A Blackpool mum who thought she was coming down with a cold is now facing a triple amputation after being struck with severe blood poisoning.

Charly Babington, 40, was out shopping with a friend when she began feeling dizzy and cold. Less than 24 hours later, she fell into a coma at Blackpool A&E and was kept on life-support for 23 days. When she woke up, her hands and feet were black, and she had lost all feeling in them.

Charly was suffering from pneumococcal sepsis, a serious bacterial blood infection with an almost 40 per cent mortality rate. She remains in Royal Preston Hospital awaiting amputation surgery on both of her feet, her left arm, and three fingers on her right hand.

The mum-of-two said: “I was doing the shopping when I started to get back-ache. I couldn’t walk so I decided to go home, and when I got to the car I turned cold and jittery.

“The next morning I said to my daughter, I don’t think I can manage taking you to school today. She said ‘never mind school mum, you need an ambulance!’

“My eyes were all swollen, my face was turning blue and I was struggling to breathe.”

Daughter Katie, 10, and son Shaun, 12, called for an ambulance, and Charly was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital A&E, where she fell into a coma. Her kidneys failed and she was put on life support and a kidney filter machine for 23 days while doctors worked to save her life.

She said: “The last thing I remember is being in A&E and everybody in blue rallying around me. When I woke up I had missed my little boy’s birthday. I was devastated.”

But an even greater tragedy was to come – Charly, who works in North Shore as a cleaner – was told that she would have to lose three of her limbs as a result of extreme blood loss caused by the sepsis. She said: “My feet and one of my hands are just dead. I can’t move them at all.

“I can feel and move my arm from the wrist down, but the fingers are black and numb. I’m going to need three or four operations.”

Charly is now coming to terms with living without the use of her feet and left hand.

She said: “I’m going to be disabled for life and there’s no avoiding that. We’re going to have to move; I’m going to need a ground-floor house. My little boy took it quite hard at first but I said to him, would you rather have a mum with plastic legs or no mum at all?

“The main thing is that I’m still alive.

“This sort of illness is extremely rare in adults and we still don’t know what’s caused it.

“Not many people can say they’ve beaten it, so in a way I’m very lucky.

“I’m looking on the bright side. Where’s feeling sorry for myself going to get me? I still have family and friends and two wonderful children to look after.

“I’m going to fight this fight and get through this recovery so I can get back to my children and normality.”

n A fundraiser has been set up by Charly’s friends to support the family while Charly is unable to work, and can be found online at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/wendy-wild

Although sunlight boosts our mood and is good for us in small doses, too much exposure can lead to serious long-term consequences, including skin cancer as well as damage to your eyes.

The UV index measures the intensity of the sun's rays in a given place and time. The higher the index, the less time it takes for your skin to burn and the faster damage can happen.

BUPA have gathered together data which shows how much exposure your skin can take - and also looks at the six skin types, which also affects the amount of time you can spend in the sun.

I hate to be so glum on this summery week, but I am feeling quite worn down by the haters of the world, creeping out from under their rocks in a bid to make other people miserable or to dilute their sunshine.

This week was an all time low for the human race - when a desperate young lady threatened to throw herself off a building for the second time in 24 hours - onlookers urged her to jump. Worse - in front of her mother.

But there is no doubt it is social media which brings out the very worst in people, with intolerant, nasty, unnecessary opinions being regularly aired - the type of comments which would never have made the light of day pre internet - and would certainly never be expressed face-to-face.

The frightening thing is people often do not mean these nasty things, instead making smart comments at someone’s else’s expense in a bid for approbation or approval, a sort of online act of desperation to gain popularity or attention.

Those already with a high public profile are generally the biggest victims of this online abuse - their public profiles seemingly offering immunity for hatred, as if they are not human too.

This week Team GB’s Olympic silver-medal gymnast Louis Smith was hammered for not looking 100 per cent joyful at relinquishing an Olympic gold he has worked for relentlessly for the past four years to his teammate.

As he battled with tears, overwhelmed by mixed emotions, he was vilified for not looking happier for his teammate who he had just congratulated.

Meanwhile, over on Instagram, flawed teen sensation Justin Beiber quit the social media platform - abandoning a staggering 78 million followers -because the foul abuse directed toward his young girlfriend became intolerable.

It is safe to say, as journalists, we know which online stories will attract the worst of society .

Opinions are welcomed, but malice and intolerance are not - we are often forced to close to comments when bigotry rears its head.

At the end of the day a kind word costs nothing at all.

And the sun is shining.

Restaurant chain, Nando’s, is giving away food to students who received their A-level results on Thursday.

It’s important to bear in mind that the give away is for one day (August 18) only.

In order to avail of a free quarter chicken or Appeteaser all you have to do is take your exam results with you when visiting your nearest Nando’s restaurant.

If you’re worried about anyone finding out what you got in your A-levels, fear not, Nando’s say “we won’t tell anyone”.

Controversial charges brought in for Fleetwood’s splash pad this year have led fewer families using the facility.

Some families in Fleetwood have vowed not to use the seafront facility since the charges - £2 per child for two hours - were brought in by Wyre Council this summer.

When it was opened last year as a revamped replacement to the old paddling pool, it was free to use.

One Fleetwood grandfather claimed the Marine Splash, which is run by YMCA on behalf of Wyre Council, is attended more by visitors than by families from the town because many locals cannot afford to use it.

And Wyre Labour leader, Coun Ruth Duffy, says the charges impact on poor families in the town.

However, Wyre Council says it always expected the figures to be lower than last year, when it was free to use the seafront water amenity.

And the council says that when the weather is fine, the splash pad is very well used, but that figures have sometimes been lower when the weather is poor.

Since the amenity opened this year, the council says 1,400 people have used it, which is understood to be significantly lower than last year.

Fleetwood man Gesz Clark, 55 says he will not take his young grand-daughter to the facility.

He said: “I will not go there on principle because I don’t think it is right. It was free before and there should not be a charge. From what I understand it is more out of town people using it than locals because they can’t or won’t pay.”

Another Fleetwood resident, a mum of three who did not wish to be named, said: “I would use it if it was free but if I went there just two days a week with my girls, it would cost a minimum of £12.

“I am staying away.”

Fleetwood council member, Coun Duffy, who opposed the charges and tried to get them stopped, said: “I have asked questions at Wyre about the figures and although the offical figures cannot be assessed until after the summer, I understand they are down on last year.

“I can understand why the council wanted to police the splash pad to make it safer, bringing in the charges is not the answer. Low income families just cannot afford it.”

A Wyre Council spokesman said: “The report of the leisure and culture portfolio holder in April recognised that as the splash pad was free in 2015, the number of visits in 2016, as a facility that makes a small charge, would be less.

“In addition, poor weather over the last few weeks had seen a reduction in customer numbers compared to last year which is understandable. Prior to the poor weather the slash pad had proved popular.

“The council feels the charge is not excessive and offers very good value for money.

“The number of visitors currently stands at 1,400, however with some good weather now predicted we anticipate the facility will be well used.”

Fleetwood children will be able to swim for free at the town’s YMCA leisure pool until the end of the summer holidays, however.

Fleetwood County councillors Ron Shewan and Lorraine Beavers allocated funds via the County Councillors’ Local Member Grant Scheme, and decided to donate £500 each to provide the free swimming.

Proof of residency at an FY7 postcode, such as utility bills, is required.

Any children under the age of eight must be accompanied by a paying parent or guardian aged 18 or over.

For more details visit the website ymcayactive.org or call YMCA Fleetwood on (01253) 771505.

Do you think it’s okay to allow children to drink some alcohol at home?

A study has found that half of parents with children under the age of 14 allow them to drink alcohol at home.

And, perhaps more worryingly, one in ten respondents to the Churchill Home Insurance survey allow children between the ages of five and seven to drink alcohol.

While it is not illegal for a child between the age of five and 16 to drink alcohol on private premises, it flies in the face of advice from the Chief Medical Officer whose official advice warns: “Children and their parents or carers are advised that an alcohol-free childhood is the healthiest and best option. However, if children drink alcohol underage, it should not be until at least the age of 15 years.

“Parents and young people should be aware that drinking, even at age 15 or older, can be hazardous to health and that not drinking is the healthiest option for young people.”

The UK Chief Medical Officer highlights that “drinking, even at age 15 or older, can be hazardous to health and that not drinking is the healthiest option for young people.”

Blackpool’s Lifeboat open day has had to be cancelled due to forecasts of heavy rain and high winds over the weekend.

Blackpool RNLI lifeboat station recently featured in BBC One documentary Saving Lives at Sea and organiser hoped visitors would have the chance to see the stars of the show in action as they launched the lifeboats for a rescue demonstration.

However, with Heavy and blustery showers, long spells of rain, together with strong coastal winds forecast, the decision was made to call off the event.

A spokesman said: “Sadly we have been forced to cancel the open day due to weather forecast. Sorry everyone we’re devastated.”

Showbiz royalty Dame Barbara Windsor has been announced as this year’s guest of honour at the Illuminations Switch-On ceremony.

But can you remember who pulled the famous lever in years gone by? Test yourself here...

A 15 year-old-boy and his friends turned into a wrecking crew when they got into a showpiece housing development.

They tried to pull down partly built homes after starting up two excavators and a road roller in the early hours of the morning.

The 15-year-old used a five ton digger swinging it around to attack brickwork.

Blackpool Youth Court heard the boy was also part of a gang which got into Blackpool Pleasure Beach last month, starting up the Blue Flyer rollercoaster by breaking into the controller’s cabin at around 4.20am.

They rode around the track several times leaping from car to car.

The youngster pleaded guilty to the aggravated taking of the building site digger causing damage to buildings, tools, scaffold and another digger.

He admitted threatening behaviour against a slot machine arcade worker who was trying to throw him out of the premises because was suspected of stealing from machines.

He also admitted causing £150 of damage to a car by headbutting it outside Blackpool Police Station.

The £50m Foxhall Village project at Blackpool, was put behind schedule by the spree with and extensive clean up operation required the need for all the scaffold to be replaced for safety reasons by main contractors Hollinwood Homes.

He was made the subject of a 12 month Criminal Behaviour Order. He was also given a 12 month Rehabilitation Order and a three month curfew.

The Behaviour Order bans him from going into Blackpool town centre.

He must not associate with five other named people, have cards which could be used in fraudulent card tricks and must not harass or put anyone in fear.

Prosecutor Chrissie Hunt said that at the start of proceedings the crimes were part of the application by the police and local authority for the Behaviour Order.

She said: “When he went onto the building site at 2am he managed to start the industrial plant vehicles and he was trying to pull houses down.

“He managed to swing the digger around.

“He put himself and the site workers who may have gone on the scaffold the following day in great danger.”

“There was an extensive clean up and the site went behind schedule.”

Leisa Splaine, defending, said that a problem upbringing had a knock on effect on her client’s behaviour and that he was currently not on any educational programme.

She added: “He mixed with a certain group of individuals and things got very out of hand.”

The Gazette understands that the boy no longer lives in the Blackpool area and his behaviour has improved since the incident.

The report on the 15-year-old which was given to magistrates also said he cheated holidaymakers out of their money playing card tricks and how he would taunt elderly people.

During one month alone the police had 35 logs on his behaviour.

When asked by chairman of the bench Peter Pimbley to explain himself, the boy said: “I know I should not have done those things. I was not thinking.”

Mr Pimbley warned him: “What you did was very, very dangerous you will not get closer than this to going into custody.”

Lancashire police are appealing for information following a fail to stop collision in which a cyclist was hurt.

It happened at around 6.40pm on Tuesday when two cyclists were waiting to cross Garstang Road in St Michaels at the bridge near to The Grapes pub.

One of the cyclist’s wheels was struck by a 4x4 type vehicle, possibly a red or maroon old style Land Rover Discovery, which dragged the cyclist across the road.

The rider, a 45 year old woman, suffered a broken arm and internal injuries and was taken to Royal Preston Hospital.

The vehicle did initially stop at the scene but left before the emergency services arrived.

PC Marc Saysell of the Road Policing Unit said: “The cyclist has been left with some nasty injuries as a result of this collision and enquiries are underway to trace the driver of the 4x4 which failed to stay at the scene of the accident.

“I would urge anyone who witnessed what happened, or anyone who has any information about the vehicle involved to come forward. Similarly, if the driver of the vehicle sees this appeal, I would appeal to them to come forward and make contact with us.”

Tributes have been paid to a Fylde soldier who has been killed in a road accident.

Matthew Wade, 21, died after he was hit by a bus in Chelmsford, close to his base in Colchester.

The serviceman, who was a member of the 3rd Battalion of The Parachute Regiment, was from Cleveleys.

His commanding officer described him as relishing his role in the army.

Lieutenant Colonel Geoff Hargreaves, Commanding Officer of 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, said: “It is with the deepest regret that we confirm the death of Private Matthew Wade in a road traffic accident in Chelmsford.

“Matthew had recently joined C Company, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment having completed his training in Catterick.

“He immediately took to battalion life showing great enthusiasm, professionalism and early potential.

“He relished the role of serving with The Parachute Regiment and being in the UK’s high readiness contingency force.

“Although a relatively new member of The Parachute Regiment, he will be sorely missed by all his brother paratroopers.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Matthew’s family and friends.”

The paratrooper died after being hit on the A1114 near the Army and Navy roundabout in Chelmsford in the early hours of Sunday August 7.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police closed the road for around 10 hours while they investigated the tragedy.

An inquest into Private Wade’s death was opened on Tuesday.

His funeral service will take place at St John’s Church, Thornton, on Tuesday August 23 at 2pm prior to committal at Carleton Crematorium.

Mourners are being requested to give donations in his memory to The Parachute Regiment Charity.

People are being asked to help the local NHS improve psychological therapy services in the area.

The group which oversees GP practices and health services, the NHS Fylde and Wyre Clinical Commissioning Group has launched a survey to gather the views of locals as it begins the process of redesigning services and the ways they are accessed.

The consultation is part of the national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies initiative aimed at services for people with depression or anxiety disorders. These can include one-to-one counselling, group, telephone or online therapies and cognitive behavioural therapy.

Fylde and Wyre CCG’s clinical chief officer Dr Tony Naughton said: “We are always keen to get the views of patients to help shape our commissioning and service development. We want as many people from across Fylde and Wyre to fill out this survey and make their voices heard so we know we are making changes that will truly benefit our local population.”

Visit http://www.fyldeandwyreccg.nhs.uk/iapt/ before September 1.

Police chiefs in Lancashire have launched a drive to recruit more trained armed officers to respond to serious incidents.

The constabulary has advertised vacancies for a number of Armed Response Vehicle officers.

Trained officers from other forces throughout England and Wales have been invited to apply.

Last month, it was reported that 1,500 more armed officers are to be deployed on Britain’s streets, following the extremist attacks in France earlier this year.

Eighty-four people died when a lorry was driven into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice in July.

Already, 600 new armed officers have been trained by the country’s biggest force, London’s Metropolitan Police, to tackle the terror threat.

The officers were rolled out in the capital earlier this month.

A Lancashire police spokesman said: “We constantly review intelligence to assess what the threat is to Lancashire and to ensure that we have adequate firearms coverage so that we are able to quickly respond to any part of the county in order to mitigate that threat.”

Lancashire has its own specialised firearms unit based at locations around the county.

In the past, the force has at any one time had nine armed officers on patrol.

Successful applicants must hold a firearms fitness test certificate and a firearms medical certificate alongside other qualifications.

The Police Federation of England and Wales raised concerns earlier this month about the time it would take to recruit 1,500 new armed officers.

Steve White, chairman of the Federation, warned it may take up to two years.

He said: “When you’re recruiting 1,500 it’s going to take a lot of time. You’ve got to find the resources, the facilities and the people,”

Home Office figures show there were 5,639 armed officers in March this year - 1,000 fewer than five years ago.

GPs in Blackpool are facing a crackdown on the number of patients they refer for minor operations in a bid to save money.

Health bosses plan to strictly enforce guidelines for procedures it classes as of ‘low clinical value’, including grommets — a type of surgical hearing aid — for children under the age of 12.

Others include cosmetic surgery, such as breast implants or tattoo removal, bariatric operations for obese patients, caesarean sections, and assisted conception procedures such as IVF.

Doctors in the resort could also be told not to prescribe paracetamol, cough and cold medicines, or suncream, unless there is a longer-term clinical need.

The town’s clinical commission group (CCG), which organises and pays for residents’ healthcare and is based in a stand at Bloomfield Road, is proposing drastic action after its financial control was found lacking during a recent inspection.

It said it needs to save £6.4m because it simply can’t afford to keep paying for the number of procedures currently being carried out.

The minor ailments scheme at resort pharmacies, which sees children’s medicine doled out for free, could also be reviewed.

The CCG’s chief clinical officer, Dr Amanda Doyle, said: “There is no endless pot of money and the current situation is not sustainable.

“We have a responsibility to make the best use of the resources available to us and ensure public money is spent wisely within the local healthcare system.

“We have to ‘live within our means’ and we need the public’s help to do that.

“We have plans to address this financial challenge whilst still providing services of the highest quality but to do this we are going to have to make difficult decisions in order to make best use of the money available to us.”

She continued: “The number of people being referred by their GP for hospital procedures or operations has increased year-on-year, and is now well beyond what we can actually afford.

“We need to make sure that the policies and procedures we have in place for when people should and shouldn’t be referred by their GP are followed to the rule.

“We also need people to be more realistic with what they request on prescription from their GP.

“Low priority items such as cough and cold remedies, paracetamol and sun creams to name a few, are all readily available over the counter in supermarkets and local pharmacies.

“But, we actually spend around £800,000 of our budget paying for prescriptions of these items each year.”

Medical procedures affected by its proposal also include body contouring (surgery after significant weight loss), carpal tunnel syndrome, circumcision, complementary and alternative therapies, face lift, hysterectomy, knee joint, laser eye surgery, ear pinning, reversal of sterilisation, nose jobs, skin lesions, spinal corn simulations, tonsillectomy, and trigger finger ops.

“During 2015/16, a total of 3,788 procedures of limited clinical value (POLCV) were undertaken at a cost of £2.94m,” CCG documents read.

“Not all of these could be inappropriate but a proportion would.

“The introduction of clinical triage process will help ensure the policies are applied appropriately and consistently for all patients.

“A further range of POLCV are being developed on a Lancashire-wide basis which will be released in September covering: Lumbar spine procedures, other stomach operations, bariatric surgery, insulin pumps, caesarean section, hip arthroscopy, treatment of varicose veins, function electric stimulation (FES) for drop foot.

“It is proposed these are adopted as soon as possible by Blackpool CCG.”

The group is currently consulting, via a questionnaire on its website, on the medicines GPs will be ordered not to prescribe.

As well as cough and cold medicines, suncream, and paracetamol, the list contains dry skin preparations, bath and shower products, nasal sprays, wart and verruca treatments, products for oral hygiene and mouth ulcers, vitamins, and supplements.

It also includes probiotics, topical fungal nail paints, antiperspirants, barrie creams, antihistamines for hayfever, pain relief skin rubs, homeopathic remedies, and haemorrhoid preparations.

Supermarkets often charge less than 50p for a packet of paracetamol, but it costs the NHS £10.31 after administration fees.

South Shore MP Gordon Marsden said: “The CCG appears to have produced a long, mixed bag of potential savings by GPs.

“Some of them are particularly relating to minor ailments and I think most people, given the pressures they are under, would understand; others, particularly laser eye surgery, knee procedures, and lesions, most people think are an important requirement of the NHS.

“We really need to have a much more thorough listing of procedures by the CCG.

“Dr Doyle says they have to live within their means. People will expect the CCG to be much clearer about their priorities, and also to be looking at their own administration costs.”

Blackpool North and Cleveleys MP Paul Maynard said: “I do think that it is right that the CCG reviews how it spends public money and the policies around prescriptions and procedures. When you can buy in supermarkets some tablets like paracetamol for as little as 19p, yet a prescription with on-costs adds up to over £10 it makes sense.

“I would be worried though, if the review around the guidelines of certain types of surgery prevented those who are in genuine medical need of the procedure to be denied it.

“I would encourage anyone with views of these proposals to engage fully with the consultation.”

Police chief Steve Finnigan pledged his officers will do everything to stop criminals in the resort, as he paid tribute to the bravery of a heroic officer killed in service 45 years ago.

Chf Con Finnigan was present at the unveiling of a stone to commemorate 45 years since brave Superintendent Gerald Richardson was shot dead as he tried to tackle a gang of robbers in the resort.

And he said his officers today still knew the dangers they faced.

He said: “This commemoration will reinforce for younger police officers in Lancashire Constabulary, who weren’t even born when Superintendent Richardson was murdered, that policing has always been a dangerous profession and we do ask police officers to put themselves in danger.

“When you think of our mission, which is to keep people safe from harm, especially the most vulnerable, that will inevitably mean you will get into some difficult and dangerous situations.

“We need to work hard to offer our staff the right equipment and training so they can try to keep themselves safe.

“We have invested heavily in trying to protect our officers, we have body armour, tasers and pava sprays.

“We can never say what happened to Supt Richardson will never happen again, we can only pray that it won’t and provide the right sort of training and equipment.

“Police officers will always do brave things and put themselves in danger, even if their training says ‘don’t do that’.

“In the heat of the moment they will do what needs doing.”

The Chief Constable added: “Thankfully police officers paying the ultimate price is a rare occurrence but because police officers walk towards danger, not away from it, regrettably these things do happen.”

The commemoration to Supt Richardson has been created in the grounds of Aspire Academy which is on the site of the former Blackpool Grammar School where he was a pupil.

He was murdered on August 23 1971 after police were called to a robbery at Preston’s Jewellers in The Strand, Blackpool.

As the police gave chase to the five-man gang, one of the robbers, Freddie Sewell, sprayed the street with bullets, wounding two constables.

Supt Richardson pursued Sewell into an alley where he was shot twice at point-blank range, and died later the same morning, aged 38.

He is the highest-ranking police officer to be killed in the line of duty.

When his funeral was held, it brought Blackpool to a standstill with tens of thousands of people filling the streets to pay their respects.

He was posthumously awarded the George Cross for bravery.

In 1974, the Supt Gerald Richardson Memorial Youth Trust was set up in his memory and over the years has handed out grants of more than £250,000 to young people.

Meanwhile over the last two years the Superintendents Association in Lancashire has recognised exemplary performance by handing out its own accolade in memory of Supt Richardson.

His widow Maureen, who unveiled the plaque, said: “It always seems just like yesterday that it happened. It is so very clear.

“I just want Gerry to be remembered for what he did, he deserves that.

“Blackpool Grammar Memorial Trust came up with the idea for this wonderful commemoration and today has been a lovely occasion.

“They invited members of the Youth Trust to come along as well, and it is wonderful to see how many young people that has helped.

“Activities for children is something Gerry always supported.

“It is sad to hear whenever a police officer is killed in the line of duty.

“The young PC who was killed recently in Liverpool was particularly poignant because, like for Gerry, the people all turned out for him and filled the streets for his funeral.

“Police officers take those risks and never think it is going to happen to them.

“But they have to be brave, there is no choice.

“Sometimes the bravest people are those who are frightened but still go into help.”

High Sheriff of Lancashire John Barnett, who was among the guests at the unveiling, said: “I am a Blackpool lad and I remember well that time when Gerald Richardson was killed. I was 21 at the time, and I think many people will remember that day.

“And they will remember the incredible community support when thousands and thousands of people turned out for the funeral.

“So for me to be here today is a phenomenal honour.”

Last night a fundraising dinner was also held by the Supt Gerald Richardson Memorial Youth Trust.

The sails will turn at Marsh Mill, Thornton, on Saturday, giving visitors a special insight into the building’s workings.

As the sails turn the internal machinery of the mill will spring into life, echoing the time when the mill was surrounded by farmland.

Friends of Marsh Mill committee member Tom Halstead said: “It’s part of the maintenance programme carried out by Wyre Borough and when the sails are turning there is always a special atmosphere around the mill.”

On the same day Cleveleys caricature artist Chris Knapman will be on hand to provide members of the public with their cartoon likenesses for a small donation. He will be in action from 11am to 2pm.

The mill itself is open from 10.30am to 4.30pm and tours to the top are available.

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A gambler who lost tens of thousands of pounds over the years smashed a roulette machine with a stool because he was losing money.

Paul Nuttall said he had once banned himself from the betting shop but the bookies had wooed him with incitements to gamble and coupons.

Nuttall, a 42-year-old painter and decorator, formerly of Park Road, Fleetwood, now of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to causing damage.

He was sentenced to pay £609 compensation to the bookmakers by Blackpool magistrates who imposed no other penalty.

Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said on January 11 about 9pm Nuttall was playing on a roulette machine at Betfred, Lord Street, Fleetwood.

The manager there had known him for about three years and considered him a friend.

Nuttall was losing money on the machine and said: “I’m going to throw a stool at the machine in a minute.”

The manager knew Nuttall had had a drink and told him not to be daft and to go home.

Nuttall then picked up the stool and threw it, smashing the glass.

The manager said he was gobsmacked as he had never known Nuttall to behave like that.

Nuttall had been given a caution by the police on the condition he paid full compensation for the damage, but he did not pay.

Nuttall told magistrates: “I can’t defend smashing the machine, it was ridiculous. I have had a gambling habit of 11 years.

“I have lost tens of thousands of pounds. What I did was the culmination of that.”

• A Bulgarian kebab shop worker walked down a main shopping street and then suddenly pounced on a teenage girl groping her groin.

Muhamed Mahmud committed the offence as the 17 year old victim and her friends walked down Victoria Street West in Cleveleys.

Mahmud had drunk more than half-a-bottle of American whiskey on his day off work from The Best Kebab on the same street,Blackpool, Magistrates were told.

He pleaded guilty to indecent assault and to being drunk and disorderly.

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said that the defendant had been seen apparantly fighting with a friend on the tram tracks.

Police separated the two men and as they were arresting Mahmud, who also wrestles professionall,y when the officers were approached by the 17-year-old who told them about being assaulted earlier.

“He had followed her down the street then got in front of her and suddenly grabbed her groin. It was very upsetting for the victim,” said the prosecutor.

Howard Green, defending, said: “This man intends to go back to Bulgaria in the near future.He had been drinking heavily before ewhat happened and apologises profusely.”

The defendant was given 16 weeks jail suspended for a year,ordered to pay his victim £100 compensation and placed on a 12 week curfew.

• A woman was unable to attend court because she was having surgery in hospital.

Danielle Salisbury, 30, of Eamont Place, Fleetwood, who is accused of stealing a woman’s purse valued at £45, had her case adjourned by Blackpool magistrates.

• A Fleetwood man walked into the port’s police station and admitted a shoplifting offence committed three months ago.

Dylan Johnstone, 19, currently of no fixed address pleaded guilty to stealing an Armani coat worth £120 from a store in the town in May this year.

Johnstone was given a one year conditional discharge by District Judge Jeff Brailsford sitting at Blackpool Magistrates Court.

He must also pay £120 compensation.

Steven Townley defending, said : His mother has thrown him out and he is now homeless.Money was the motive for this crime.”

• A man who stole a carer’s handbag as she assisted two disabled sisters in a shop has been jailed for 21 months.

Karl Lee Broadhead, 35, of Devonshire Avenue, Thornton, and his cousin Lee Metcalfe, took the bag from the back of a wheelchair as the carer helped the 67-year-old who is paralysed, and her partially sighted sister, 57, in Cool Trader on June 8.

Karen Brooks, prosecuting, said: “When they leave the house (the older sister) uses the wheelchair to assist her to move about.

“There was a bottle of water in her handbag which meant the zip wasn’t properly shut and it was hung on back of the wheelchair.

“When she went to till she discovered her purse was missing. She had £85, her driving licence and cards in the purse and also a number of cards she received from her deceased mother which were of sentimental value.”

Preston Crown Court heard he was seen stealing the bag on CCTV and recognised by a PCSO along with his co-accused – who pleaded guilty and is due to be sentenced by Blackpool Magistrates on a date to be set.

Broadhead also admitted burgling an elderly woman’s house in the area in a separate incident.

The court heard he broke into the ground floor flat of an 87-year-old, and stole a handbag belonging to her friend, who was visiting to help her with domestic chores.

It contained her keys, cards and cash and three guardian charms, and she had to have the locks changed on her vehicle and car.

Broadhead’s fingerprint was found on the kitchen window.

Colette Renton, defending, said he had been addicted to drugs since the age of nine and said he had been led astray by his cousin.

She added: “He is the man who took the purse, but he was directed by his cousin and it was an unplanned theft.

“In late 2014 the defendant, having been released from prison, made a decision he wanted to change his life for the better and moved out of the Blackpool area to live with his grandfather. For a long time, he remained clean.

“He had a blip in this otherwise good progress.

“He is embarrassed and ashamed to be back in this situation.”

Activating an extra 14 weeks of a suspended jail term he had breached, Recorder Christopher Alldriss said: “You have an absolutely appalling record of 54 convictions for 202 offences including 128 thefts.

“Yours is a depressingly familiar story. Your life has been one of criminality to feed a habit.”

• A couple accused of having a dangerous American Bulldog which bit a policeman’s foot have made their first appearance at court.

Mitchell Flackett, 29, and Rebecca Smith, 22, of Hamlet Road, Fleetwood, pleaded not guilty to having a dangerous dog which was out of control and caused injury outside Fleetwood’s Arden Green on May 18.

Flackett also denied having a dangerous dog which was out of control in the port’s Hamlet Road on May 26.

Their case was adjourned for Blackpool magistrates to fix a trial date.

• A callous thief with a history of stealing from loved ones took thousands of pounds worth of jewellery belonging to his girlfriend.

Duncan Stirzaker then sold the jewellery to fund his addiction to cocaine and cannabis.

His mother had been treasurer for a committee and he had previously stolen cheques from the committee chequebook for which he was on a suspended prison sentence at the time of the jewellery theft.

Stirzaker, 30, of Windsor Place, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to theft.

Prosecutor, Pam Smith, said Stirzaker and a young mother had been in a relationship for about five months and he had stayed at her Fleetwood home.

In June Stirzaker’s girlfriend looked in the bottom section of her jewellery box and found about £2,000 worth of it missing.

When confronted by her and her parents he denied stealing it.

Later he messaged her and admitted taking it. He said he would get the jewellery back but he did not.

He had sold it for scrap for between £400 and £500 at a jeweller’s on the port’s Lord Street and if was no longer recoverable.

When interviewed Stirzaker said he had broken his back in January. He said he had been lying to his girlfriend and taking cocaine and cannabis daily.

David Charnley, defending, said his client had fallen into the depths of drug misuse at the time. Stirzaker, who was full of remorse for what he had done, said he was now off drugs.

Presiding magistrate at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court, Stuart Gay, told him: “There was a breach of trust. It was emotionally upsetting for the victim and items of considerable sentimental value were taken.”

Stirzaker was bailed to appear for sentence at Preston Crown Court on September 21.

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With GCSE Results Day finally upon us, hundreds of thousands of teenagers across the country will be weighing up their options for the future.

Although A-levels remain the traditional educational route after GCSEs, they are not the only option. More and more students are turning towards apprenticeships and further education as real alternatives.

Many of the teenagers picking up their results have already been in education for the best part of 12 years.

But, these days teenagers, up to the age of 18, are legally required to stay in education, training or get a job with accredited training, something the government calls 'raising the age of participation'.

Being in further education or training doesn’t mean teenagers have to stay in the same school. There are lots of options.

So, for those students who didn’t do so well in their GCSEs, or don’t find the prospect of another two years at school studying A-levels appealing, here are our top three options for life after GCSEs.

Do an apprenticeship

Apprenticeships have had some mixed press. The quality and rates of pay have been in the news, but there are lots fabulous apprenticeship opportunities out there and lots of organisations who can help, and offer you the right information; checkout The Student Room’s new Apprenticeship Hub it’s full of accurate and up-to-date information and it can even help to dispel some of those apprenticeship myths.

We found a fabulous apprenticeship scheme with national company, Be Wiser Insurance - they offer a starting salary of £14,000. There are other companies doing similar, so do your homework.

Do a traineeship

Not quite ready for an apprenticeship? Need to work on your skills? Don’t worry there are lots of opportunities for you to complete a traineeship – Have a look at what a company like EDF Energy can offer you.

Go to your local college

There are two types of college – 6th Form college and Further Education college. 6th Form Colleges are mostly geared up for students between 16 and 18 years old, and tend to concentrate on academic education. Further Education colleges are generally much bigger than 6th Form colleges and offer a wider range of subjects, including vocational education (Btecs and NVQs), and they’re not just for teenagers. Further Education colleges offer adult education and higher education too.

The GOV.UK website can help you find more information about courses offered by schools and colleges in your area if you’re between 14-19.

A callous thief with a history of stealing from loved ones took thousands of pounds worth of jewellery belonging to his girlfriend.

Duncan Stirzaker then sold the jewellery to fund his addiction to cocaine and cannabis.

His mother had been treasurer for a committee and he had previously stolen cheques from the committee chequebook for which he was on a suspended prison sentence at the time of the jewellery theft.

Stirzaker, 30, of Windsor Place, Fleetwood, pleaded guilty to theft.

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said Stirzaker and a young mum had been in a relationship for about five months and he had stayed at her Fleetwood home.

In June, Stirzaker’s girlfriend looked in the bottom section of her jewellery box and found about £2,000 of it missing.

When confronted by her and her parents, he denied stealing it, the court was told.

Later, he messaged her and admitted taking it.

He said he would get the jewellery back but he did not.

The court heard Stirzaker had sold it for scrap for between £400 and £500 at a jeweller’s on the port’s Lord Street, and it was no longer recoverable.

When interviewed, Stirzaker said he had broken his back in January. He said he had been lying to his girlfriend and taking cocaine and cannabis daily.

David Charnley, defending, said his client had fallen into the depths of drug misuse at the time.

He told the court that Stirzaker, who was full of remorse for what he had done, said he was now off drugs.

Presiding magistrate at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court, Stuart Gay, told him: “There was a breach of trust.

“It was emotionally upsetting for the victim and items of considerable sentimental value were taken.”

Stirzaker was bailed to appear for sentence at Preston Crown Court on September 21.

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Blackpool today unveiled its new litter-busting squad in a bid to slash the £3m annual cost of cleaning the resort’s streets of discarded waste.

As part of a zero tolerance crackdown on litter louts, the team - which took to the streets yesterday - will hand out £80 fines to anyone caught dropping litter or allowing their dog to foul.

The hard-line approach is part of a campaign to make Blackpool the cleanest seaside resort in the UK by 2020.

Currently around 3,000 tonnes of rubbish a year is picked up from the town’s streets including drinks cans, fast-food packaging and sweet wrappers.

Environmental specialist 3GS had been contracted to provide the enforcement teams with the scheme funded from the fines collected.

Its managing director Paul Buttivant, himself a former councillor in London, pledged anyone caught dropping litter would face the penalty.

But he added the clampdown would not be ‘over zealous’.

He said: “Our particular business model works very well because we are not vigilantes.

“We take a balanced approach to enforcement and are not over zealous.

“When we issue penalty tickets we also aim to educate people about why they should not be dropping litter.

“If an officer witnesses an individual littering, they approach them and deal with them on the spot.

“All our officers are salaried and we do not give them targets or incentivise them in any way. We are ethical in our approach.

“People can submit a complaint to us and if there was a genuine misunderstanding, then we will deal with it appropriately.”

Coun Gillian Campbell, deputy leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Littering is not only a crime but it shows a complete disregard to the area where you are living or visiting.

“In the past, some people would drop litter because they thought they could get away with it.

“However our new partnership with 3GS will make it much more likely those people will get caught.”

“With a resort as busy as Blackpool, some litter is to be expected and where possible our staff try to keep the area as clean as we can.

“However, with depleting resources it becomes more and more difficult to stay on top of it and we need the public to help us by putting their litter in the bin rather than dropping it on the floor.”

Nationally local authorities spend around £1bn a year cleaning up litter.

3GS says between 75 per cent and 80 per cent of the fines it issues are paid.