People in Gedling borough are being warned about a new delivery scam impersonating the Post Office which experts say is one of the most convincing clone websites they have seen.
Which? magazine said it has seen variations of texts claiming a parcel delivery has failed and asking recipients to click a link to book or reschedule a delivery. However, clicking on these links may take people to convincing cloned online sites where they are asked to fill in their personal details, putting them at risk of identity fraud.
They may then be asked to pay a charge for re-delivery and then told their request has been “processed successfully”, making the scam appear even more convincing.
The Post Office does not send out texts about parcels or mail and it said it takes immediate action to have fake web pages taken down.
Adam French, Which? consumer rights editor, said: “If people input their details and pay for a new delivery date, the scammers redirect them to the official Post Office website – making this fake even more plausible.
IMAGE: A screenshot of the scam message (PHOTO – Which? Magazine)
“Consumers should be on high alert for scams and, if in any doubt, should verify the text directly with the company before giving any personal information.
“If you’ve entered any bank details, contact your bank immediately to ensure the scammer cannot take any more money from your account and ask to be reimbursed.”
A Post Office spokesperson said: “People are being tricked by fake texts claiming to be from the Post Office, but the Post Office will never send texts about parcels or mail.
“This is because the Post Office does not deliver parcels or letters. We’re grateful to Which? for alerting us to this fake website which we were already aware of and had taken action to get it blocked.”
This week, the Post office has launched a social media campaign aimed at those aged 50-plus to warn them of scams that may use the Post Office name and what to do if they have any suspicions.
People can report scam texts by forwarding them to the network provider on 7726 and it is worth alerting the genuine companies that scammers are imitating, Which? said.
The Post Office spokesperson added: “Post Office use digital monitoring systems that alert us to any website set up with our name in the URL.
“Once we are alerted, usually within hours to 24 hours of a URL being registered, we monitor the URL for any web page that is set up, specifically using our brand.
“We are only able to take action once a website is set up and displays our branding and trademark.”
“We take enforcement action and apply to the domain (URL) registrar for unauthorised use of our brand, and once the registrar accepts our claim they will disconnect the URL from the website’s hosting service, rendering the site ‘offline’.”
Nottinghamshire’s director of Public Health has said we can be ‘optimistic’ about the months ahead after Covid data revealed a drop in cases.
Jonathan Gribbin, director of Public Health for Nottinghamshire, welcomed the data which shows a reduction in case rates which have been contributing to severe pressures for people and services in Nottinghamshire.
Similar improvements across England have led to the Prime Minister’s announcement that additional Plan B restrictions will be lifted from January 27.
Some of the Plan B measures – people working from home if they can and the requirement for face coverings in school classrooms – have already been removed.
Jonathan Gribbin said: “I welcome the reduction in case rates and indications that recent increases in service pressures are levelling out.
“I thank people in Nottinghamshire for their playing their part in playing their part in limiting the impact of Covid-19 on local services by getting vaccinated, isolating and getting tested if they have had symptoms or a positive test result, and following other measures.
“We can be optimistic about the months ahead but the pandemic is not yet behind us. For the time being we must continue to act carefully and remain cautious.
“As we return to Winter Plan A, getting vaccinated is still the best way to protect yourself and others.
People who are fully vaccinated should continue to follow all the behaviours and actions set out in the guidance on how to help limit the spread of Covid-19.
“What we must do in Winter Plan A to prevent the spread”
Mr Gribbin advised people in Gedling borough to follow this guidance…
Let fresh air in if you meet indoors. Meeting outdoors is safer. Meeting outdoors vastly reduces the risk of airborne transmission, however, it is not always possible, particularly through the winter. If you are indoors, being in a room with fresh air (and, for example, opening your windows regularly for 10 minutes or a small amount continuously) can still reduce the airborne risk from Covid-19 substantially compared to spaces with no fresh air. Some evidence suggests that under specific conditions high levels of ventilation could reduce airborne transmission risk by up to 70%
Wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed settings where you come into contact with people you do not normally meet
Continue testing regularly with LFTs – particularly before periods of high risk and before seeing anyone who is vulnerable – and to take a PCR test if you have symptoms
Try to stay at home if you are feeling unwell
Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day
Download and use the NHS COVID-19 app to know if you’ve been exposed to the virus.”
An upcoming review into Nottinghamshire’s recycling centres will “strengthen” the county’s provision but no there are no commitments sites won’t close, a council chairman has said.
Nottinghamshire County Council is undertaking the strategic review to address problems raised at the county’s 12 sites, including issues with traffic and congestion.
A report published earlier this month said many of the sites regularly experience “operational difficulties”, with some sites operating at capacity and suffering issues with their location.
This was experienced mostly during the height of the Covid pandemic, with long queues seen at some sites as a result of social distancing measures.
The hub in West Bridgford needed a booking system to manage traffic and congestion on its nearby road network, which ended in November, while the council has implemented traffic measures at other sites.
The launch of the review sparked concerns some of Nottinghamshire’s sites could close, but councillors were given reassurances earlier this month that the review “absolutely isn’t about reducing provision”.
It comes as the Government plans changes to national waste policies, bringing through new legislation expected to “fundamentally change” the type and amount of waste collected at kerbsides and recycling hubs.
And Councillor Neil Clarke (Con), chairman of the transport and environment committee, says the review is “very timely in light of the new housing” being built around the county.
His comments came after he was questioned on the review and was asked to commit to keeping all 12 Nottinghamshire sites in their current location.
Speaking in Thursday’s full council meeting, he said: “Time has moved on from four to eight years ago, methods in technology change and methods in recycling change.
“We need to respond to those changes and the way products and waste are reused, recycled and disposed of.
“The commitment I can make is the intent of the review is to strengthen our recycling centre provision, not weaken or reduce it, and to drive up recycling rates across the county.”
He says the authority will look for “best value” in recycling services under the review.
But he said: “I can’t commit to keeping all the centres open because, maybe, we might want to have some more, or maybe the review might suggest closing one and building a bigger, more expansive super-centre.
“We don’t know that and that’s the purpose of the review. I’m not prejudging what the review is going to say, but once the review is complete, further proposals to improve recycling in the county will be brought forward.”
It follows news the council will not be including a previously-proposed new recycling centre in Cotgrave, Rushcliffe, within the proposals.
The council approved plans for the new recycling centre to move forward in 2020. A planning application was expected to be submitted in 2021, but never materialised.
It has led to the Conservative administration being accused by opposition councillors of breaking a manifesto commitment “made on multiple occasions” by not including the new centre, which was promised within the Conservatives’ 2017 pledges.
Concerns were raised on Thursday by Cllr Steve Carr (Lib Dem), of the Independent Alliance.
His colleague and former Conservative, Cllr Francis Purdue-Horan (Ind), previously campaigned for the centre for years.
Cllr Purdue-Horan, who represents Bingham East, previously said: “This is a missed opportunity for the council to keep a historic promise made as far back as 2017 to residents.”
The strategic review, which is also expected to outline opportunities for future investment and income generation, is expected to take three months to complete.
A meeting for residents in Calverton has been organised after plans were submitted for a new recycling centre in the village.
Plans were put forward in December to convert a lorry dismantling site into a materials recycling centre on land off Hollinwood Lane.
The proposals include the erection of a canopy extension to the existing office and workshop building and relocation of a weighbridge.
There would also be configuration of car parking area with disabled spaces and electric vehicle charging points. Use of existing yard area and workshop and storage building as part of the material recycling operations.
PICTURED: The council also operates a recycling facility in Calverton
The centre would operate 24-hours a day, seven days a week, including bank holidays.
A meeting has now been organised to discuss the plans, which will also be on show, at Calverton Village Hall on Park Road this Sunday (23) between 10am and 12pm.
Meeting organisers estimate that 19 20-tonne waste lorries would be accessing the site from Hollinwood Lane per day.
A spokesman said: “This is your opportunity speak out if you are against this change of use or recommend alternate access or site locations.”
This application has been submitted by Pro Environmental Ltd to Nottinghamshire County Council and a full copy of the application can be seen HERE.
There has been a drop in the number of people attending A&E across Nottinghamshire over winter, statistics show.
The emergency department at Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital saw 17,665 attendances in November 2021, compared to 15,983 in December.
And at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, 653 fewer people attended in December 2021 compared to the previous month.
The drop came as the country grappled with an outbreak of the Omicron variant – on Christmas Day, there was a record 113,628 confirmed infections.
Dr Irfan Malik, senior partner at Elmswood Surgery in Sherwood said that generally, people don’t want to sort health issues over Christmas and New Year “unless they have to.”
A spokesperson for the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire system, including Nottingham University Hospitals and Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said they have been encouraging people to “use services wisely”.
As a result, they said there has been an increase in people using their local pharmacies or 111 instead of A&E.
Dr Malik told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “From the beginning of December towards the end, Omicron cases were going up and people were staying away.
“We’ve had this problem throughout as the message was to stay away and save the NHS in the first lockdown.
“There were well advertised long waits in A&E as well and I think that message came across strongly in the media.
“People with serious problems will go to A&E but with the minor problems, people probably got better or went somewhere else.”
Professor Andrew Goddard, president of the Royal College of Physicians, told the Telegraph of his concerns that people with cancers and heart conditions could be staying away from the NHS because of Covid concerns.
Dr Malik added: “We are still getting people presenting late saying they were worried about getting infected or disturbing the doctors.
“People have left things for two years, I’ve seen that in patients even this week.
“In General Practice we didn’t notice that drop off so I don’t think that one month will make much of a difference. But from the whole two years of the pandemic, we will have delayed diagnosis.
“We were expecting a terrible winter even before it came. We were chocka and saw lots of extras on top of normal clinics.”
Dr Malik added that there could be a non-Covid medical backlog of around 5-10 years “which will get worse over the next six months”.
Georgia Power, Chair of Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee at Nottingham City Council (Lab) said: “I have heard that there has been a drop in attendances nationally.
“It is important people know A&E is still open and if people are concerned, they should get seen.
“We saw an increase in missed cases during the first lockdown and we were finding out that there were missed opportunities down the line.
“I would encourage people if they are worried about going to A&E to ring 111 beforehand.”
An NHS spokesperson said: “We have been encouraging our community to use our services wisely and use 111 online if it is not an emergency or life threatening and we would like to thank our community for doing this to help us ease the pressures in our emergency departments.
“We do of course encourage people to still come to A&E if it is a serious or life threatening emergency, but we have seen an increase in people using other NHS services such as their local pharmacy and 111 online, which is encouraging to see as often they will get seen and treated more appropriately by using these services.”
There was also a decrease in the number of patients waiting 12 hours or more from the decision to admit the patient to their admission.
But the numbers of patients waiting remains high – 362 people waited more than 12 hours in December 2021, compared to 425 in November.
At Sherwood Forest Hospitals, there was an increase as 56 people waited 12 hours or more, compared to 23 people in November and two people in October.
The NHS spokesperson added: “We would like to apologise to patients who have had to wait longer than we or they would have liked for their admission and would like to reassure patients that as part of our winter plans and Covid surge plans we have opened a significant number of additional beds and teams across our hospitals continue to work incredibly hard to admit patients coming in by ambulance as quickly as possible.
“Our partners across health and social care are also doing all they can to support and we are continuing to work with our partners to get patients into hospital and to discharge those who are well enough to leave, meaning we have more beds available to people who need them.
“We continue to ask the public to help us by getting vaccinated against Covid-19 and flu to help protect themselves and to use 111 online if it is not an emergency.”
Total A&E attendances Nottingham University Hospitals 2021
December – 15,983
November – 17,665
October – 18, 928
September – 18,561
Total A&E attendances Sherwood Forest Hospitals 2021
Here’s his latest update on progress his team made over the past few weeks…
New recruits
I’d like to welcome three new Police Community Support officers to the Gedling Borough who joined the team in December.
PCSOs Declan Towl, Rachael Bell and Ethan Bentley have finished their initial training and are now out on area working with their teams. They will shortly be posted to beat areas within Gedling and I wish them well in their new roles.
It’s always good to see new officers join the team and of course that means that we can continue to increase our efforts around dealing with crime and anti-social behaviour.
Policing priorities
I met with colleagues from Gedling Borough Council this week in order to review the policing priorities for the Borough. We agreed that the focus for the next quarter would be on Drug Supply, Anti-social behaviour and Shop Theft.
We have unfortunately seen a real increase in shop theft particularly around the Gedling South area with thieves targeting Victoria Retail Park and Carlton Hill.
Sgt O’Connor and the team at Carlton have carried out specific days of action around this supported by the Operation Reacher team but we will now work closely with partners to tackle the issue over the next three months.
In terms of anti-social behaviour we agreed that we will focus on Arnold following an increase in alcohol related disorder and Netherfield which would include work around the anti-social use of vehicles following feedback from the local community.
PICTURED: Police checking vehicles on the A612 at Burton Joyce (IMAGE: Notts Police)
Anti-Social Behaviour
During the last month we have continued our focus on anti-social behaviour.
Over the Christmas period officers carried out a number of visits to licensed premises across the Gedling Borough in order to deter any alcohol related disorder. I joined them on the evening of December 18th and I visited a number of premises together with a police licensing officer.
I’m pleased to report that there were only a small number of issues over the Christmas and New Year period and we are now following those up with our colleagues from Gedling Borough Council.
Drug Supply
The last month has been particularly busy for Gedling borough teams and officers have been out and about carrying out a number of drugs warrants across the area.
We carried out Misuse of Drugs Act warrants on Bond Street, Arnold and Garnet Street, Netherfield with controlled drugs and mobile phones seized.
Following on from that we acted on concerns about a possible Cannabis grow on Digby Avenue, Mapperley. On Christmas Eve we recovered 167 plants from the address and arrested two males. Following a great team effort we secured charges around one of the males while the other remains under investigation.
Cannabis grows have a substantial impact on the community presenting a fire risk and they are often linked to serious violence and knife crime. We will simply not tolerate the supply of drugs in our communities and as we move into this year the team will be acting on other concerns around drug supply
Residential Burglary
In early December we saw an increase in burglary in our villages with properties targeted in Burton Joyce and Gedling Village.
We immediately increased patrols in the affected areas and officers spent time reviewing CCTV footage as part of the investigation. I’m pleased to report that a 46-year-old male has since been arrested and charged with one of the burglaries on Church Road in Burton Joyce. He has been remanded in custody and will appear at Nottingham Crown Court. I’d just like to pass on my thanks to everyone involved in the investigation and this is a great result for the area.
Following on from this and in the run up to Christmas we carried out patrols in our villages in an attempt to deter offenders using both the Neighbourhood Policing and Operation Reacher teams.
This week we have received a report of a burglary in Gedling with a property targeted overnight on Bayliss Road, Gedling. We have also received a report of a suspicious male in a garden on Rutland Road, Gedling. We have increased patrols in the area overnight but please remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us.
We have also received reports of a number of sheds being targeted on the Robin Hood Allotments, Cavendish Road, Carlton. The Neighbourhood policing team are investigating and are working with the owners to review CCTV footage.
A garage was also targeted on Mansfield Road, Woodthorpe at the end of December with cycles stolen.
Operation Reacher
I wanted to provide an update regarding the Op Reacher team who have now been a part of the Gedling Borough for the last two years.
It’s hard to believe that the team have been here for two years already and despite the challenges provided by the global pandemic they have secured a number of great results for the area.
A number of cases are now being finalised and I look forward to seeing the sentences that will be handed down at Court.
Sgt Sisson and the team have worked closely with Neighbourhood Policing colleagues to act on the concerns of the local community. Some of that work has been around the supply of controlled drugs but the team have also focused on Burglary, Knife Crime, Speeding and Road Safety. Along with this the team often lead the way in hunting for those who fail to appear at court.
Over the last two years the Reacher team have:
Carried out 68 Magistrates Court Warrants
Arrested or interviewed 304 suspects
Seized 91 vehicles and issued 201 Traffic Offence Reports
Made 183 drug seizures and seized 96 weapons
Seized £279000 in suspected criminal money
Clearly a huge amount of work so I’d just like to pass on my thanks to the Op Reacher team and the Neighbourhood Policing team for the hard work that has gone in to achieve these results.
Speeding
We continue to receive concerns about Speeding across Gedling borough.
Recently the Gedling South team carried out some speed enforcement work on Vale Road, Colwick the A612 Burton Joyce and Southdale Road, Carlton. During the afternoon 25 motorists were warned regarding their speed and a further 6 drivers were issued with a Traffic Offence Report for exceeding the speeding threshold.
The team will be carrying out more enforcement work as part of a Neighbourhood policing week of action which starts on Monday, January 17, 2022.
Moving on…
Finally this will be my last update as the Neighbourhood Policing Inspector for Gedling borough as I move to the City next week as a Temporary Chief Inspector.
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in post at Gedling for 3 years now and it’s been a real pleasure to lead the Neighbourhood policing and Operation Reacher teams in Gedling borough.
I’d like to thank all of the Sergeants, PC’s and PCSO’s for their continued hard work and I’ll miss working with them.
I’ve also really enjoyed working with our partners at Gedling Borough Council, our Parish Councils and of course our local communities to tackle key issues such as Knife Crime and Violence.
I leave Gedling with all recorded Crime 10% lower than it was in 2019-2020 before the pandemic and victim based crime also 13% lower. I know that the global pandemic has had an impact on reported crime but this is also down to the hard work of all the officers and partners at Gedling.
Inspector Chris Jury will take the reigns at Gedling as of Monday, January 17 and I wish him well in his new role.
Thanks for reading my update over the last three years and take care.
Visitors to Netherfield Lagoons have been lucky enough to witness the stunning murmuration of several thousand starlings over recent weeks.
Mark Glover of the Gedling Conservation Trust, who manages the nature reserve behind Victoria Retail Park, said up to 10,000 starlings are currently nesting at the beauty spot.
He told Gedling Eye: “Many people have already discovered the starlings are back at the Netherfield Lagoons nature reserve.
“They are currently roosting there each night gathering from 4pm and landing by 4.30 pm. Of course, these times are not guaranteed and they might decide to go elsewhere but for now they are providing one of nature’s great spectacles right here in Gedling borough.”
The Trust are also carrying out works to protect the site, which is home to rare birds and plant life.
Mr Gloves said” We are currently engaged with major management work in the reedbeds at the Lagoons.
PHOTO: Mark GloverWork is taking place to manage reedbeds at the nature reserve (PHOTO: Mark Glover)
Reedbeds are a priority habitat under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan classification and the Netherfield lagoons contains the most important example in Gedling and one of the most in the County. The work involves the removal of the shrubs and small trees that have grown up there.
The work is, of course taking place during the hours after the starlings have left in the morning and before returning in the evenings.”
The Netherfield Lagoons site is a designated Local Nature Reserve owned and managed by the local registered charity, the Gedling Conservation Trust.
For more information and background, please get in touch with Mark Glover (07850 768337)
Police have stepped up high-visibility reassurance patrols in Arnold after a dog walker was assaulted on a park.
The victim was walking her dog in Killisick Park when she felt a thud on the back of her head and fell forward on her face. It is claimed she was then struck multiple times to her face.
The woman suffered facial injuries during the incident which happened around 7pm on Friday (January 14, 2022).
Neighbourhood policing inspector Chris Jury, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We are working hard and pursuing lines of enquiry to find those responsible for this cowardly attack.
Police have stepped up patrols in the area
“While our enquiries into this isolated incident remain ongoing, we have increased our patrols in the park and surrounding area to provide reassurance to the public and show people that we are there for them.
“Our colleagues at Gedling Borough Council have also put extra neighbourhood warden patrols into the area.
“The victim did not see her attacker and no voices were heard so unfortunately we currently have no description of the offender.
“We are however appealing for anyone who was in the area around the time and who may have seen or heard anything or may have any other information which could assist us with our enquiries to please get in touch with us.
“Our investigation is progressing to understand the motive for this attack and to get a clearer understanding of the circumstances. At this time there is no suggestion the offender attempted to steal the woman’s dog.
“Thankfully assaults such as this are very rare in Arnold this type of incident is very much unusual and out of character for the park but I’d like to reassure people that we are treating it very seriously and we will continue to do everything we can to keep people safe.”
Anyone who has any information about the assault is urged to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident 603 of 14 January 2022, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A number of night-time road closures on Mapperley Plains will be put in place later this month to allow for construction works on the Gedling Access Road.
A section of Mapperley Plains will be closed between the Plains Road/Arnold Lane/Gedling Road junction and Chartwell Grove.
The section of road will close from 8pm until 5am from Tuesday, January 25 for seven nights.
A spokesman for Nottinghamshire County Council said: “This is necessary to safely complete the final surfacing and road markings for the new junction with the Gedling Access Road.
“While the junction of Chartwell Grove and Mapperley Plains will be open for resident access, at certain times, the surfacing work will need to extend past the junction, and we have plans for traffic marshals to ensure safe passage of vehicles.”
Gary Wood, head of highways and transport at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “These works mark an important phase of the construction of the Gedling Access Road.
“In previous months construction teams have been working on widening the existing carriageway at Mapperley Plains and have constructed the new junction, and the works they will be doing during the night closure will tie all of this together.
“Closing the road means that we can ensure the safety of the public and our construction teams while they are carrying out these works.
“We know that any kind of closure can cause disruption, and so we have chosen to undertake these works overnight to minimise disruption for residents and motorists.
“Diversion routes for cars, buses and HGVs are in place, and details of these can be found on our website.
“I cannot mention the Gedling Access Road without recognising the ongoing support from local residents and motorists, and I would like to thank them for their continued patience whilst we work in the area.”
Manager Andy Tring unveiled two new signings for Linby’s first game of the new year.
Jack Desmond and Josh Melville have now joined the club on loan from Heanor Town and both made impressive debuts in front of an healthy Church Lane crowd (117).
Linby were on the front foot from the start of the game on 10 minutes with Jack James’ far post header from a corner. It fell to Melville and his thunderous left foot volley from 14 yards crashed against the bar. Sean Craven’s follow up. was then cleared off the line.
On 19 mins, Melville’s cross from the left found Craven, whose shot was brilliantly saved by Wirksworth keeper Connor Deakin .
On 25 mins, Linby had the lead. A lovely passing move down the left involving Rory Smith and Melville resulted in Craven squaring the ball to Caden McGrath, who fired home from 12 yards out, 1-0.
Linby then seemed to take their foot off the gas and the visitors began to look threatening.
The dangerous Thomas Mellor had already saw two shots fly narrowly wide, when on 40 minutes he saw his shot brilliantly saved by Jack Leverton, to keep Linby in front at the interval.
The second half began in dramatic fashion as the visitors drew level on 47 mins. Linby captain Danny Tring was adjudged to have pushed Mellor when he headed clear. The Referee gave a penalty , which Mellor scored to make it 1-1.
Linby felt the decision was very harsh and in the protests Jamie Thomas was sin binned for 10 minutes.
Linby gradually began to get on top but it wasn’t until the 76th minute when the well organised visitors defence was finally breached.
Craven was again the provider for substitute Travis Shooter who finished with aplomb ,into the bottom corner to make it 2-1.
Five minutes later it was 3-1, with yet another very well worked goal. Melville, Craven and Matt Adcock were involved , then Tim Adcock found McGrath, who turned and shot into the bottom corner with a lovely piece of skill.
But, the resilient visitors were not finished as they pulled a goal back on 85 minutes, Steven Murphy finishing well, eight yards out, from a left-wing cross to make it 3-2.
Linby saw the game out to preserve their unbeaten home record. Out of eight games on Church Lane , they have won 7 and drawn only one.
