BEDFORDSHIRE
ONLINE EDITION (Incorporating Kempston Calling)
May 10, 2018
Bring me sunshine… Hatters celebrate: pages 4-7
Death on Luton’s Let’s get behind #saveourtown streets in broad daylight murder
LuTON Town’s promotion this season saw wild celebrations from supporters of the football club throughout Bedfordshire and beyond. The party started 275 miles from Luton in Carlisle where the Hatters booked their place in League One their highest position in ten years. Then Notts County’s ground was turned into a sea of orange when 4,500 visiting fans travelled to Nottingham for the final game of the 2017-18 season. Celebrations continued the following day when players and officials set off on an open-top bus tour, received a joyous welcome in St George’s Square and attended a civic reception at the nearby town hall. The new season begins on August 4, but the club will have their eyes on an important date later that month – during the week beginning August 20 – when Luton Council’s development control committee will hold a special meeting to consider the club’s joint schemes for a 17,500-capacity stadium at Power Court in the town centre and a development of retail, leisure and offices at Newlands Park, next to Junction 10 of the M1, which will fund the new ground. More than 4,000 new jobs would
by Geoff Cox
be created, but while Capital & Regional, owners of The Mall shopping centre, recently went on record to say they had no objection to the stadium, they are opposing the Newlands Park planning application. A record number of 11,000 people supported both plans when they were submitted in August 2016 and MPs, councillors and the wider community have stated their backing of the developments. A campaign called #saveourtown has been launched “to put an end to stagnation and bring much-needed regeneration to Luton.” It has already got the support of Luton South MP Gavin Shuker, who tweeted: “C&R can’t hold the town to ransom. Let’s get LTFC moved.” I’ll be bringing you weekly updates about the campaign in this column throughout the summer, but for further details about #saveourtown and how you can get involved, visit: saveourtownluton.co.uk
Yet more deadly violence has taken place on Luton’s streets last weekend.
Detectives have issued an appeal for information after a man was fatally stabbed in Luton on Sunday May 6, 2018. Emergency services were called at approximately 4.40pm to Bishopscote Road to reports that 20-year-old Waryam Hussain, of Bristol Road, Luton, had suffered serious injuries. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and officers from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime unit have now launched a murder investigation. The area remains cordoned off to allow further enquiries to take place. Detective Chief Inspector Phil Moss, senior investigating officer, said: “This is clearly a shocking incident where a man has been fatally wounded in a public place in broad daylight. “The community will be understandably concerned and I’d like to reassure people we are taking this matter extremely seriously and have increased patrols in the area.
“The area was fairly busy at the time so I would urge anyone who saw what happened or has any information which could help our investigation to get in touch immediately.” Officers are particularly keen to hear from motorists in the area between 4pm and 6pm who may have captured dash cam footage.
DUMFRIES STREET STABBING
POLICE Officers are investigating a stabbing in Luton on Sunday, May 6, 2018 and are appealing for witnesses to come forward. They were called just after 3pm to reports that a man had been stabbed in the leg during an Continued on page 9