A CORONER has said he is satisfied there was no foul play in the death of a waiter found hanged behind a restaurant in Leagrave last year.

Rumour was rife among Luton’s Asian community following the death of Mohammed Abdus Samad, 27, known as Jewel, that he had been the victim of an honour killing because of his relationship with a girl from a Pakistani family.

Members of the Bengali community gathered at Mr Samad’s inquest at Dunstable Coroner’s Court with placards saying ‘Justice 4 Jewel’.

But Assistant Deputy Coroner Tom Osborne said he was satisfied there had been “no third party involvement”.

He described Mr Samad, originally from Bangladesh, as “a wonderful and extremely good-looking young man with his whole life ahead of him”.

But the inquest heard he was likely to have had large debts, due to gambling and having borrowed large amounts of money from people in Bangladesh.

A statement from Pasula Sharath, manager of the Coral betting shop in Park Street, Luton, said Mr Samad visited the shop on a daily basis for up to six hours, spending up to £400 a time on the fruit machines, and rarely winning.

About a fortnight before his death, Mr Samad looked stressed and said to Mr Sharath: “I can’t stop.”

Mr Sharath tried to give him leaflets to help with gambling addiction, but Mr Samad was not interested, the inquest heard.

The waiter had met his girlfriend, Nosheem Kabir, on Facebook in 2009, but the pair had kept their relationship a secret from most people.

He had told his mother about the relationship and she asked his uncle to propose a marriage to Miss Kabir’s family, but his uncle refused, because he had heard that there were tensions between the Bengali and Pakistani communities in Luton.

Mr Samad’s roommate at the accommodation above the Anando Mahal restaurant in Leagrave Road, where he worked, also warned him against pursuing the relationship.

When Mr Samad was found hanged at the rear of the restaurant on the afternoon of May 27 last year, word of his death quickly spread.

Rumour was that he had been beaten up and hanged, but a post-mortem found no injuries consistent with an assault. Small abrasions were found on his cheek and under his chin, but the examination report said these could have come from the wall against which he was found.

No evidence was found that Mr Samad had been drugged or hit over the head in order for a third party to be able to hang him.

While the lack of an examination of the deep structure of Mr Samad’s neck muscles meant strangulation could not be ruled out, a Home Office pathologist at who re-examined the post-mortem report at the request of his family said other physical evidence meant he was satisfied ‘on balance’ that hanging had been the cause of death.

When police contacted Miss Kabir, her family were surprised to hear of the relationship, said the officer in charge of the case, Det Sgt Barry Townson.

“They didn’t know she was in a relationship,” he said.

Following Mr Samad’s death, officers from Bedfordshire Police met with members of the Bengali community who were concerned about the way the investigation was being handled.

Det Sgt Townson added: “I am satisfied that the police did everything they could and should have done.”

Mr Samad did not leave a suicide note or indicate he planned to kill himself, but the inquest heard there had been a change in his behaviour in the fortnight prior to his death.

Mr Osborne said he was satisfied beyond all reasonable doubt that Mr Samad had taken his own life.

AWARD organiser British Business Champions is inviting firms to bid for sponsorship of an award category on internet auction site eBay.

The Best New Business in the small business sector is being offered for a starting bid of £500. Organisers say the package of endorsements has been valued at £25,000.

> For details visit www.facebook.com/britishbusinesschampions

THE future of Luton’s Vauxhall plant has been secured after it was announced that the new Vivaro van will be produced there.

The announcement ends long held fears that the plant was to close within the next few years.

The move will safeguard more than 1,000 jobs.

More to follow.

IF someone had told me six months ago I’d be limbering up and making final preparations to take part in one of the world’s biggest running events, I’d have laughed in their face.

When it came to fitness and going to the gym, I was more of a two weeks on: two months off kind of bloke.

I played football on a Sunday briefly (and often hungover), but was a self-confessed binge boozer and would happily pass over a punnet of strawberries for a plate full of strawberry cheesecake.

Running a mile or two was a slog and just looking at a treadmill made me break into a sweat.

So when the opportunity arose to apply for a charity spot running for the East Anglian Air Ambulance in the London Marathon a couple of months before Christmas, I don’t really know what possessed me to apply.

It’s always been an ambition of mine to reach that level of fitness to run a marathon while I’m young enough for it not to hurt too much, but five months to go from couch potato to 26.2 mile runner seemed a tall task.

And when Boxfit supremo Dave Coard, who has kindly been helping me with my training, came into the office with the first of four monthly training schedules, I was convinced I wouldn’t be around to see April 17 - the six day a week training plan would be the death of me.

But Dave, who, as a veteran of two Lanzarote Ironmans and 10 marathons has survived far more strenuous challenges than mine, knows what he’s talking about.

So, for the last four months I’ve been pounding the pavements of Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis and the surrounding countryside, braving wearing shorts in sub-zero temperatures, enduring endless laughs and heckles from passing cars (thanks for that – gets funnier every time), and generally trying my best to stick to Dave’s training plan.

After a couple of weeks three or four miles still seemed a killer and it felt like a real push building up through six, seven, eight miles to my first half marathon over the next couple of months.

Part of my training has been to attend Dave’s circuits classes in Bushmead where I’ve struggled with my fitness nemisis – press-ups – and a stomach-ache inducing number of sit-ups (core strength is very important for endurance sport apparently).

Another element has been to attend what Dave calls his Saturday morning “brick” session – so called (in my mind at least) because your legs feel as though someone has beaten them with a brick afterwards – a gruelling two hours of spinning, running and hill endurance sprints.

But when Dave put me through my paces on my first 20 mile outing earlier this month, I was pleasantly surprised by how my fitness has drastically improved, I actually felt vaguely athletic and completed the route in under three hours which i was delighted with. The aches, pains and blackened toenails seem to have paid off.

The men’s world record for the marathon is a pacy two hours five minutes – a time far beyond even my wildest dreams.

I’ll be lagging behind with the mere mortals and those dressed in fancy dress somewhere further back, but I’m still hoping I’m fit enough to shave a fair few minutes off the average London Marathon time of four-and-a-half hours, but we’ll see.

Whatever happens on the day, the EAAA is a fantastic cause, entirely funded by donations, and I’m proud to be raising as much money as possible for the charity.

> To sponsor Steve and support the EAAA log onto http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SteveNolan. Steve is also holding a charity fundraising night at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital Social Club on Saturday night at 8pm, for tickets contact 01582 798557.

> For more information on Boxfit log onto www.boxfit.org.uk.

> For more information on the EAAA log onto www.eaaa.org.uk.

>To watch Natalee Hazelwood’s video report of trainer Dave Coard putting Steve through his paces log onto www.lutontoday.co.uk.

DETECTIVES in Luton arrested two men after a man was bundled into a van and seriously assaulted on Thursday night.

The incident happened in Stockingstone Road at around 10.15pm when the 31 year old victim was walking along the road. He was grabbed from behind and forced in to a large van before being tied up and seriously assaulted.

At around 10.45pm Hertfordshire police officers, patrolling close to the Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire border in the Putteridge Road area, saw a suspicious vehicle. When officers investigated two men ran away from the scene and officers found the victim in the back of the van with a serious leg injury.

One man, aged 25, was arrested at the scene and a second man, aged 31, was arrested during the early hours of Friday morning from an address in Luton.

The victim was taken to hospital for treatment to his leg and he was expected to be discharged on Friday.

Detective Constable Tom Hamm is keen to trace anyone who saw the incident in Stockingstone Road or saw anything suspicious in the Putteridgebury area.

Det Con Hamm said: “This was an unusual and extremely violent incident and we are following all lines of investigation to piece together the motive for this assault.

“I would urge anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the Putteridge Road area or anyone who may have seen a silver or white transit style van in the Putteridge Road area between 10.15pm and 10.45pm to come forward and speak to the police.”

Anyone with information should contact Det Con Hamm at Luton Police Station, in confidence, on 01582 394193, text information to 07786 200011, or contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A Stopsley GP is retiring and will use her time working as an Ambassador for ActionAid.

Diane Semark, who has been a GP for over 20 years, will visit Kenya in October to build classrooms for a primary school with her husband.

She and John Varian went to Kenya on their honeymoon and sponsored a child through ActionAid, and have since been around the world helping with other ActionAid projects.

Dr Semark said: “I have mixed feelings about retiring as I love being a GP and I will miss the patients, but I hope to do a lot more for ActionAid now.”

Dr Semark was first inspired to get involved during a trip to Latin America in 1989.

She said: “I was in a village where the people lived in tiny huts alongside their animals, and I looked at my camera and just thought, my camera is worth more than this entire village makes in a year. That’s when I knew I had to do something to make a difference.

“We raise money with our annual hog roast and some of my patients sponsor me too.”

To help Dr Semark raise funds to build the school in Keyna visit www.myactionaid.org.uk/semark-varian.

STUDENTS entertained guests with an evening of music and drama at Denbigh High School’s annual arts event on March 16.

Friends and family were in the audience for what the school described as the best performance yet

Student Daniel Kassahun said: “It was a really enjoyable show with plenty of emotion and enthusiasm.”

Student Ajmal Zubair said: “The talent never ceases to amaze me and the variety of performances was incredible.”

OFSTED awarded Barnfield College Nursery an ‘outstanding’ grade, the highest education standard.

The nursery, which looks after children aged from two to five, was praised for understanding the developmental needs of young children and promoting their personal, social and emotional development.

Inspectors awarded the nursery on New Bedford Road an outstanding grade for every aspect of the assessment.

Chief executive of the Barnfield Federation, Pete Birkett, said: “It’s brilliant that the nursery has been given the top grade and I’m extremely proud of our staff.

“The report duly recognisies the hard work that the staff put into ensuring the children have fun whist learning in a structured, safe and caring environment.”

Inspector Lisa Paisley reported that healthy lifestyles are promoted at the nursery, and there are lots of fun, educational activities including trips to the park, bus rides to the library and gardening.

The report found that children were happy, settled, confident and self motivated.

The report also praises the varied range facilities on offer including a garden area, the recently refurbished and extended playroom as well as computers, electronic books and a smart board.

A FORMER champion kick boxer, ski instructor, ex-soldier and child minder are among 30 new train drivers fast tracked to graduation at King’s Cross station.

The recent arrivals are the first batch of 60 drivers going through the largest driver training programme ever undertaken by First Capital Connect.

The remainder will qualify at the end of the year, increasing the total complement to more than 600.

The company’s £6 million investment is part of the company’s ongoing effort to improve services on its routes.

The new drivers have trained on the FCC rail network, at King’s Cross and at north London’s driver simulator centre in Hornsey.

They will operate on the Thameslink route between Bedford and Brighton, including the Wimbledon/Sutton loop, and on the Great Northern route from King’s Cross and Moorgate to Cambridge, Peterborough and King’s Lynn.

FCC managing director Neal Lawson said: “This is the biggest driver recruitment in our history.

“More drivers means fewer rostering problems and fewer delays and cancellations.

“I hope that passengers will see an immediate, sustainable benefit.”

Murray and Willmott back in contention

NEW Town boss Gary Brabin will be without striker Jason Walker for Tuesday night’s Blue Square Bet Premier clash against Barrow at Kenilworth Road, writes Mike Simmonds.

The 27-year-old joined Hatters from the Bluebirds back in November, but has struggled for form at his new club, scoring just two goals in 17 appearances.

Walker is ineligible to play as part of the rules in his transfer, but winger Robbie Willmott is back in contention, as is Freddie Murray, although defender Dan Gleeson remains absent and Alex Lawless completes his suspension.

Brabin said: “Jason Walker can’t play, there a clause in his contract that he can’t play. Robbie Willmott is available, while Dan Gleeson is still not fit and Freddie Murray trained today for the first time, so he’s eligible.”

Brabin will have been in charge for a little over 24 hours when the Bluebirds visit, but he is relishing the opportunity.

He said: “It’s good the games are coming thick and fast. I haven’t had much time to prepare at the moment, it’s all a bit last minute, but I’m just looking forward to getting all the dust settled and taking on the game.

“I’ve sat down as much as I can with the group of players this morning. I touched on a little bit of the way I want to do things and hopefully we can start that at Barrow.”

Meanwhile, Barrow, managed by former Hatter Dave Bayliss, have won their last three away matches with victories at Forest Green Rovers, Southport and Eastbourne Borough.

They will be without in-form midfielder Richie Baker though, after he was sent off during the 1-0 defeat against Bath City at Holker Street on Saturday.

A 19-year-old man was assaulted in Tasty Chicken takeaway on Manchester Street on March 20.

The victim was collecting food at about 2.30am when he was punched in the face by two men.

He was taken to the Luton and Dunstable Hospital with a broken jaw, and contacted police a few days later.

The offenders were both described as male, Asian, about 21 and 25 years old.

DC Colin Knight said: “We believe the victim is an innocent bystander who was injured as another altercation was taking place in the takeaway.”

Call DC Knight on 01582 394341 or text 07786 200011 with information.

New boss sets out his plans

NEW Town manager Gary Brabin has vowed to be his own man after being handed the task of ensuring promotion from the Blue Square Bet Premier, writes Mike Simmonds.

The former Cambridge United supremo was handed the reins on Monday after Richard Money left the club and although Brabin has been part of the management team since the start of the season, he believes things will be very different now there’s been a change at the helm.

He said: “I think I have a different mentality to the day in day out running of a football club than Richard. That’s not to say it’s right or wrong. Richard, in the period I’ve worked for him, I’ve picked up some good tips.”

For the full story, see this weeks Luton News/Dunstable Gazette on sale Wednesday

HEADLINE-HUNGRY pupils from Lealands High School made the news for real on Thursday when they filmed their own TV bulletin as part of the BBC’s School Report News Day.

The school in Sundon Park was one of 800 schools across the UK where pupils turned their classroom into a newsroom for the day.

The pupils were given five hours to produce a 12-minute news bulletin to a strict deadline, and were challenged to include an eye-catching lead story, interviews, a sports report, a weather update and the all-important ‘and finally’ story.

To help them achieve professional standards, they were guided through the broadcast by former Lealands pupil John Hand, who now works as a duty editor in the BBC newsroom.

School Report gave John, a former Luton News journalist, his first opportunity to return to the school in more than two decades.

He said: “It was the English lessons I had from an inspiring teacher at Lealands that first gave me the writing skills that have helped me throughout my career, so I owe the school a lot.

“And I found that one thing hasn’t changed over the years – the school’s can-do attitude.”

Lealands’ involvement in the project was co-ordinated by English teacher Angie Bews, who guided the 20 pupils through the principles of newsmaking, including how to find stories of particular interest to their audience and how to gather the important facts.

And the young newsmakers delivered, focusing on the issue of schools losing their funding for building work as their lead story, because Lealands narrowly survived government cuts and is in the middle of a £16.5m re-build.

Reporters Lianne Franklin and Ellis Jones secured an interview with local MP Kelvin Hopkins - and Ellis impressed BBC man John with her Paxman-style line of questions which pinned Mr Hopkins down on what Labour would do if they got back into power.

In the virtual studio created at the neighbouring e-learning centre, John coached newsreaders Saara Jamal-Latif and Aisha Matoo and sportscaster Nathan Gouldbourne on their delivery to camera.

But the day’s big scoop belonged to reporting team Joyanne Foster, Hannah Parles and Bethany Salt who discovered that PE teacher Mr Little once taught Wayne Rooney when he worked at a school in Liverpool. They got him to spill the beans about what it was like to coach a teenage footballing prodigy.

John said: “It was noticeable how many of the team achieved above and beyond expectations. I have since shown the bulletin to a few of the top reporters in the BBC newsroom and they were equally impressed - and probably a little worried about keeping their jobs!”

To view the report, visit www.lealands.luton.sch.uk

COUNCIL bosses have promised a full consultation on the future of the Crescent Court sheltered housing complex in Toddington, amid fears the unit is set to close.

Central Bedfordshire Council says it is currently reviewing the sheltered housing it is responsible for, including Crescent Court, to assess the ‘suitability and viability’ of the accommodation, inlcuding whether it meets ‘modern mobility standards’.

It is understood the complex needs a new boiler system, which could cost up to £140,000, and that the corridors are not wide enough for wheelchairs to pass each other in.

But Kevin Roberts, who runs the website www.toddingtonvillage.com and is campaigning against the possible closure, said elderly people who needed to move to sheltered accommodation would no longer be able to remain in the village.

“Many of the occupants of Crescent Court were born and bred in Toddington and have families living locally who can provide support when needed,” said Mr Roberts.

“The occupants are perfectly happy with their accommodation and there is no shortage of applicants for vacancies as they arise.

“Central Bedfordshire Council, however, proposes that all of the occupants should be evacuated and rehoused at unspecified locations, subject to individual negotiation. Crescent Court would be left empty as a consequence.

“It is difficult to understand why the council wants to remove this important facility, which the community rightly

expected would serve future as well as existing generations.”

Representative from Central Bedfordshire Council are due to meet with Crescent Court residents on April 8 to discuss the review.

SPRING has finally sprung! And to celebrate we’re asking Luton News readers to get out their cameras and capture the essence of the season for our Facebook competition.

With the dark days of winter behind us for another year, Bedfordshire’s grass verges are brimming with cheery daffodils, lambs are frolicking in the fields, and trees in blossom are cheering up almost every street.

So we’d like you to post your spring snaps on our Facebook wall – www.facebook.com/heraldandpost – and the entries will be judged by our own professional photographers, Joanna Cross and Jane Russell.

Your pictures can be scenic, abstract, witty or just plain bizarre, as long as they’re related to the season. The winner will receive a fantastic framed print of their image and have it featured in the Luton News, and we’ll display all the entries in a gallery on our website, www.lutontoday.co.uk

Barrow boss predicting tough test at Kenilwort Road

BARROW boss Dave Bayliss believes the trip to Kenilworth Road this evening has become that much harder after Hatters replaced manager Richard Money with Gary Brabin on Monday, writes Mike Simmonds.

Bayliss, who made 37 appearances for Town during a four-year stint at the club is a good friend of Brabin, said: “I know him (Brabin) well. We go back years, he’s a good lad and a big character.

“We were always likely to face a Luton backlash after their defeat at Southport anyway.

“With the change in manager, their players will no doubt want to impress him. He will also want to put his own mark on the team.

“It makes the game twice as difficult.”

“It doesn’t, though, change the way we will look at the game. We have to focus on ourselves and make sure we do the right things.

“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves after Saturday. We were all disappointed at losing against Bath (1-0), but this is another big game and a chance for us to bounce back.

“We’ll go there with confidence and look forward to it. It’s a lovely stadium to play at, there will be a big crowd, a good atmosphere, and our lads should enjoy it.

“In a way, the pressure’s not on us. Yes, we need the points, but hopefully we can go there and keep it tight and play good football.”

COUNCIL bosses say they are ‘carefully monitoring’ the financial situation of care home company Southern Cross, in order to protect elderly and vulnerable people in Luton.

The organisation, the largest care home provider in the UK, has been in talks with the government over its financial difficulties, which it says have been caused by public spending cuts and high rents on the properties it operates.

Southern Cross operated the Griffin Care Centre in Moorland Gardens, Luton, which was closed down in January over concerns the 56 residents there were at risk because of the way the facility was run.

The company also runs Milliner House, in Marsh Road.

A spokesman for Luton Borough Council said: “Southern Cross is the largest care provider in the country, and because of its current financial difficulties, contingency plans are being drawn up by government.

“Additionally, the council has general contingencies for all care homes and we are ensuring that we have a specific focus on Southern Cross facilities, particularly Milliner House.

“We are working closely with the Care Quality Commission and other agencies to carefully monitor the situation.”

Southern Cross chief executive Jamie Buchan said the care of residents remained the company’s “number one priority”.

He said: “During the last several months, it has been a difficult trading environment for all care providers as commissioners such as local authorities grapple with the consequences of major budget cuts. Southern Cross has been particularly affected because of the kind of lease arrangements which underpin our business model.

“Our plan is to seek to renegotiate the terms of our leases by July of this year. Whilst we cannot guarantee success, our banks continue to support us and I am working hard to encourage commissioners, residents, relatives and other stakeholders to work with us.”

Hatters held by Barrow

Blue Square Bet Premier

Luton Town 0 (0) Barrow 0 (0)

A NEW era under Gary Brabin was ushered in at Kenilworth Road last night, but it failed to offer too many clues as to how it will be different to that under previous boss Richard Money, writes Mark Wood.

There were some nice flicks and glimpses of quality but Town failed to impress against a struggling Barrow side who were always a match throughout.

Town made three changes to the side that played so badly struggling Southport on Saturday.

In came fit-again duo Freddie Murray and Robbie Willmott plus striker Danny Crow, with Lloyd Owusu, Claude Gnakpa and Luke Graham dropping to the bench.

Wayne Curtis warmed Mark Tyler’s hands in the second minute and had a shot deflected behind soon after.

In-between predictably there was a shout of ‘same old Luton’ when a Matthew Barnes-Homer pass went awry while there were cheers and a chorus of ‘we left two players up’ when Town showed more attacking intent when defending a corner than they did under Money.

A great punt down the middle by Tyler almost put Willmott away on eight minutes but he was just beaten to the ball by Paul Edwards.

A sublime touch from Crow saw him spear a shot wide on 12 minutes before Luton almost took the lead after a brilliant move six minute later.

Jake Howells’ clever pass picked out the overlapping Murray and Crow’s near-post toe-poke was instinctively turned round the post by Clark Masters.

More clever moves saw Howells skew wide and Crow fail to control a good through ball as Town showed promise but failed to dominate.

Hatters looked both tentative yet harried and a terrible Keith Keane error let Wayne Curtis in on 34 minutes, who teed up Paul Smith who was denied by a flying stop from Tyler.

At the other end Keane’s ball was beautifully flicked into the path of Crow by Barnes-Homer but the striker could only sweep over.

Crow then picked up an error by 42-year-old joint player/manager Darren Sheridan, but Willmott could only balloon over.

Barnes-Homer flashed wide on 42 minutes and some lovely link-up play between Barnes-Homer and Crow released Willmott but his first-time stab came off the chest of the sprawling Masters.

Louis Almond’s cross raced across the face of goal in stoppage time, but there was nothing to separate the sides at the break.

Howells unfortunately got in the way of some great inter-play between Crow and Barnes-Homer five minutes in before George Pilkington had a header ruled out two minutes later when Zdenek Kroca was adjudged to have pushed his man when heading Keane’s free-kick back across goal.

Edwards left Willmott writhing in agony from a lunging tackle but was only booked and Sheridan followed him into the notepad for dissent.

Paul Carden lofted a tame effort over the bar on 55 minutes before Almond went nuts and was also booked for not returning the ball.

Some trickery from Murray saw him chip a lovely cross into Crow but he could only direct his header straight at Masters.

Murray saw yellow for a poor challenge on Sam Spender and some nonsensical defending almost handed the Bluebirds the lead on 63 minutes. Tyler’s short goal kick put Pilkington in all sorts of trouble and as he was robbed by Paul Rutherford, Curtis was fortuitously flagged offside.

Howells failed to connect properly after the ball was laid into his path by Barnes-Homer and Keane’s ball over the top almost put in Willmott on 81 minutes, while Crow lobbed the loose ball miles off target.

A dangerous Gnakpa cross failed to find a taker and after Masters had spilled a raking Keane’s free-kick Mike Pearson was on hand to hack Barnes-Homer’s drive off the line.

Barnes-Homer had a late blast blocked out by Edwards and Smith fired well over as some resigned boos rang out at the final whistle.

Hatters (4-4-2): Mark Tyler, Freddie Murray, Keith Keane, George Pilkington (C), Adam Newton, Matthew Barnes-Homer, Robbie Willmott, Zdenek Kroca, Jake Howells, Paul Carden (Claude Gnakpa 70), Danny Crow. Substitutes not used: Luke Graham, Amari Morgan-Smith, Kevin Pilkington, Lloyd Owusu.

Attendance: 5,528 (Barrow 41).

Star Hatter: Robbie Willmott.

A REPORT that puts Bedfordshire at the bottom of the league for frontline officers gives an ‘imcomplete’ picture of the force, police chiefs say.

In yesterday’s report from police watchdog Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Beds Police was revealed as having less than ten per cent of its officers ‘on the front line’.

Front line is defined as officers and PCSOs who respond to 999 calls and patrol neighbourhoods, officers in forensics, investigation and surveillance, and a proportion of ‘middle office’ roles, such as custody suite officers and control room operators.

Few forces scored much higher, however, with the average proportion of frontline officers coming in at 12 per cent.

Beds Police Deputy Chief Constable John Fletcher said his force’s various specialist units had not been recognised.

He said: “When frontline specialist units, which HMIC itself recognises as public-facing, are included in that equation, our own local assessment shows we are comparable with some neighbouring forces, actually recording 15.3 per cent availability.

“Bedfordshire has different challenges and demands placed on it compared with other forces of a similar size – these require us to police the county in a very different way. The use of specialist units is therefore essential to reduce the threat, risk and harm to our communities.

“Serious crime, counter-terrorism and policing challenges at locations such as London Luton Airport all require a public facing frontline response, which is exactly what is received; it is just not reflected in this report.”

PATIENTS at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital are set to be hit by a hike in car parking prices from next week.

The changes, which come into effect on Monday, follow £100,000 improvements to payment machines, lighting and security.

L&D chiefs hope that the changes will make up some of the funding lost by government cuts.

Patients will now be offered free parking for 30 minutes, with a charge of £4 for up to three hours, £6 for up to five hours, £12 for all day parking and £24 for an overnight stay.

Previously, parking had been free for up to 20 minutes and cost £2.50 for up to five hours, with charges not having been raised for more than four years.

Simon Chapman, the L&D’s director of business development, said: “With the upcoming national reduction in funding for acute services, the trust has had to make some difficult choices to ensure that frontline services are not cut.

“We hope that our patients and visitors will understand that the trust has not taken this step lightly but to protect the provision of key local services.”

A statement released by the L&D said that the changes to parking tariffs will bring the L&D in line with other hospitals.

The hospital will continue to offer a wide range of concessionary parking rates to those who need to make frequent or prolonged visits to the hospital, such as renal patients, women coming to give birth, parents of seriously ill babies and childrenor families of those in critical care.

Details of concessions are available from members of staff.

> What do you think? Should parking charges be raised to protect frontline services? Were car parking charges at the L&D already too high? Drop us a line – our contact details are on page 2.