Storm Franklin is expected to bring high winds between 50-60mph inland.
An alert had been issued to communities near the River Trent tributaries but this has been removed as of 7.48am.
In the latest alert, the Environment Agency said: “River levels are forecast to rise at the Colwick river gauge as a result of persistent heavy rainfall.
“Consequently, flooding is expected to continue.
“Areas most at risk are low-lying agricultural land and roads including communities near to the River Trent and Stoke Lane at Stoke Bardolph.
They added: “Further light rainfall is forecast over the next 24 hours. We expect river levels to rise and remain high over the next few days.”
A Mapperley man who smashed a kitchen window in the dead of night before climbing through to beat up his terrified ex-partner has been jailed.
John Cross chased the woman upstairs where he dragged her to the floor, stamped on her chest, kicked her ribs and punched her repeatedly in the face, before fleeing the property.
Police were called and officers took the woman to hospital, where she was treated for bruising and swelling.
It was the second time in the space of three days she had been attacked by Cross. On the previous occasion, he locked the woman out of her own home and attacked her when she managed to get in via a back door.
Police tracked down and arrested the 35-year-old in relation to the two incidents, which happened at a house in Clifton on September 23 and 25 last year.
PICTURED: Nottingham Crown Court
Nottingham Crown Court heard the woman had ended her relationship with Cross in August 2020 following a string of violent incidents – but that he would not leave her alone.
Cross, of Fletcher Terrace pleaded guilty to assault by occasioning actual bodily harm, assault by beating, two counts of criminal damage and four breaches of a restraining order.
He appeared for sentence on Thursday (February 17 2022) and was jailed for one year and nine months. A restraining order was issued for 10 years.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Hannah Frame, of Nottinghamshire Police’s public protection unit, said she was pleased Cross was back behind bars.
She said: “Cross subjected his victim to a string of horrifying ordeals over the years and it’s very fortunate she has not been more seriously hurt.
“He showed a complete disregard and lack of respect the courts by breaching his restraining order and then committing these violent attacks.
“I hope the positive action taken in this case reassures people that we take breaches of restraining orders extremely seriously.
“Finally. I’d like to commend the victim in this case for her bravery and hope she is now able to start to move on with her life now that Cross is safely behind bars.”
Packaging giant Wilkins Group is creating new jobs with the expansion of its factory site in Colwick.
The family-run firm, based on Colwick Industrial Estate, says the multi-million pound extension of its head office will increase capacity in production of food packaging.
It will make the site one of the biggest family-run factories in the sector.
Bosses at the firm, which employs 300 staff at its head office, say the 50,000 sq ft extension will increase turnover – currently on course for £45m this year, up by 20 per cent year on year.
The three-acre addition to the site will also bring an investment in around multiple new machines.
The Wilkins family said: “By investing in this extension, we will extend the production facility at our headquarters, and this could eventually mean the creation of a significant number of new jobs for the local area.
“There currently isn’t the capacity to cope with demand in the food packaging sector and this extension will assist in the shortage in capacity.
“It’s going to be one of the single biggest production plants in the UK and will easily be the biggest family-run packaging facility in the sector.
“It will also give us some extra capacity to assist in the environmental push towards cardboard packaging and away from plastic.”
PICTURED: Teams from the Wilkins Group and construction firm the Lindum Group on site
The firm said it was determined to build on the success of a very productive 12 months.
“During the pandemic, we haven’t stopped as a business,” said the Wilkins family.
“We are very lucky to be in that position and feel very sorry for sectors and businesses which have not survived.”
The firm, which won the International Trade Award at the Midlands Family Business Awards and also has hubs in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and China, was granted planning permission in September last year and is now in full swing of the development project.
The development will include the demolition of some existing units. The construction, at the rear of the current HQ, on Private Road Number 1, will be carried out by Lincolnshire-based Lindum Group, and demolition works will be completed by Total Reclaims Demolition.
Lindum construction manager Mark Leason said that Lindum had been working with Wilkins Group for more than two years to bring the project forward, having first been introduced by a mutual contact prior to the Covid outbreak.
“As a family-run, practical business, Wilkins Group shares many of the same principles as Lindum Group and we quickly developed a very positive working relationship,” said Mark.
“Our construction experts have worked alongside their team to help develop the design of the new building. As the pandemic went on, and Wilkins Group’s requirements evolved, we’ve been able to offer informed advice to make the best use of their space and their budget.
“We are very pleased to now be on site and to be seeing good progress on the construction work.”
Work is underway and is expected to be complete by late summer 2022.
Police investigating a serious assault at a pub in Arnold which left a man with nasty facial injuries have arrested a suspect.
The victim suffered swelling and bruising to his eye after he was punched in the face inside The Eagles Corner pub in Front Street, Arnold.
He was taken to hospital for treatment following the attack which happened on Friday 11 February 2022.
Following extensive enquiries, officers arrested a 39-year-old man on Thursday morning on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Detective Constable Sacha Carlisle, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “The victim sustained nasty injuries as a result of this violent incident.
“I hope the positive action we have taken reassures people how seriously the force takes reports of violence and that we will investigate and deal robustly with anyone engaging in such violent behaviour.
“I am pleased we have now made an arrest as we continue to progress with our investigation.
“The pub was busy with customers that night. To help us with our ongoing enquiries we are urging anyone who saw what happened or who has any information which could assist us to please get in contact with the police.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 873 of 11 February 2022, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Gedling Borough Council has said it is not clear if some of its park, street care, and waste management staff will strike over pay.
Council workers nationally are asking for equality of treatment and higher wages.
The National Joint Council – a body comprised of council workers and trade unions – recently rejected an offer from employers of a 1.75% wage rise.
They have demanded a 10% increase.
Members of Britain’s General Union (GMB) union could soon hold a ballot over strike action.
If successful this could see staff at Gedling Borough Council take part in a strike.
Council documents suggest GMB have a number of members within teams maintaining parks, streets, and waste services in the borough.
Plans are in place to prevent any disruption to these services in the event of disruption caused by a strike.
A spokesperson at Gedling Borough Council said: “This is a national issue that Gedling Borough Council, like most other councils, has no influence over and it’s still unclear if strike action will be taken by members of the GMB unions as no ballot has yet taken place.
We have contingencies in place to ensure our essential services should not be affected.”
The matter will be discussed further during the council’s Joint Consultative and Safety Committee on 22 February.
This comes after UNISON held a nationwide ballot over strike action on 28 January.
Although 70.2% of voters supported strike action, only 14.5% of its electorate voted.
To strike legally, over 50% of members would be required to vote.
Gedling Borough Council documents said: “The national dispute over the 2021-22 pay award is [not] concluded but it is likely that the range of responses open to the unions might now perhaps be more limited.”
The council does not formally recognise another national union calling for action, UNITE, as only one council worker is a member of the organisation.
Councillor Payne is now putting pressure on Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport to bring back the route that was once operated by local train operator East Midlands Railway.
For years the popular service took local passengers directly into the Peak District from Carlton Station but was removed last May and replaced with a new direct service to Crewe.
Those now looking to make the trip to Matlock by rail face a two-hour journey to the tourist hotspot as a change at Derby is now required.
Councillor Payne decided to write to Shapps this week after becoming angered by East Midlands Railway’s decision not to reinstate the service despite repeated calls from passengers.
He wrote: “Residents across Gedling borough are disappointed and angry about East Midland Railway’s decision to permanently remove the service
“The direct route into the popular destination of Matlock provided excellent accessibility to the beautiful Peak District for local families. It is such a retrograde step for East Midlands Railway to have removed this important service.
He added: “I’d urge you and the Department for Transport to support communities here in Gedling borough who have been affected by this disappointing decision. Your assistance in resolving this important issue would be appreciated.”
East Midlands Railway said they had ‘no plans to operate the direct link’ following last year’s timetable change.
They said there will be consultations into timetable changes in the coming years and ‘residents can feed into that process’.
The spokesman said: “Overall, our timetable change provides more seats, quicker journeys and a simpler and more resilient timetable for passengers.
“This includes the introduction of an additional train every hour between Nottingham and Derby as well as additional weekday evening services between Nottingham, Newark Castle and Lincoln.
“By extending our services from Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent through to Nottingham and Newark Castle we are introducing new direct journey opportunities between some of the largest towns and cities on our network.”
A number of Gedling Eye readers have contacted us to voice their anger at the decision.
Amanda Mee lives in Netherfield and said she used the service every summer to take her children to Matlock attraction Gulliver’s Kingdom.
“I don’t drive so it’s not somewhere we look to go now,” she said.
“It was easy before. Straight there and back but taking pushchairs and getting on and off trains is difficult. It’s a shame as it was nice to get the kids out into that beautiful countryside.”
Jed Brook is a Carlton resident who often took the train to go walking in the Peaks.
He said: “You hear the government want cars off the road and cut carbon emissions but they are quite happy to allow rail firms to cut services like these and get us back in cars and polluting the Peak District.”
Patching teams have started work replacing some of the county’s most potholed roads after Nottinghamshire County Council revealed plans to spend £15 million improving the state of the county’s highways.
Workers from Via East Midlands, the authority’s highways contractor, were trialling new methods of permanent road replacements after the council brought in root and branch changes to its much-criticised repair methods.
The council plans to move away from temporary pothole fixes in favour of a “right repair, right-first-time” approach, delivering longer-term work “whenever possible”.
It follows figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service last year showing the authority repaired 476,000 potholes over the past five years, with the year-on-year number of temporary repairs on the rise.
The Conservative-led authority launched its all-party highways review panel last year to address the issue, with several meetings held throughout 2021 to discuss current repair methods and attempts to find new solutions.
Two external assessments of the authority’s current methods were ordered – one by consultants WSP and a second by the Local Government Association,
The assessments found the council should shift away from temporary repairs using a method known as Viafix and focus on permanent road replacement schemes.
Viafix – a form of cold asphalt repair which fills in specific holes – would still be needed to “protect the safety of road users” in the event of an emergency.
But the authority was told it should be using other forms of repair which replace whole stretches of road when it can.
Now the council has put this into action after conducting its permanent repair work on Holbeck Way in Rainworth.
The method involves using patching planers attached to a ‘Bobcat’ vehicle, which plains the top level of worn road surfaces before filling it with hot materials.
It will be typical of what the newly-announced patching gangs will be delivering across the county, with the authority’s £15 million to double the council’s patching teams from four to eight.
Speaking as the work was taking place on Monday (February 14), Councillor Neil Clarke (Con), chairman of the authority’s transport and environment committee, said: “This is a great example of our new approach to road repairs.
“We’re investing an additional £15 million into our road repairs and this is part and parcel of our new patching teams.
“We’ve doubled the number of teams working on our roads to have long-term patching repairs rather than short-term pothole repairs, so we’re now able to really get to grips with improving the roads for the people of Nottinghamshire.”
But he added: “It will certainly lead to a reduction in the pothole repairs [but] we’re never going to be able to say goodbye completely, there’s always going to be an emergency that needs a quick repair somewhere.
“But our emphasis is to have long-term, large patch repairs and that’s why we’re doubling those teams, so people will see they are better than those small pothole repairs.”
Alongside doubling the number of patching teams, the authority is also moving towards a three-year plan for road repairs to give more “clarity” to residents on when their streets will be targeted.
At present, the authority works on a one-year programme for road replacements and capital investment.
Ian Patchett, head of highway assets and development at Via East Midlands, explained more about the work of the patching teams.
He said: “We use what’s called a Bobcat plainer, a ride-on machine with a drum on the back which rotates and chews up the surface.
“That all gets swept off and taken onto a lorry to be used elsewhere. It removes the top surface and you get down to something solid, that you can then lay a new surface onto.
“Teams will also pick up other areas where there are cracking and where potholes may have not appeared yet. This is why it’s called preventative maintenance, to stop them appearing in the first place.”
Members of the authority’s transport and environment committee approved plans for the additional £15 million when councillors met last week.
Its full approval is subject to the full council meeting approving the wider budget on February 24.
A man from Arnold will run the London Marathon this October on behalf of Make-A-Wish UK, the charity that gave his family “memories to cherish forever” with a Disneyland Paris trip when his seven-year-old daughter was given a bleak diagnosis.
“We knew there was something wrong when my wife, Johanna, was pregnant with Gracie,” remembers father Aaron. “We knew it was a cardiac issue.”
Arnold residents Aaron, 38, and Johanna, 37, were told that Gracie would be born with a rare life-limiting congenital heart condition (dextrocardia hypoplastic right ventricle), which meant the right side of her heart was underdeveloped. She had had her first surgery at just one-week-old.
“The first few weeks of her life were an emotional whirlwind,” said Johanna. “We spent 8 weeks in hospital. We then learned that she has Di George Syndrome, a rare condition which has meant her insides are jumbled and not always where they should be. Her heart is back to front and upside down; her stomach is on the wrong side; her kidneys are affected, and she doesn’t have a thymus gland.”
Shortly after her first surgery Gracie developed respiratory issues requiring a tracheostomy and ventilation, as well as a further seven months in hospital. Johanna, who previously worked at E-on, left her job to take care of Gracie full time.
“I was working 60, 70 hours weeks to make sure we had enough money coming in,” said Aaron, who works in the automotive industry as a leasing consultant.
In 2018, six-year-old Gracie endured another three cardiac surgeries, and her parents were advised to prepare for the worst. Gracie’s community nurse then referred the family to Make-A-Wish UK.
Gracie Girling pictured in hospital
Johanna said: “Make-A-Wish came and spent an afternoon in the garden with Gracie and her brothers, Arthur and Joseph. It was brilliant – they really made sure that the wish was what Gracie wanted, but that it would be an amazing experience for the rest of us, too.”
Make-A-Wish UK granted Gracie and her family’s wish to go to Disneyland Paris in November 2018.
“It was just magical,” said Aaron. “We had never been out of the country before with the children – it’s difficult to travel with Gracie’s oxygen requirements. The kids were so excited, they couldn’t stop screaming with happiness when we got to the park. Make-A-Wish were amazing, making sure Gracie could meet all the characters she wanted to meet and getting us to the front of every queue. We still talk about it now and still look at the photos and videos all the time. It’s a memory that we’ll all cherish forever. It meant the world.”
Fortunately Gracie defied her bleak prognosis and is now a happy 10-year-old girl who loves to play piano, draw, and cook. “She’s in a real sushi phase at the moment!” laughs Johanna.
To give back to the charity that made Gracie’s wish come true, Aaron has committed to raising at least £2500 for Make-A-Wish UK by running the TCS London Marathon (October 2, 2022).
“With everything that’s happened during the pandemic, you hear a lot about how companies have suffered – and charities have suffered too,” said Aaron.
“Signing up to run the London Marathon for Make-A-Wish UK means that I can play a part in ensuring other families and kids can make amazing memories, like we did.”
Alison Doidge, Challenge Events Manager at Make-A-Wish UK, said: “Right now, more than 60,000 children in the UK are living with a critical condition. It takes an army of volunteers, supporters and donors like Aaron to grant life-changing wishes and revive a childhood stolen by critical illness.
“We know that fundraising can be daunting at the moment, but our friendly and welcoming team will do all we can to help supporters hit their targets. With over 650 challenge event spots available across the UK, now is the time to join our army and make wishes come true for children like Gracie.”
Now self-employed, Aaron is able to spend more time training for the marathon – and of course, spending more time with Gracie, Arthur and Joe.
“I wasn’t around much in those early days. Going freelance before the pandemic wasn’t always easy, but it’s meant I can now take the kids to school, be around for dinner, help Gracie with her cooking. I don’t regret it at all.
A major development near the Colwick Loop Road is gaining momentum with plans to have a brand-new primary school opened by August 2022.
Persimmon Homes has outline planning permission for up to 830 homes, employment use, a community hub, primary school, hotel, and care home in Teal Close in Netherfield.
It has been dubbed in the past as a ‘mini city’.
It also has outline planning permission for playing pitches, changing rooms, a public open space and allotments as part of the plans.
Various approvals have been granted as the application has gained momentum.
The school, called the Rivendell Flying High Academy, will cater for 210 primary school pupils and will meet the increased demand for school places in the area.
Gedling Borough Council is set to discuss parts of the proposals at a planning meeting on Wednesday, February 23.
In a report prepared for the meeting, the local authority states: “To date approximately 220 dwellings, and a care home have been completed and work has commenced on a significant number of other dwellings.
“The school, changing rooms and commercial units are substantially complete as are a number of the commercial units.”
In the report, Nottinghamshire County Council, which is the education authority, has requested that the school is delivered at the start of the Autumn term 2022.
It says it requires the transfer of the school site to be completed by May 31 to ensure that the school is open to pupils no later than August 31, which is the start date of the Autumn term.
PICTURED: Rivendell Academy near Netherfield
Councillors sitting on the planning committee on February 22 will be discussing Section 106 contributions – cash handed to local authorities by developers to be spent on community uses.
It will be discussing some variations of wording, mainly around the payment of contributions towards the delivery of bus services to serve the site.
A total sum of £450,000 to Nottinghamshire County Council must be spent on the extension of the bus services 5 and 73.
It must be spent within five years from the date of receipt. If not then the person who made the payment can request that it is returned.
The first £180,000 instalment was received by the county council in July 2019 with a current five-year expenditure deadline until July 2024.
There is currently no timescale for the completion of the spine road which would allow the bus service access to the development, and this would not be within the control of the council’s transport provider.
The council said it intends to deliver the bus service as soon as the spine road access is available.
However, this would potentially mean that the council could be left with only limited time to spend this funding so it is calling for the time-period to be extended from five years to eight years.
Nottingham City Council also has a total sum of £680,000 to be spent on the extension of the City Link bus service to serve the development within five years of receipt.
The council seeks to vary the timescale for the City Link contribution to be spent or committed for expenditure from five years from the date of receipt of the payment to 10 years. Nottingham City Council has yet to receive an instalment of the transport contribution.
A government inspector has quashed plans to create a pet burial ground in Arnold due to fears it could cause major traffic problems on the busy A60.
Applicant Stuart Mills has been battling with Gedling Borough Council to create a natural pet burial ground in Ramper Covert Wood in Mansfield Road since September 2020.
The council said the burial ground had to be accessed from the A60, which carries an average of 18,500 vehicles.
Outline planning permission was refused for the change of use of the land.
The council said it would result in the “likelihood of vehicles parking in the entrance to the site” and the possibility of “vehicles reversing onto the A60” if they are unable to enter the facility.
It would therefore cause a “likely source of unacceptable danger to other users of the highway, particularly because of the heavy volumes of traffic using A60 Mansfield Road.”
There were also concerns about what would happen to some of the protected trees on the site.
Mr Mills decided to appeal against the council’s decision, but a planning inspector also felt the proposal was unacceptable.
PICTURED: Ramper Covert Wood in Mansfield Road (PHOTO: LDRS)
Planning Inspector Hannah Ellison said in her report on February 4 that high volumes of motorists use the road and that even if a nearby layby was available to park at the time of a pre-arranged burial or visit there is no “defined footpath along this stretch.”
She said: “Visitors would therefore have to traverse over uneven and, at times, overgrown and sodden grass. This would pose a risk for pedestrians.”
She concluded: “Although the proposal would provide jobs and may encourage some local spending, the nature of these benefits would be limited given the small scale of the proposed development. Accordingly, they would attract only limited weight.
“The proposal would result in harm to highway safety, harm which would lead to conflict with the development plan and to which I afford substantial weight.”
The Local Democracy Service tried to contact Mr Mills about the application. He was not available at the time, but he did submit a detailed re-submission of the application to the council in April 2021.
He said: “Pet ownership in the UK has always run at high levels, but even more so since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic in March 2020.
“When a pet’s life ends there is great demand for a suitable, respectable, and considerate way to deal with their remains. Green human burial is on the increase as people are more environmentally aware, and the same thing is occurring in the pet world.”
He said he would limit pet burial times to avoid increased traffic using the A60 and no trees would be felled.
He said: “This proposal poses the absolute minimal amount of impact on this beautiful setting which is perfect for use as a natural burial ground for pets.”
Gedling Borough Council’s planning committee is set to note the inspector’s report on Wednesday, February 23.
