Unsuspecting drivers were handed tickets following a successful police operation to target those breaking the law on the roads.
Officers from the Gedling neighbourhood policing team took part in a full day of action to crack down on speeding and other driving offences on Wednesday (October 5) in response to concerns raised by residents.
The proactive operation was run in various hot-spot locations including Calverton Road, Surgey’s Lane, Killisick Road, Rolleston Drive and Coppice Road in Arnold.
Neighbourhood policing sergeant Stuart Howe said: “We managed to stop a number of vehicles speeding, with eight offences being dealt with via words of advice and prosecution.
“Also three drivers were stopped driving with mobile phones and another for not wearing a seat belt. All have had notice of intended prosecutions for these offences.
“I hope targeted operations like this one reassure local residents that we will listen to their concerns and take positive action to tackle issues, such as speeding, which have an adverse impact on the local community.
“Tackling and reducing speeding is a priority for us and we have a number of planned operations taking place within the neighbourhood policing team area through October.
“We will continue to carry out action days like this to combat those who speed on our roads and don’t wear seatbelts and place not only themselves but the public at risk.
“We would urge anyone driving a car without a seatbelt, using a mobile phone or speeding to think about the impact a collision could have on not only their lives but an innocent person as well.
“Neighbourhood policing is about good communication with the people in our communities so I would ask anyone who has any concerns about where they live to get in touch with us or speak to any of our officers out on patrol.”
The owner of The Mustard Seed in Gedling has received a fine for repeatedly opening during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The BBC has reported that Nottingham Crown Court has ordered 71-year-old Christine Stala to pay £10,560 in fines plus £11,190 in council and legal costs.
Earlier this year she lost an appeal over a court fine.
The Christian cafe on Main Road was served a closure order in November 2020 after refusing to shut.
At the time England was under its second lockdown – from 31 October until 2 December – which required hospitality venues to close.
Officers previously said they had reports of “40 to 50 people” inside the cafe between 12 and 19 November 2020, and Stala was served with a three-month closure order.
Stala was also ordered to pay a £190 victim surcharge and £510 in earlier court costs.
Around £90m of drugs have been incinerated this year – a record amount for Nottinghamshire Police.
The Archive and Exhibits department – which test most of the drugs that are seized by the force – says “cannabis is still the number one recreational drug in Notts.”
Dealers have also moved into new areas to evade arrest by injecting or lacing (THC) found in cannabis into cookies, cakes, chocolates and sweets, even seaside rock.
Some dealers have also manufactured their own packaging including ‘Zoot Pastels’ and ‘Dorweedos’ which look just like a popular brand of crisps.
PICTURED: Cannabis sweets and treats seized by Nottinghamshire PoliceCannabis plants seized by Nottinghamshire Police (PHOTO: Notts Police)
Officers are concerned these drugs could be marketed to young people and are actively clamping down on those who peddle this product.
These products have also been tested in the lab, with some coming back with traces of pesticides, detergents, hair spray and small traces of rat poison.
Officer David Richardson said: “This year alone we have incinerated up to £90m of drugs and that is the largest amount the force has ever done.
“These drugs are from recent jobs or historic jobs over the last two years, which have been stored while an investigation reaches its conclusion.
“There is a current trend where they are putting cannabis, THC, into cookies, cakes, chocolates, and sweets but they have been mixed with other nasty things such as fly spray and one test came back with traces of rat poison.
“We are getting what we describe as cannabis edibles on a weekly basis. People have started doing their own and are more aware of how to do it through social media.
“We had one case where a woman from Nottinghamshire was making cannabis cakes for her own circle of friends.
“The cannabis market is evolving and those who sell this drug are trying to get one foot ahead of us.
“They think officers will assume they are just carrying chocolate bars or crisps, but on closer inspection we know that is not the case.
“The problem, and concern for us as a force is innocent people get involved and children could be attracted to it. We don’t want that to happen.”
In 2016, the force said the combined street value of all the cannabis seized was around £6m. This has now jumped up to well over £20m a year.
On average, 300 to 500 drug items will pass through the department a week, which also includes heroin, crack cocaine, amphetamine, cocaine, cannabis, cannabis edibles and cannabis plants.
The team says cocaine is still a popular recreational drug in Nottinghamshire, but the purity is very poor, and it is mixed with many cutting agents which are found once examined at the lab.
Officer Richardson says the number of seizures is down to the excellent work by officers from across the force.
He added: “The whole of Nottinghamshire Police should be proud of their efforts. It has been a collaborative effort with all departments coming together.”
The department has also trained more than 170 officers in field testing so they can test seized drugs straight away, which leads to a quicker charge.
He added: “Cannabis is not getting worse – we are just getting better at finding the drugs. These teams are squeezing the drugs market and are massively proactive.
“We thought we might experience a dip during the pandemic, but we have not had that. We have just got busier.
“When people say ‘why don’t you just legalise cannabis, they don’t see the adverse effect it has on families, the local community, mental health, and the massive burden it has on the struggling NHS.
“Also, the money that criminals generate from drugs it just fuels more criminal activity.”
Sergeant Rob Spry, who leads the archive and exhibits department, said: “Cannabis seizures forms a massive part of our work.
“Drugs has a massive impact on our communities. It is linked to serious organised crime, violence, and modern slavery, with cannabis gardeners brought to Nottingham from overseas and forced to work in horrendous conditions.
“Cannabis grows in residential properties are also extremely dangerous with electricity bypassed making it a fire hazard.
“Drug dealers are making significant amounts of money from their illegal behaviour, and it is not fair on the law-abiding members of our community and therefore the force will continue to pursue those involved in this criminality.”
Gedling Borough Council plans to make it easier for people in the borough to afford their first home by lowering the threshold and increasing discounts on the Government’s First Homes scheme.
First Homes is a Whitehall-backed scheme to offer low-cost housing to first-time buyers at a reduced rate.
Discounts of at least 30 per cent on market value are offered to prospective buyers permitting their joint household income is no more than £80,000.
Homes must also be sold for no more than £250,000 once the discount has been applied.
Discounts of at least 30 per cent on market value are offered to prospective buyers permitting their joint household income is no more than £80,000.
National planning policies require that First Homes should account for at least 25 per cent of all affordable homes built on new developments – or 10 per cent of the total housing, depending on whichever is greater.
But now Gedling Borough Council has approved plans to take this further by writing new policies to offer greater discounts for first-time buyers.
Local authorities are able to increase the discount above the 30 per cent minimum and vary the price and income caps to suit local needs.
The council plans to offer a discount greater than 30 per cent on First Homes to ensure the price cap for the property is no higher than £173,000 once the discount is applied.
However, this would only be offered to households with a joint income not exceeding £38,830, while new buyers must also meet eligibility criteria providing they have a “local connection” to the borough.
The policy was approved by members of the Labour-run authority’s cabinet on Thursday (October 6).
Presenting the plans, Mike Avery, head of development and place, told councillors: “We’ve commissioned new evidence about the First Homes policy in our local housing market area.
“The study makes a number of recommendations. Firstly, there’s strong evidence to support an increase in the 30 per cent discount for First Homes.
“Secondly, there’s strong justification to support capping the price for the first sale at £173,000, and thirdly a household income cap should be £38,830 and also a local connection test is recommended.
“This reflects local house prices for affordable housing … and the local [income] situation.”
However, he added that the emphasis for the remainder of affordable housing on new developments will be given to affordable homes to rent.
This comes in response to an identified need for more affordable rent homes in Gedling.
Both moves were welcomed by cabinet members who said it will help people on lower incomes to be able to get onto the property ladder, afford deposits or have cheaper rent fees.
Councillor David Ellis (Lab), portfolio holder for community pride and engagement, said: “We know from planning meetings that the committee is concerned about the number of affordable homes in the borough.
“I am slightly sceptical about the First Homes scheme, the successor to the Government’s Starter Homes scheme, which was criticised for spending £174m and not delivering a single home.
“But I think this is a sensible implementation of the policy. It clearly doesn’t help social tenants who tend to have lower incomes and have great difficulty in getting a deposit.
“I would echo comments that the emphasis elsewhere in the area needs to be on affordable homes for rental and I support that.”
The policies will be written into the authority’s planning guidelines for when new developments are submitted.
Police have arrested a burglary suspect after reports of an attempted break-in at a block of flats in Arnold.
Officers were called to Oakdale Road at around 8.45pm yesterday (5 October 2022) when a resident spotted three men in balaclavas outside his home in a car parking area.
Police arrived at the scene and rapidly arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of a residential burglary.
Officers also seized a knife, and will be carrying out further inquiries and analysing CCTV footage to trace the other offenders.
PHOTO: Notts PoliceSPOTTED: Men in balaclavas were spotted on Oakdale Road in Arnold
Detective Sergeant Joanne Eaton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “These offences can be very upsetting for victims who have their daily life disturbed by criminals.
“We never underestimate the impact these offences have on people and work tirelessly to gather evidence and track down the people responsible.
“Officers arrived at the scene quickly and detained a suspect.
“I am pleased the suspect is now in custody and our investigation continues.
“Can I please ask that anyone with information give us a call on 101, quoting the incident number 655 of October 5 2022.”
Aldi and Iceland have announced they will be closing all stores across the borough on Boxing Day.
Iceland were first to make an announcement around festive closing yesterday.
The frozen food retailer’s managing director, Richard Walker, tweeted that stores will close to give colleagues a “well-earned rest with their friends & families”.
PICTURED: Iceland’s store on Carlton Hill (PHOTO: Google)PICTURED: Aldi supermarket (IMAGE: Google)
Aldi today said they would also be closing stores on Boxing Day.
The discount retailer said it will be shutting its doors on Boxing Day as a “thank you” to its employees for their hard work.
The chain also announced it is to create around 3,000 jobs across the UK ahead of the festive period, as it gears up for its “biggest-ever Christmas”
It is aiming to fill over 2,000 temporary and full-time store positions to help replenish stock and provide additional assistance to customers.
“This year we’re recruiting more people than ever over the Christmas period to support the growing number of customers that are switching to Aldi,” Aldi UK recruitment director Kelly Stokes said.
“That includes a mix of temporary and permanent positions, as well as looking to fill both in-store roles and positions at our regional distribution centres.
Soaring inflation and rising costs will mean Nottinghamshire County Council needs to find an extra £24m to balance its books next year.
Cost rises include rising fees to place children into foster care, surging prices for major projects, record-high gas, electricity and fuel, and a projected pay rise for council workers, costing an estimated £1,925 per employee.
However, the authority’s leader has said the council is not in financial “armageddon” and can weather the storm of both ongoing and future challenges.
It means the council could need to take “difficult” decisions in balancing its books next year.
‘DIFFICULT DECISIONS”: Nottinghamshire County Council leader Ben Bradley said there could be changes to the way services are managed
The authority insists nothing has been decided yet on how this will be addressed but has said action will be taken to avoid cuts to frontline services.
It follows some other local authorities speaking out about serious financial pressures as the current inflation rate of 9.9 per cent causes costs to increase from all angles.
Neighbouring Leicestershire County Council last month warned it could need to make drastic cuts unless further Government intervention is offered.
Ashfield District Council also revealed last week that it is facing a £3m shortfall but says all the “easy options” to claw back cash have already been taken.
And commenting on Nottinghamshire County Council’s financial pressures, Councillor Richard Jackson (Con), portfolio holder for finance, revealed similar pressures are being faced at County Hall.
He confirmed the authority needs to find £59m between 2023 and 2026, with £24m needed in 2023/24 alone.
He said this will be made up through savings and tax rises but called for the Government to bring forward a fair funding review to help the authority in managing its budgets and to provide more cash.
He said: “Over three years we need to find £59m and next year it’s £24m.
“It will come through a combination of savings and council tax. We’re mindful, in the current circumstances, that people are relying on our services more than ever.
“We’re looking at whatever we can do internally to assess how we deliver them without reducing services.
“The fair funding review absolutely needs to come forward. We’re waiting for the Chancellor to say what the Government’s thinking is in terms of additional funding.
“Certainly, local government generally needs more money from central government and we need the fair funding review to give us our fair share.”
Cllr Ben Bradley (Con), the council’s leader and Mansfield’s MP, said changes to the way services are managed could include a shift in focus on areas like children’s services and social care back into a community setting.
This would include the authority being “more preventative” to reduce demand for its acute services.
Other targeted changes, he says, will include offering “proactive”, community-led services in areas that need them the most, helping to reduce long-term need and spending in its budgets.
However, despite saying the authority is in a “reasonable” position compared with other councils, he adds further clarity over future budgets can not be found until Government outlines support.
“At this point in time, we’d have to look at the things we would need to change or get rid of, to stop doing, if there is this gap,” he said.
“Nobody thinks this is easy, the cost of things has gone up by up to 10 per cent and we don’t have that cash – and that’s not just councils, that’s everybody.
“But I don’t want residents to think they should be worried because we have a responsibility to make sure that’s not the case.
“There are certainly councils in a much worse financial state than Nottinghamshire and I’m not going to stand up and say it’s ‘armageddon’ because it’s not.”
Commenting on public spending issues, a Treasury spokesperson said: “While driving economic growth and tackling high inflation, we will continue to take a responsible and disciplined approach to spending.
“It’s more important than ever that departments work efficiently to manage within existing budgets, focusing on unlocking growth and delivering high-quality public services.”
Three Gedling borough Wetherspoon pubs will each host a 12-day real-ale festival – featuring ales brewed using only British-grown hop varieties.
The Free Man on Carlton Hill, The Woodthorpe Top in Mapperley and The Ernehale in Arnold will host the festival from Wednesday, October 12 to Sunday, October 23.
A selection of up to 30 real ales, including three from overseas brewers (who have brewed their beers in England for the festival) will be available in the pubs.
The ales will cost £1.99 a pint and some will be available in the pub for the first time, including some brewed especially for the event.
The festival line-up includes Jester (Green Jack Brewery), Rebel Flame (Shepherd Neame Brewery), All the Leaves are Brown (Brewster’s Brewery), Bonkers Conkers (Greene King Brewery), Hoptober (Coach House Brewery), Kaleidoscope (Lancaster Brewery) and Victory Ale (Batemans Brewery).
The overseas ales are Autumn Amber (Mad Giant Brewery, South Africa), Rav (Telemark Bryggeri, Norway) and Wungong (Nowhereman Brewery, Australia).
The boundary commission for England have announced the publication date for the revised parliamentary constituency proposals.
The boundary commission have released previous proposals for constituencies to help create a standard population size for each parliamentary seat.
The total number of constituencies will remain at 650, but some areas will gain seats, and some will lose them.
Bestwood Village, Lambley and Woodborough would move across into the Gedling constituency boundary if the last proposal remain unchanged.
Gedling is represented by Conservative MP Tom Randall.
The villages are currently part of the Sherwood constituency and are represented my MP Mark Spencer.
The revised proposals will be released on Tuesday, November 8.
Members of the public will be able to view and comment on new suggested constituency boundaries.
This third and final consultation will last four weeks, ending on Monday December 8, and will be the last opportunity for the public to have a say on the new map of constituencies in England.
The alterations will be implemented in 2023 ahead of the next scheduled general election in 2024.
Tim Bowden, secretary to the Boundary Commission for England, said: “The Boundary Commission for England is redrawing the map of constituencies in England so that it represents local communities as best as possible while keeping to the legal requirements.
“You can provide feedback in person at a public hearing in your region, or in writing via our consultation website bcereviews.org.uk, letter or email.
“Booking is now open for speaking slots at our 32 public hearings across the country, and we’re looking forward to hearing your views.”
