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Hundreds fall victim to lottery scams over last seven months

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Hundreds fall victim to lottery scams over last seven months

People across Gedling borough are being warned to be on the alert after lottery scams fooled hundreds to part with their cash.

Criminals have been contacting unsuspecting victims informing them they have won a lottery or prize draw.

The victim is then informed that they will need to pay an advance fee in order to receive their winnings. In reality, the winnings are non-existent and it is an attempt to steal the victims money, personal or financial information.

A spokesman for Action Fraud said: “Between April and October 2021, Action Fraud received 629 reports of lottery fraud, with 89 per cent of reports mentioning well-known prize draws.”

Fraud

Impersonation of People’s Postcode Lottery accounted for almost half (49 per cent) of all reports. Almost three quarters of victims (70 per cent) were aged over 50, with those aged over 65 accounting for 40 per cent of reports.

Fraudsters use gift cards as a form of payment as they can be easily redeemed and sold on. The criminals don’t need the physical card to redeem the value as they ask the victims to share the serial code on the back of the card with them.

In other instances, victims reported being asked for personal and financial information in order to obtain their alleged winnings. Some victims reported providing their bank details thinking they would be sent a small payment to verify the account. In reality, criminals will use these details to steal the victim’s money.

Netherfield Forum scoops award and tech bundle from Sir Captain Tom Moore charity

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Netherfield Forum scoops award and tech bundle from Sir Captain Tom Moore charity

A charity in Netherfield has been handed a tech bundle worth £5,000 by the daughter of the late Sir Captain Tom Moore.

Netherfield Forum, based at the St Georges Centre in the town, has been announced as the second winner of the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award

The award recognises charities and community groups that have gone above and beyond during the Covid-19 pandemic

Hannah-Ingram Moore, the daughter of the late Sir Captain Tom Moore, visited St George’s Centre to present their award which includes tech prizes worth up to £5,000 and gigabit broadband at their Nottingham base

Hannah Ingram-Moore, the daughter of the late Captain Sir Tom Moore, visited Netherfield Forum to present them with the award and to discover some of the work that they do in the local community.

The Netherfield Forum opened its doors back in March 2005, with its Community Centre in the heart of Netherfield dedicated to supporting its community through group work and education.

When the pandemic hit, the Netherfield Forum had to diversify, and rather than close down they adapted. Their staff wanted to continue working, however, they were unable to open their community centre doors. Instead, from the March 23 until July 31, they served over 35,000 meals to their community.

The centre provides a space for its locals to meet, socialise and feel part of the wider community. The activities provided are suitable for all age groups, making its services widely inclusive.

Like most charities in the UK, many can do even more with funding as well as improved digital means such as fast broadband and tech to aid their efforts.

As part of winning the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Connector Award, The Netherfield Forum has been given gigabit broadband and a tech bundle worth up to £5,000 with items such as smart TV’s, tablets, laptops and much more.

The charities base at the St George’s Centre in Nottingham, has been connected to Virgin Media’s Gig1 service, which provides broadband speeds 22 times faster the UK average.

Tina Simpson, trustee of Netherfield Forum, said: “It is amazing that the Netherfield Forum is the second winner of the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award. We are so passionate about our community and strive to do all we can for our local people, so to be honoured with this award from Virgin Media O2 means the world to us. With our second centre opening for our local youth, we cannot wait to see what the gigabit broadband and tech will do for our community.”

Hannah Ingram-Moore, director at the Captain Tom Foundation said: “It is an honour to be announcing the second winner of the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award. The Netherfield Forum is so deserving of this award as they proved to be a vital lifeline during the pandemic. At such a distressing time for many, they ensured a community remained as one. We can’t wait to see what this vital injection of gigabit broadband and tech prizes can do for future projects.” 

Jeff Dodds, Chief Operating Officer at Virgin Media O2, said: “The Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Connector Award is all about recognising the local heroes and charities in the UK that have helped their communities during this difficult time.

“We know that they can all do with a helping hand and we’re honoured to recognise Netherfield Forums as the second winner of the award. Our gigabit broadband service as well as a host of tech prizes will help them do even more amazing things in their community.” 

Plans for large family home in grounds of Newstead Abbey rejected by Gedling Borough Council

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Plans for large family home in grounds of Newstead Abbey rejected by Gedling Borough Council

A planning inspector has ruled against plans to build a large five-bedroom family home within the grounds of Newstead Abbey.

Gedling Borough Council objected to the development on the grounds that it would affect Green Belt land.

The proposal was to demolish a single storey stone clad two-bedroom home with a number of outbuildings and create a five-bedroom family home.

The home would be accessed from Station Avenue within the wider Newstead Abbey Park grounds, which contains a number of Grade II listed buildings and is within Nottinghamshire’s Green Belt.

The abbey itself was first founded as a medieval priory and is most famous for being the home of poet Lord Byron in the early 19th century.

The existing bungalow, was built in the 1960s and is not listed.

Developers said it is of ‘a low-quality design’ and doesn’t ‘respect or enhance the character of the area’.

PICTURED: Artist’s impression of the new five-bedroomed family home

The proposal was for a five-bedroom family home including ensuite bedrooms, a lounge, kitchen/dining/sitting area, utility and storeroom, study, plant room as well as a double garage.

Planning permission was refused by Gedling Borough Council on April 9.

It was the opinion of the local authority the proposal would result in the construction of a replacement home in the Green Belt which would have “a significantly greater floor area than the original dwelling.”

An appeal against this decision was lodged with the Planning Inspectorate. But this appeal has been dismissed and is set to be noted at a Gedling Borough Council planning committee meeting on Wednesday, December 1.

The report includes the planning inspector’s conclusion, stating that the frontage of the new house would “encroach” into an area which is currently undeveloped.

The planning inspector said: “The proposed dwelling cannot reasonably be considered to be anything other than materially larger.

“In this instance the effect of the cumulative increased size of the built development would clearly be experienced both visually and spatially. For this reason, the proposed development would compromise and significantly harm the openness of the Green Belt, in that it would be reduced.

“I have given considerable weight to the material consideration in respect of the improved sustainability of the replacement dwelling and limited weight to the other considerations cited in support of the proposal.

“However, I conclude these circumstances do not clearly outweigh the substantial weight I must give to the overall harm the scheme would cause.

“Consequently, very special circumstances that are necessary to justify inappropriate development in the Green Belt do not exist.”

20 residential properties set to be granted planning permission on former care home site in Carlton

Gedling Eye Reporter
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20 residential properties set to be granted planning permission on former care home site in Carlton

Planning permission is set to be granted for 20 residential apartments on a former care home site in Carlton.

Gedling Borough Council’s planning committee is set to discuss the application on Wednesday, December 1.

Developers want to build the one to two-bedroom apartments on the site of Highclere Lodge in Burton Road.

The site was once a 28-bed care home which has now been demolished.

There would be 16 car parking spaces as well as cycle parking as part of the development. Twenty per cent of the homes will be affordable.

Council planning officers were originally against the application as some of the trees on the site are protected by a Tree Preservation Order and there is a “potential” for archaeological remains to be present.

Changes to the plans have been made to address the issues raised.

PICTURED: The sire of former residential home Highclere Lodge in Carlton

The planning officer states in a report prepared for councillors the local authority had raised concerns with the original scheme.

“Concerns were raised that the proposal represented an overdevelopment of the site and that the development left very little room for soft landscaping or open space making it appear at odds with surrounding dwellings which are set back from the road in larger plots,” the officer stated.

The planning officer also supported both the arboricultural officer’s objection to the original proposal and the Nottinghamshire County Council’s tree officer’s objection.

“In particular, this was an objection to the removal of TPO (protected) trees to facilitate the development,” the officer added.

They said following negotiations between the planning officer and the applicant, a number of amended plans were submitted.

The report states: “The final set of amended plans, which are currently being considered, show a reduction in the number of residential units proposed from 22 to 20, a reduction in and a re-siting of the building away from the TPO trees and the incorporation of a mansard roof.

“On balance, I do consider the design of the amended proposal to be acceptable and to not have an unacceptable impact on the character or visual amenity of the area.”

Both the arboricultural Officer and the tree officer have raised no objections to the current amended plans, which allow for protected and other high-grade trees to remain.

The council has recommended planning permission is granted. Councillors will decide whether to grant the application on December 1.

Fears raised over ‘dangerous’ crossings in Netherfield town centre

David Bratton
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Fears raised over ‘dangerous’ crossings in Netherfield town centre

Residents and business owners have raised road safety concerns over “dangerous” pedestrian crossings in Netherfield town centre

They fear someone may be killed or seriously injured on the double crossings at the junction of Victoria Road and Meadow Road.

Residents and businesses in the town say they contacted the council in the past about the crossings but no action has yet been taken.

David Murphy runs the It’s Inn The Bank pub with wife Nicola. Both crossings are situated on the stretch of road outside their business.

He says he witnesses incidents on the crossings almost daily.

Mr Murphy said:”If someone stood here at these crossings for over an hour they would see someone nearly being run over.

“The problem here in Netherfield is you have one crossing and then as vehicles come round the corner there is another.

“Sometimes people who haven’t ever been in this area go straight through the second crossing. They see there is nobody on the first crossing and come round this corner like a chicane and go flying through the second one.

“When I am going to and fro to my van at least once or twice a weekend a car will go through while I am halfway on the crossing. I always laugh and say that if they hit me they’ll probably write their van off but we’ve got older and vulnerable people and we’ve got children and even worse, mums with prams using the crossings and cars are whipping round the corners so dangerously.

Netherfield crossings
PICTURED: The crossing on Meadow Road in Netherfield (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)

“I think the council needs to put up some major signage telling drivers there are two pedestrian crossings in this area. They need to come and do something because we’ve been talking about it for years and we’re going to end up talking about someone getting seriously injured, or worse – killed.

Stephen Swinn lives in Gedling and visits Netherfield on a regular basis. He told Gedling Eye he fears someone will soon be seriously hurt on these crossings if action isn’t taken.

He said: “I have grave concerns that many drivers in Netherfield are showing a complete disregard to these pedestrian crossings.

“Many think its acceptable to proceed over these two crossings even when in use by pedestrians.

“I did witness a very mature lady using the crossing here and being missed by inches.

“Only this weekend I had a near miss while using this crossing when two cars didn’t stop.”

“Sadly I can see a situation where someone is killed by these actions.”

Alan Groves visits his daughter in the town and often takes his grandaughter out to the local shops.

“You’re risking you life when you use those crossings. Some drivers see I have a young child with me and still don’t stop,” he said.

“They need signs up warning people about the two crossings and a CCTV camera capturing the numberplate of those that ignore the fact someone is using them.”

Councillor Mike Adams represents Carlton East, which covers Netherfield, on Nottinghamshire County Council and are responsible for roads in the county.

He is also vice chairman of the council’s Transport and Environment Committee.

Councillor Adams said he was ‘sorry to hear of this’ problem and ‘would help and get involved’.

High-speed chase through Mapperley on tonight’s Police Interceptors

Gedling Eye Reporter
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High-speed chase through Mapperley on tonight’s Police Interceptors

A high-speed chase through Mapperley is featured on tonight’s episode of Channel Five’s Police Interceptors.

Two men landed jail sentences as a result of the pursuit.

The episode shows officers patrolling the streets of St Ann’s when they spot a Peugeot 607.

Following intelligence, they went to investigate and get a closer look at the car, but it soon took a sharp left onto Hungerhill Road and took off.

Having followed the car and seen this, cops switched on their lights – but the ‘blues and twos’ had no effect on the driver, who refused to stop.

It was then that trained tactical pursuit officers, including PC Rob Eley, were called in to bring the driver to a stop.

The driver reached speeds of 70mph, including through a 20mph speed limit zone, and narrowly missed a police car in his desperate attempt to evade officers, so it was a priority to stop him. Despite their efforts, he continued to hurtle around these built-up areas so, using their training, Rob and the team began to work on the tactics to bring the pursuit to a conclusion whilst pulling back to monitor the driver from further away, looking to decrease any additional risk.

As the car reached the junction of Mapperley Hall Drive and Woodland Drive, Mapperley, the driver lost control. Having reached a dead end it tried to reverse – but the interceptors were prepared and quickly boxed it in. They also quickly detained the man following the incident at around 1.25am on 1 September 2020.

Craig Ingle, 48, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 12 months in prison and disqualified from driving for five years after appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on 15 January 2021.

He was found guilty of dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving without a licence.

PC Eley said: “Speed limits are in place for a reason, and, in particular where it is a 20mph zone it is likely because it is a highly built-up area which sees lots of footfall.

“Ingle took many, many risks driving how he did and travelling at such speeds and we are thankful this was in the early hours of the morning where the roads were slightly quieter and that no one was injured.

“When we were called up for support, it was imperative we acted quickly. Our priority is to keep members of the public safe – and the longer a pursuit goes on, the more risky it tends to get.

“So, as a team it was really important to work together to keep sight of him and bring him to a stop as soon as possible and prevent any conclusion that could potentially be disastrous. We saw him come towards us as the pursuit came through the Forest Fields area and we worked on our tactical plan to stop him.

“He lost control as he came to a dead end and we took that opportunity to stop him for good.

“We boxed him in and I took the initiative to block off the driver’s door to stop any chance that he would get away on foot.

“Shortly after, he was detained. It was definitely a relief when we got to stop him as he was showing a complete disregard for us and the road. It’s also pleasing to hear that he got a custodial sentence.

“It’s a reminder to anyone who tries to escape officers that we are highly trained tactical pursuit drivers and when there’s a team of us following them its only a matter of time before their luck runs out.”

Tune in to Channel 5 at 8pm to see all this and more on tonight’s Police Interceptors.

Relationship between patients and GPs is ‘starting to degrade’ as staff suffer from burnout

Anna Whittaker (LDR reporter)
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Relationship between patients and GPs is ‘starting to degrade’ as staff suffer from burnout

A leading Nottinghamshire doctor has spoken out about the ‘distressed’ state of general practice surgeries and says the relationship between patients and professionals is “starting to degrade”.

Dr Stephen Shortt, Clinical Chair at the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said some staff are considering their futures in the sector due to the “stress, burnout and the unsustainability of the workload”.

He made the comments during the Health Scrutiny Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council on November 23.

He says he sees around 50 patients a day, around half of them face-to-face.

He said: “From the start of the pandemic to current times the professional-patient relationship has been strong and effective.

“And yet, it is starting to degrade at the present time through to the longevity of the pandemic and frustrations which are now coming to the fore.

“Even before the pandemic, we were already dealing with a system which was struggling.

GP-Healthcare

“The burden on general practice was great to start with and its weaknesses have been amplified by the covid conditions.

“Currently the state of general practice is that it is distressed and it is struggling as many other parts of society are.

“Colleagues have found the last 18 months very difficult indeed and there is much stress, burnout and there is much talk of the unsustainability of the workload.

“Colleagues are considering their work-life balance and whether they want to remain in general practice or not.

“General practice is fundamentally vulnerable and the pandemic has revealed that.”

He added when he hears of patients waiting for 45 minutes in a queue it is “deeply embarrassing and unsatisfactory”.

Dr Shortt added that he didn’t want to “adopt the mantle of victimhood” and said that many colleagues regard working in the sector as “a joy”.

It comes as data from the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which was given to councillors, shows about one in six people waited 15 days or more to see a doctor across the 31 days in August 2021.

This amounted to 76,224 out of 454,315 appointments or 16.77 per cent – and more than 20,000 patients waited longer than four weeks to see their GP.

In August 2020, 52,736 patients had to wait more than two weeks to see their GP, which equated to 13.21 per cent of appointments.

Gedling borough MPs vote on Government social care reform plans

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Gedling borough MPs vote on Government social care reform plans

Plans to reform the way people pay for social care in England have been voted on – and Gedling borough MPs have had their say.

The Conservative-led government’s proposals were approved by 272 ayes to 246 noes.

This tight result was due to significant opposition from other political parties and some Tory MPs, with concerns that not enough is being done to protect the poorest pensioners.

One of the main features of the reform is a ‘cap’ on the amount people will have to pay towards their personal care.

It will be set at £86,000, and after this has been reached, the local authority will take over the financing.

Houses of Parliament

However, this does not include living costs such as food, energy bills or accommodation.

Many argue that the new proposal could lead to people living in cheaper houses having their assets wiped out.

See how your Gedling borough MP voted:

Tom Randall (Conservative – Gedling) – For

Mark Spencer (Conservative – Sherwood) – For

East Midlands Railway reveals plans for reinstating train services in Gedling borough

Gedling Eye Reporter
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East Midlands Railway reveals plans for reinstating train services in Gedling borough

East Midlands Railway (EMR) has today revealed plans to reinstate services in Gedling borough that were cancelled back in May of this year.

The timetable increase will be delivered in two stages, with the majority of services being reinstated from Monday, December 13. A second and slightly smaller increase will then be delivered from Monday, January 3, as customers return to work and education.

From January 3, EMR plans to increase Liverpool to Norwich services as well as further reinstatements between Crewe and Newark Castle, Leicester and Cleethorpes routes – which all run through the borough.

EMR has said that to help these service reinstatements, a small number of changes will be made on the Nottingham to Skegness route, which occasionally calls at Netherfield, during the Winter period to reflect the reduced passenger demand.

These changes will remain under review and arrangements will be made to either reinstate or supplement through strengthening during anticipated periods of strong passenger demand.

Train-suspended
More services will be running to and from Carlton Station

Paul Barnfield, operations director at East Midlands Railway, said: “In recent months, a dedicated team has been working hard to improve the reliability and performance of our services to allow us to reinstate a number of our regional services.

“In doing so, we have aimed to prioritise services which have been the most requested by our customers and local stakeholders while also being careful to ensure our timetable is robust, reliable and as cost efficient to taxpayers as possible.

“These services will be reinstated in two stages either side of Christmas. This is an incremental and sensible approach to reinstating services at what is typically the quietest time of the year to travel. As such, I would ask customers to check their journeys between December 13 and January 3 before setting off, by visiting www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk.”

Full details can be found below and on EMR’s website here https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/amended-timetable

Services reinstated from Monday, December 13 2021

Liverpool to Norwich (Full reinstatements)

  • 0642 Sheffield – Nottingham
  • 0741 Nottingham – Norwich
  • 1651 Liverpool Lime Street – Nottingham
  • 1851 Liverpool Lime Street – Nottingham
  • 2141 Manchester Piccadilly – Nottingham 
  • 1257 Norwich – Liverpool Lime Street
  • 1656 Norwich – Manchester Piccadilly

Matlock to Nottingham 

  • Continues to run Matlock to Derby only

Crewe to Newark Castle

  • 0736 Newark Castle – Crewe
  • 1243 Newark Castle – Crewe
  • 1736 Newark Castle – Crewe
  • 1008 Crewe – Newark Castle
  • 1508 Crewe – Newark Castle
  • 2009 Crewe – Nottingham

Leicester to Cleethorpes

  • 0727 Nottingham – Leicester
  • 0842 Leicester – Nottingham

Full cancellations

  • 0846 Nottingham – Skegness
  • 1114 Skegness – Nottingham
  • 1346 Nottingham – Skegness
  • 1614 Skegness – Nottingham

The following services will be temporarily removed from EMR’s timetable on Monday, December 13 and will be reinstated on Monday, January 3, 2022

  • 0607 Nottingham – Norwich
  • 0955 Norwich – Liverpool (between Norwich and Nottingham)
  • 1208 Crewe – Newark Castle (between Derby and Newark Castle on Weekdays and Nottingham and Newark Castle on Saturdays)
  • 1436 Newark Castle – Crewe (between Newark Castle and Derby Mon-Fri and between Newark Castle and Nottingham on Saturdays)

Services Reinstated from Monday, January 3, 2022

Liverpool to Norwich

  • 0647 Liverpool – Norwich (between Liverpool & Nottingham)
  • 1051 Liverpool – Norwich (between Liverpool & Nottingham)
  • 0747 Nottingham – Liverpool Lime Street
  • 1057 Norwich – Liverpool Lime Street  (between Nottingham 

Bulb Energy collapses into administration – what it means for the supplier’s customers in Gedling borough

Gedling Eye Reporter
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Bulb Energy collapses into administration – what it means for the supplier’s customers in Gedling borough

Energy supplier Bulb has gone bust and placed into special administration – but will continue to supply their customers in Gedling borough as normal.

The company’s demise is the latest in the sector with more than 20 suppliers collapsing since the start of the year amid the soaring price of gas.

Bulb said it would be placed into special administration – a process designed to protect customers when a large energy supplier can no longer trade.

What should Bulb customers do?

Bulb customers do not need to do anything at this stage.

Bulb says: “Special administration is designed to allow Bulb to continue to operate as usual so you don’t need to take any action. Your tariffs are not changing, and the price cap applies to all consumer energy tariffs. If you pay for your energy by top up, your top ups will continue to work as normal. If you’re in the process of switching to or from Bulb, your switch will continue.”

An Ofgem spokesperson said: “Customers of Bulb do not need to worry – Bulb will continue to operate as normal. Ofgem is working very closely with Government. This includes plans for Ofgem to apply to Court to appoint an administrator who will run the company. Customers will see no disruption to their supply and their account and tariff will continue as normal. Bulb staff will still be available to answer calls and queries.”

Bulb customers may want to take regular meter reading and record them in case of any changes in future.

Energy_gas

What is a special administration?

Special administration is a process that ensures electricity keeps flowing when large energy companies collapse.

Ofgem and the government will appoint an official administrator to run the business until a more permanent solution can be found. The cost of running the business in administration will be paid for by the government.

What happens next?

Ofgem and the government will appoint an official administrator to run the business until a more permanent solution can be found. The cost of running the business in administration will be paid for by the government.

Will bills go up?

Customers are protected from any price rises until April 2022 under Ofgem’s price cap system, so long as they remain on their current deals with Bulb.

Longer term, the rise in wholesale gas prices and the cost of dealing with widespread failures across the industry means bills are likely to go up next year across the sector when the price cap is reviewed next Spring.

Martin Young, an analyst at investment bank Investec, said: “Consumers look set to shoulder the price of failure, possibly to the tune of £75/dual-fuel customer or more. They will rightly want answers.”

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