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SEVERN TRENT WATER: Getting a water butt could help to reduce bills and prevent flooding

Gedling Eye Reporter
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SEVERN TRENT WATER: Getting a water butt could help to reduce bills and prevent flooding

It’s been a really wet start to the year, with two named storms in January alone and the Met Office confirming that some parts of the Severn Trent region saw double the average rainfall for February.

With spring finally here, many people are thinking about getting their gardens ready for the warmer weather and a simple step that anyone can take to both save money and cut down on the risk of flooding from sudden downpours it to get a water butt.

Severn Trent Water said customers who are on a water meter only pay for what they use, so reducing the amount of treated water that goes towards caring for their garden – through a hosepipe or sprinkler for instance, which can use up to 1,000 litres of water an hour – can create a significant saving on their bills.  

Available in a range of different sizes and capacities, there’s a water butt to suit every type of garden – with capacities from 100 to a massive 500 litres!  By collecting and storing rainfall, they provide a source of water that’s perfect to help keep the garden green and plants healthy during the warmer summer months. 

The water provider said water butts also help to slow drainage into the sewer network, giving it somewhere to go rather than pooling on peoples’ drives or gardens, which can lead to flooding.

Sophie Evans-Young, customer demand lead at Severn Trent, said: “While it’s been a really wet start to the year, people are starting to think about getting the garden ready for summer. One of the best tips for any gardener is to get a water butt set up.

“Not only does a water butt store water ready to be used to water the plants when the weather warms up, but as we’re continuing to see the impacts of climate change, they can also help to prevent flooding by slowing the volume of water that enters the sewer network during a downpour.” 

With many more homes now having tarmac or brick driveways and patios, there is less opportunity for rainwater to seep away into the ground, making it more likely to pool and contribute to surface water flooding.

Evans-Young added: “One result of climate change across our region, we’re experiencing more periods of heavy rain and we’re also seeing more hard surfaces – such as paved over gardens to create car parking spaces – which means that the rainfall can’t soak away into the ground which can lead to what’s called ‘hydraulic overload’. This is when the volume of water trying to get into the sewer is greater than its capacity and can lead to it backing up and finding its way into peoples’ gardens, or at worst into their homes.

“Any form of flooding can be really distressing, but installing a water butt is a great and really simple way for people to offset that risk, give them a great source of water for the plants, and help make sure there’s enough treated water available if we see another exceptionally hot and dry summer.”

Water butts are available at most garden centres from the internet, and are available at a discount via Get Water Fit. 

For water saving tips and advice, click here or visit stwater.co.uk and search for Saving Water Made Simple.

Colwick residents collect more than 70 bags of litter in woodland clean up

David Bratton
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Colwick residents collect more than 70 bags of litter in woodland clean up

Armed with litter pickers and rubbish sacks, a group of residents from Colwick have been clearing up woodland around their village.

More than 70 sacks of litter along with household items, clothing, electrical equipment and mattresses removed from woodland on Chaworth Road last weekend.

The event, dubbed the Big Colwick Clean Up, was organised by Colwick’s Independent Councillor Russell Whiting and is supported by Colwick Parish Council.

Over the course of two weekends volunteers will tackle some of the worst litter hot-spots in Colwick.

Volunteers with bags of rubbish collected during a litter pick event

The action will coincide with Gedling Borough Council’s Environment Week and the Big Spring Clean – promoted by Keep Britain Tidy.

Cllr Russell Whiting, who represents Colwick on Gedling Borough Council said: “Anyone who has ever walked along Chaworth Road will know how much litter there is, and although we’ve made a good dent this weekend, there is still more to do.

“It’s so fantastic to see the community come out in all weathers to work to improve our area. I am really excited about the social action we are seeing in Colwick and hopefully as we do more events, more people will get involved.”

The Big Colwick Clean Up will continue next weekend when the team will tackle a waterway which runs through the Colwick Industrial Estate.

Anyone interested in getting involved in next weekend’s event can contact Cllr Russell Whiting on Facebook.

Immediate Justice already having impact – as perpetrators paying for anti-social behaviour with work at Carlton park say scheme has helped turn their lives around

David Bratton
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Immediate Justice already having impact – as perpetrators paying for anti-social behaviour with work at Carlton park say scheme has helped turn their lives around

One of the first people to receive Immediate Justice (IJ) in a new programme to tackle antisocial behaviour has said carrying out work at a Carlton park to pay back the community has helped him turn his life around.

The man, who is in his mid-20s was referred into the scheme after committing a drunk and disorderly offence and was referred swiftly to undertake repair work at Jubilee Park in late January and included clearing up litter, removal of graffiti and tidying the park.

It comes after the Immediate Justice project, which is being led by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire, launched in early January which aims to ensure people who commit antisocial behaviour or low-level offences are made to clean up local streets or take part in other positive community activities – within days of their offence.

After completing the scheme, the man spoke on how the positive payback work has made him want to ‘kickstart’ the search for a new job and turn his life around.

The Immediate Justice Supervisor who oversaw the group recalled how the man engaged positively with the work and said the Immediate Justice Programme had given him a better outlook.

“The Immediate Justice Programme was a way for the man to kickstart his job search again as he felt that it gave him a positive feeling and outlook that he had been missing,” said Jason (RSMS IJ Supervisor).

“Overall, he worked hard throughout the day and we had some very positive discussions around his life decisions and outlook moving forward, he said thank you at the end of the session.”

Another person who took part in the scheme, a woman who completed work at Jubilee Park in Carlton in early February said how she could see the benefit of doing it for herself and the local community and did not want to get in trouble again.

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry said she was delighted to hear of the man’s positive experience of the Immediate Justice scheme.

“This innovative project can work in changing mentalities towards committing low level crime and gives those people who go through the service a chance to change their ways for the better, whilst giving back to the community,” said Commissioner Henry.

“We want to encourage people to choose to take part in Immediate Justice and as we hear from this person’s experience, it is truly a positive alternative.

“The project is showing communities in a very visible way that antisocial behaviour is being treated seriously and with urgency, whilst also acting as a deterrent to others.”

The scheme is only available to eligible first-time or low-level offenders and gives them an alternative to going to court or paying fines – by spending a set amount of time repairing the harm they have caused to communities.

Persistent offenders will still be dealt with through robust criminal justice outcomes.

A spokesperson for Red Snapper Managed Services said they were delighted to be a part of the Immediate Justice scheme.

“Our team of experienced and highly trained staff is doing an amazing job. The feedback we have received from individuals referred into the scheme has been really positive and we look forward to providing more valuable reparative work to the Nottingham community.”

The project follows the award of funds from the Home Office to tackle antisocial behaviour and is set to run until the end of March 2025.

To ensure swift action is taken in response to the antisocial behaviour, Immediate Justice placements are to be completed within 48 hours of the Police completing the referral to the service.

Offenders who are referred to the scheme will be supervised by criminal justice Interventions service provider Red Snapper Managed Services Ltd, as they go out to carry out work in neighbourhoods across the city and county.

Chief Superintendent Sukesh Verma, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I’m delighted the Immediate Justice initiative is already having a positive impact in our communities in changing behaviour and attitudes as well as improving local facilities.

“This example highlights the positive benefits of the programme, as opposed to processing through the traditional criminal justice methods.

“We know that antisocial behaviour has a significant impact on local residents and businesses. We will continue to work tirelessly with our partner agencies, as well as listening to concerns raised by local businesses and residents, to tackle any incidents robustly, take a preventative approach, and keep our communities safe.”

To report antisocial behaviour call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or contact your local council. 

Match Report: Lichfield 50 – 24 Paviors

Nigel Youl
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Match Report: Lichfield 50 – 24 Paviors

Midlands Two North – Round 20 Saturday March 16

This weekend Pavs made the trip over to Lichfield RFC in round 20 of The Midlands 2 North competition. In November Pavs handed the Staffordshire side their first league loss with a convincing 33-21 victory at The Stump. This was, in fact, during a spell in which Pavs took 9 wins from 10 games  with a virtually unchanged side over an extended period. Whether this engaged the wrath of the rugby gods or not is a moot point, but with a good part of that squad now injured, Pavs were always going to find the going tough against a promotion chasing Lichfield. 

Pavs made a bright a breezy start to the game on a soft but good looking surface. Unfortunately, three avoidable errors were then ruthlessly punished by the home side to give them a 19-0 lead on fifteen minutes.  

Not to be daunted, Pavs kept battling away and on nineteen minutes a returning Owen Taylor finished off a fine movement to narrow the gap to 19-5. Unfortunately, on twenty seven and twenty nine minutes, Sam Bradley and Owen Taylor had to take a break to recover form knocks to be replaced by Dan Mangham and Dan Hodges respectively. This defensive disruption allowed Lichfield to go further in front with a converted try on thirty three minutes to extend their lead to 26-5.

Three minutes later Will Taylor jinked his way over to touch down and with the Billam extras bring the score to 26-12. This would have a useful half time score, but Pavs defensive frailty again reared its head to allow Lichfield a further converted try on the break.

Half time score 33-12 to Lichfield.

During the break student Dan Flint was replaced by Sam Bradley. Pavs made a much better start to the half and with sixty three minutes on the clock speedy Will Taylor again finished a fine backs move to pin Lichfield back to 33-19.

Pavs could unfortunately not sustain the pressure and Lichfield struck back to go 40-19 up.

On the seventieth minute mark a recovered Owen Taylor took over from Dan “The Fridge” Hodges. Lichfield made use of a weak kick chase to run in from long distance to advance their lead to 45-19 with ten minutes to go.

Pavs then had their best period and pummelled the Lichfield line. The home side defended stoutly, but lost two players to the sin bin. Pavs kept their composure as the newly converted back rower, Harry Kerr silkily dummied his way over the line to bring the score to 45-24 with a few minutes left. Lichfield went in for the final score of the match on the whistle to record a 50-24 victory.

A tough day at the office for the boys. Four excellent tries did much to ameliorate the disappointment Pavs will feel as will the bonus point they will take away. The lads who have come into the squad following the Pavs burgeoning and seemingly unremitting injury list have done a sterling job so far. With just two league games left, Pavs will keep battling away in the normal resilient way. They will seek to reverse a one point  away loss to Tamworth RFC this weekend at The Stump this coming Saturday, March 23. All support will be gratefully accepted as Pavs navigate through this somewhat difficult period. 

Starting Squad: Kieran Wells, Owen Taylor (1 try), Tom Ryan, Sam Bradley, Alistair Plant, Harry Kerr (1 try), Josh Flanagan, Phil Eggleshaw, Ben Taylor, George Billam (2 conv), Dan Flint, Will Taylor (2 tries), Morgan Jones, Alex Rimmington, Matt Molyneux 

Impacts: Dan Hodges, Dan Mangham, Noah Bhatia (ill) 

Paviors Rugby Club play at Burntstump Hill, Arnold, NG5 8PQ and the club runs over twenty teams.

New players are always welcome – girls, boys, men & women, there is a team for all.

Further information about the club including contact details can be found on http://www.paviorsrfc.co.uk/ .

Gedling borough weather Tuesday, March 19

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Gedling borough weather Tuesday, March 19

Gedling borough residents can expect a breezy, but mostly dry start to the day. Cloud breaking through the morning to warm sunny spells. A few showers also developing, however these mostly light, with the odd heavier one. Maximum temperature 16 °C.

Evening showers easing, however cloud soon thickening from the southwest. Rain spreading north by midnight turning persistent and perhaps heavy at times. Some southeastern areas perhaps staying dry. Minimum temperature 10 °C.

Tomorrow will see a dull start with rain across northern areas easing away, but perhaps the odd heavy shower elsewhere. Cloud then breaking to warm sunny spells. Some rain returning south during the afternoon. Maximum temperature 16 °C.

Notts Police Commissioner accused of missing problems which put force in special measures

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Notts Police Commissioner accused of missing problems which put force in special measures

Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has faced accusations she failed to spot problems soon enough after inspectors placed Notts Police in special measures.

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) raised serious concerns last week over how the force runs investigations and handles victims.

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Caroline Henry (Con), who is responsible for monitoring and scrutinising force performance, was criticised by councillors for not spotting the problems sooner.

She said she was “shocked” and “disappointed” to learn the force would be put special measures, known as ‘Engage status’.

She hoped the force could get out in under a year, and said Chief Constable Kate Meynell was already making improvements.

She defended not spotting the issues earlier, saying inspectors had gone “under the bonnet” of police operations in a way she couldn’t.

The commissioner told a Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel meeting on Monday (March 18): “I am confident that we won’t stay in Engage for a long time – some improvements are already changes in place. I will be stepping up how I’m scrutinising the force.

“These issues were first brought to my attention on February 14 when we were debriefed after the inspection. They are operational factors I haven’t been able to see as PCC.”

During the meeting, she also revealed that she was surprised by the special measures decision, as inspectors hadn’t given any early indication.

Criticism by the inspectors of investigations and supporting victims was described by Mrs Henry as a “software issue” related to officers not using police systems properly.

The panel urged more transparency, which Mrs Henry said would be provided in a closed-door briefing.

Inspectors found a backlog of 609 domestic abuse incidents which were still waiting for risk assessments, and some incidents had been closed without victims being told.

Councillor David Ellis (Lab) raised questions about how closely the force was being monitored.

“You say you will be ‘stepping up scrutiny’ – we’ve heard this before after the last HMI report in 2022,” he said.

“You’ve not been scrutinising – performance has deteriorated on your watch. How can have confidence in what you’re telling us?”

Despite assurances that improvements would be made, Councillor Paul Taylor (Lab) said: “I’m getting concerned that the report is being taken too lightly – it’s a really serious issue for people of Nottinghamshire.”

Councillor John Wilmott (Ashfield Ind) said it was “mind-boggling” that problems weren’t sorted at an earlier time.

Notts Police must now produce an improvement plan and has been set a deadline of September to make a series of changes.

The inspectorate has confirmed the report isn’t linked to the June 2023 Nottingham attacks by Valdo Calocane. The force’s response to this incident is being reviewed separately.

Work now complete on UK’s largest fish pass at Colwick

David Bratton
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Work now complete on UK’s largest fish pass at Colwick

Work on an £8.5m ‘fish pass’ that will allow species to swim freely up the River Trent at Colwick has been completed.

The vast pass based at the Holme Sluices barrier, is now the largest of its kind in the country.

Holme Sluices is the largest barrier to the natural migration of fish in the Midlands, which the new fish pass corrects by using a narrow chamber to allow Salmon, Lamprey, Eels, and other fish to swim around the gates.

The Environment Agency were allocated around £10m of funds for the work, and construction was initially expected to be completed in August 2023 – but was finally completed last month.

Stop logs were removed from both inlet and outlet for the first time at the end of January, allowing the radial gate to be tested under pressure. Following activation of the radial gate, the first flows entered the pass, bringing the pass up to operational levels in a startling 90 seconds.

When the gate is closed there is still a residual flow through the eel chute, as eels will travel against the direction of flow and tolerate very low water levels, this feature ensures that when the gate is closed no eels will become trapped inside the pass, and will be able to exit along the ramp.

There will now be a period of testing and training for the operatives who will operate the pass going forward, and it will be ready to hand over to Environment Agency control in the Spring.

Usage of the pass will depend on adequate water levels in the River Trent, meaning that there may be periods when the pass must close to maintain navigable levels in the main channel.

Work on the new public viewing platform is almost complete, with most of the signage installed.

The viewing platform will feature detailed information boards on the likely species of fish and aquatic life which may frequent the pass, along with bespoke artwork from environmental artist Steve Pardue illustrating the wider ecosystem associated with the River Trent.

The blue resin visualises the path of the River Trent, with nine cast concrete blocks spread along the route. These provide seating for visitors, and also represent the locations of each of the large weirs that present barriers to fish migration without the work of the Trent Gateway project.

The block indicating Colwick Sluices is coloured red to provide context to the current location.

The mesh flooring and side panels are designed to allow visitors to see the channel, and hopefully spot any aquatic visitors.

There are a few more items to install, once completed the platform will be open to the public.

Gedling borough weather Monday, March 18

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Gedling borough weather Monday, March 18

A bright start for many Gedling borough residents this morning, but cloud will tend to increase through the day, with high cloud turning sunshine hazy through the afternoon. Feeling mild in the sunshine, with light winds. Maximum temperature 15 °C.

Cloud will gradually increase from the west this evening, with intermittent rain after midnight. Winds will strengthen, becoming breezy overnight. Minimum temperature 8 °C.

Tomorrow will be cloudy with outbreaks of rain at first, this gradually clearing eastwards to allow sunny spells and isolated showers to develop during the afternoon. Winds easing, falling light by the evening. Maximum temperature 16 °C.

Police warning to Gedling borough Snapchat users following spate of blackmail attempts

Gedling Eye
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Police warning to Gedling borough Snapchat users following spate of blackmail attempts

Cyber experts at Nottinghamshire Police are encouraging Snapchat users in Gedling borough to update their security settings to protect them against hackers who are then blackmailing victims.

Police said they have seen a recent rise in accounts being compromised to extract illicit images and be used to blackmail victims.

To help reduce the chances of this happening, the force has created guidance to keep Snapchat accounts secure.

The guidance encourages people use different passwords for each account you have online, use stronger passwords using 3 random words, enable two-step verification (2SV) and remove any outdated personal information.

For more information on what a strong password looks like, how to manage passwords and enable 2-step verification, visit Cyber Aware – NCSC.GOV.UK.  

Cyber Protect Officer Kirsty Jackson said: “We have seen a recent rise in Snapchat accounts being compromised to extract and share private images.

“Children and young adults in Nottingham have been the most targeted. In many cases, a friend has accessed the victim’s account – either by guessing the login information or because the victim has poor security.

“In other cases, the victim has logged into Snapchat on a friend’s device, which has then saved the login credentials. The friend has then gone on to find private images and videos in the account’s My Eyes Only feature, because the passcode was easy to guess. They’ve then gone on to threaten to share the images after falling out with the victim and deciding to bully them.

“We’ve also seen a rise in Snapchat accounts being hacked by organised cyber criminals for financial gain. This has seen hackers access a victim’s illicit images and threaten to leak them unless money is paid. The targeted age for this type of compromise is 20-40 years.

“To avoid the risk of being targeted, never share any image that you consider to be private using a social media platform.

“Also, never share login credentials with anyone else, no matter how trusted you believe them to be or login to your account using a friend’s device as their device can become trusted to your account and login credentials can save to their device.

“Please educate loved ones and children to help protect them from these common mistakes.”

Kirsty said the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) had compiled guidance on the issue to help people mitigate the risk of hackers accessing their social media accounts. 

The guidance and information on the dangers of Snapchat being used as a sexting platform can be found here: www.eastmidlandscybersecure.co.uk/post/the-dangers-of-snapchat-being-used-as-a-sexting-platform.

DARTS: Calverton Working Men’s Club close in on the league leaders

Gedling Eye Reporter
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DARTS: Calverton Working Men’s Club close in on the league leaders

Lowdham & District Village Mens Dart League RESULTS March 13

With four matches left in the league The Gedling Club only required two more wins supported by their leg difference to retain their title however the current champions suffered only their second loss of the season, losing 4-2 at home against The Cross Keys, Epperstone giving slight hope to the chasing pack.

Second placed Calverton Working Men’s Club (CWMC) made no mistake with a 5-1 demolition of Lowdham’s Old Ship to move to within two of the leaders with three to play however last week’s joint second placed team, The Cross Keys, Burton Joyce will be kicking themselves as they slumped to a 4-2 loss at home to the Gleaner’s ‘A’ leaving them four points adrift of the top of the table. A win against Gleaners ‘A’ would have put the newcomers within two points of the leaders whom they still have to play at home in the final match of the season on April 10.

At the same time as The Gedling Club and The Cross Keys, Burton Joyce were losing at home to the Cross Keys, Epperstone and Gleaners ‘A’ respectively, the Admiral Rodney also won leaving four teams in joint third place.

The Old Ship continue their poor form leaving them fourth from bottom but the Lowdham outfit who are obviously suffering from an exodus of top players at the end of last season will be hopeful of getting something from a game against bottom club The Gleaners ‘B’ in round 16.

CWMC travel to Burton Joyce in round 16 on March 20 to play The Cross Keys in a must win game for both teams while The Admiral Rodney take on the league leaders in another must win match in what promises to be a close match in Calverton. A win for The Rodney would throw the league wide open with two to play.

Calverton’s Neil Lincoln continues to lead the 180 table with four so far while The Rodney’s P Cullen continues to lead the highest finish table with 158.

The Knock Out Cup semi finals will take place on March 27 when Gleaners ‘A’ will play The  Green Dragon at the Rodney and The Admiral Rodney will take on The Gedling Club at the CWMC.

Finals & Presentation night is at 7.00pm on Friday April 19 at The Calverton Working Men’s Club.

New players and teams are always welcome and with seven of the ten teams based in the borough it’s a great way to spend your Wednesday evening. If you want to get involved or learn more, you can visit the league Facebook page here .

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