood was also at its lowest level since records began, while confidence in the criminal justice system continued to decline. The findings have been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) who used data from its long-running annual crime survey of people aged 16 and over. Some 51 per cent of respondents, who had been a victim of crime in the 12 months to March this year, said they were either very or fairly satisfied with how the police handled the matter. That was down from 55 per cent in the previous year, and the lowest figure since this question was first asked in 1992. Satisfaction rose steadily between 2006/07 and 2013/14 to a peak of 75 per cent, but has since been on a general downward trend. The ONS found differences in victim satisfaction in how crimes were dealt with by crime type, ranging from 62 per cent for domestic burglary and 58 per cent for violence, to 41 per cent for bicycle theft and just 26 per cent for theft from the person. Younger people were also less likely to be satisfied with the police response than the elderly. The proportion of incidents where the victim was satisfied with how the police dealt with the matter was higher when the offender was charged (95 per cent) compared with when no action was taken (36 per cent), and where the victim was kept informed by the police (77 per cent) compared with where the victim was not kept informed well (19 per cent). On the topic of police visibility, 11 per cent of respondents in the year to March reported seeing officers or community support officers on foot patrol in their local area once a week. This was down from 12 per cent in the previous year and is the lowest since this question was first asked in 2006/07, when it stood at 26 per cent. The figure peaked at 39 per cent in both 2009/10 and 2010/11, since when it has been on a continuous downward trend. People living in urban areas were more likely to report high police visibility (13 per cent) compared with rural areas (four per cent), while those aged 65 to 74 (four per cent) and 75 and over (seven per cent) were less likely to report this compared with other age groups. Some 49 per cent of all respondents gave their local police a positive rating in 2024/25, unchanged on the previous 12 months but down from 62 per cent a decade earlier. People from ethnic minorities were more likely to rate their local police positively than white people, while those who were aged 55 to 64 (44 per cent) and 65 to 74 (43 per cent) were less likely to provide a positive rating compared with other age groups. When asked whether they were confident the criminal justice system as a whole was effective, 48 per cent of survey respondents said they had confidence, down from 50 per cent the previous year and the lowest figure since 2012/13. Confidence rose from 38 per cent in 2008/09 to peak at 54 per cent in 2015/16, since when there has been a gradual decline. People aged 16 to 24 were more likely to report being confident in the effectiveness of the criminal justice system (61 per cent) than all other age groups, while people born in the UK were less likely to be confident (43 per cent) than those born outside the country (65 per cent).
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Misper review – mystery, melancholy and murder in a faded seaside town
Here is a solid first feature debut from director Harry Sherriff, an atmospheric crime drama set in a gloomy, decaying seaside town, with an eerie depiction of grief experienced by those who exist within the margins of the life of a murdered girl. The film follows Leonard (Samuel Blenkin), a meek hotel concierge who has a boyish crush on his charming 25-year-old colleague Elle (Emily Carey). Dressed in a red raincoat with short dark hair and a wry smile, Elle's character is very much reminiscent of Jordana Bevan in Richard Ayoade's 2010 film Submarine, as is the dry sardonic humour peppered into the script. Leonard and Elle's exchanges are awkward yet sweet, teetering on the edge of a true connection. That is, until Elle doesn't show up to work one day and reports of a missing person trickle through the town. The hotel staff are rattled by Elle's disappearance and when news breaks that her body has been found, this chilling bereavement subtly upends their lives. Misper (an abbreviated term used by the police to refer to a missing person) is stylistically compelling in its atmosphere building. There is an unsettling sense of staleness that runs throughout the film, characterised by the beige, stained walls of the old-timey, mostly vacant hotel, and Leonard's expression, which is permanently set in a sunken, shell-shocked gaze. 'I feel like I'm in a horror film,' he says, as he attempts to schedule an appointment with a therapist over the phone. This empty hotel is a prime site for horror and although Misper dabbles in the genre with some nightmarish flashes of Elle haunting Leonard after her death, it doesn't go all the way. Nor does it follow the pathway of a crime drama, refusing to offer up the salacious details of Elle's death in the true crime manner (though there a brief yet frightening visit by a 'fan' of the dead girl). The nature of Elle's murder and the profile of her killer are pushed into the periphery. What is at the forefront is the bafflement, melancholy and looming sense of dread that the hotel staff are faced with as they attempt to grapple with a return to normality. In the film's final moments, a crew is shooting a crime drama series based on the events of Elle's death and disappearance, six months after it happened. The bleak misery remains but drifts into the eeriness of the uncanny. Misper screened at the Edinburgh film festival
Daily Mail
26 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Don't call married couple 'husband and wife' in case it offends non-binary people, London council tells staff
Council staff have been advised not to describe married couples as 'husband and wife' - over fears it could offend people who do not identify with a gender. Instead, civil servants at the Royal Borough of Greenwich council in southeast London, have been told to use 'spouse' or 'partner'. They have also been asked to avoid saying 'ladies and gentleman' at public meetings and events, or requesting someone provide their 'Christian name', in an effort to be more inclusive. The woke guidelines are provided in a 45-page booklet obtained by The Sun following a freedom of information request. A foreword in the guide states: 'For some of us, communicating in a more inclusive way is about changing deeply embedded habits.' It adds: 'It's OK to make mistakes. Remember that if you are really sorry and apologise, you cannot keep making the same 'mistake'.' A spokesman for the council told The Times: 'Our inclusive language guide is advisory only, and was designed to encourage staff to reflect on the use of language in the workplace and how it might impact their colleagues. 'We are proud to have a very diverse workforce at Royal Borough of Greenwich, and are committed to making sure that everyone working here feels considered and included. The woke guidelines are provided in a 45-page booklet for employees at the London council 'Feedback we have received suggests the advice in the guide has been very well-received across the organisation.' Earlier this month, Merton Council in south London sent a 27-page inclusive language document round to employees encouraging them to change the words they use in the workplace. The guide, also obtained by The Sun, tells workers to stop using the words 'young', 'old' or 'mature' to describe people, in a clampdown on ageism. Terms such as 'mum and dad' and 'mother and father' are also a no-no and should be swapped out for 'caregivers', according to the document. The Labour-run council says it aims to reduce the chances of staff making assumptions about a child's biological parents. The change in terminology is supposed to 'recognise diverse family formation'. In further semantic reforms, employees will be told to use 'person-centred language' instead of gendered terms, including 'man the desk'. The council's equality and diversity team also said: 'Avoid making assumptions about preferred names or nicknames without asking the individual first.' Hannah Doody, chief executive of Merton Council, said however that the guide was more about 'tips and suggestions' rather than 'banning' the use of certain words. She said: 'I want to be really clear: the council has not banned the use of the term "mum and dad". 'The council produced a guide for staff which contains tips and suggestions on how to communicate with understanding and without making assumptions. These are not policies or instructions. 'We regularly review all our guides and policies, and intend to review this guide to ensure it cannot be further misunderstood or misrepresented.' Wokingham Council in Berkshire also came under the spotlight earlier this year after it advised staff not to use the term 'hard-working families' out of fear it could offend the jobless and make them feel 'undeserving'. Wokingham Council in Berkshire issued the advice in its new inclusive language guide. Terms like 'blacklist' and 'whitewash' were among others outlawed as they could be considered 'racist' while staff were warned 'sustained eye contact could be considered aggressive' in some cultures.
