People in a Gedling borough are being warned to take extra care borough after Covid case rates soared above the national average
The warning comes despite the planned easing of Coronavirus restrictions on July 19.
Deputy Leader of Gedling Borough Council Michael Payne (Lab), said hospitals are “preparing intensive care beds” ahead of a possible fourth wave of serious illness.
He told a full council meeting at Arnot Hill Park: “Nobody knows when this pandemic is going to end.
“Clearly the vaccinations have given us all a glimmer of hope, but the rates continue to escalate.
PICTURED: Civic Centre in Arnold and inset, Councillor Michael Payne
“Just speaking to colleagues who have done a heroic job at the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital this week, they are standing up and preparing intensive care units out of concern around a spike that may happen in August.
“It’s really important that we stress in line with the restrictions that people continue to exercise caution.
“Even if you have been double jabbed, there is still a risk. Earlier this week, Gedling stood just at the top of the league table for rates.”
A total of 684 people in Gedling have tested positive for coronavirus in the last seven days, up 49 per cent on the previous week’s data.
The borough’s case rate per 100,000 people sits at 484.3 as of July 9.
England’s average case rate is 341.5 per 100,000 people.
A group of councillors walked out of a Gedling Borough Council meeting following a heated discussion about why they were not wearing face masks.
The disagreement between a number of Labour and Conservative members broke out towards the end of Wednesday’s meeting at the Civic Centre, Arnot Hill Park.
Councillor Ron McCrossen (Lab) asked if it was optional to wear masks in the chamber after a number of Conservative members were seen to have removed theirs.
Councillor Michael Adams (Con), who was not wearing a mask, responded: “We were advised that we are able to not wear them if we so wish.”
Six Conservative councillors then left the meeting following a heated exchange with Labour members about the issue. A seventh, Councillor John Parr, stayed while wearing a mask.
The full council meeting was held in person but also streamed publicly online.
Deputy Council Leader Michael Payne (Lab) told the meeting: “Wearing a mask isn’t a personal choice when you’re in a room with other people.”
Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Sam Smith (Con) said the incident was “shameful”, “disorderly” and “a total disgrace”.
He said: “The sad thing is that the residents we all represent would rather we spend time talking about the work the council is doing to improve the lives of residents.
“Three Labour councillors piled in on the mask topic. It left us with no option but to leave.
“It was like being in a playground, we couldn’t get on with the business of the day.”
He added: “The Conservative councillors are clear that government guidance says masks should be worn inside when you can’t be socially distanced. We were two metres apart from each other in the meeting, therefore you do not have to wear masks.
“We wore masks in the corridors and the meeting rooms because that’s a public space.
“There was no point on the agenda on the mask policy and at no point did they raise a point of order. We’ve logged a formal investigation on this.”
During the meeting, Cllr Payne said: “Across this chamber, there are people who elected members will go home to tonight, who are clinically extremely vulnerable, who are still at serious risk of being hospitalised.
“We were politely requested to do the decent thing and wear a mask.
“I do hope before we get to the next full council meeting, we can show some maturity and be the adults in the room.
“Members of the public who will be watching and listening to this debate tonight will be disgusted.
“We are not children, we are adults, and we need to show some leadership.”
Leader of Gedling Borough Council John Clarke said: “I am very disappointed to see the Conservative group walk out. There’s enough arguing, we need to get on and try to rebuild.”
Councillor John Clarke, leader of the Labour-run authority, wants to see the station move near to the soon-to-be-opened Sainsbury’s off the A612 Colwick Loop Road.
The store is expected to open this autumn and will be close to Victoria Retail Park.
Councillor Clarke said a station closer to the site would be beneficial to shoppers.
Netherfield Station is among the quietest stations in Nottinghamshire, with around 8,292 entries and 9,150 exits a year.
Other quieter stations include Rolleston, Thurgarton and Bleasby in Newark and Sherwood and Elton and Orston in Rushcliffe.
The retail park is currently a 16-minute walk from Netherfield Train Station, which is home to shops including Argos, B&M, B&Q, Halfords, M&S Food Hall, Next, TK Maxx, and McDonald’s.
Councillor Clarke said the railway line passes close to where the new Sainsbury’s will be built and therefore a move would be possible.
He said: “We want to move the railway station nearer to Sainsbury’s nearer to the retail park which would make sense. It is that connectivity for people.
“We can’t drive around in cars forever. The Victoria Retail Park has got B&Q, Marks and Spencer, Next and we have now got a big Sainsbury’s.
“I think it is one of the best retail parks we have got in Nottinghamshire.
“It is difficult to get out of the car park with hundreds of cars and it would relieve the car pressure in there.”
He said the move would also benefit independent businesses in Netherfield as people travelling by train would spend longer in the town. The council is preparing to open discussions with rail network providers, he added.
The council is currently waiting to see if it wins a £20m bid to Government to improve the shopping experience in Netherfield. The bid also includes plans for Carlton and Arnold, but does not include the railway station move.
Councillor John Clarke, leader of the Labour-run authority, claims his area is the worst-funded council in the country in terms of Government support, losing 65 per cent of previous funding levels over the last two years.
The new plans include creating ‘A Sneinton Market vibe’ in Netherfield which could include independent shops and micro-pubs.
There will also be plans to improve connectivity in the area by creating a new cycle and walking route into the town centre.
A new 3.5 kilometre greenway from Netherfield to Gedling Country Park could be created on the former railway mineral line.
The council also wants to create ‘a new leisure and culture hub’ near Arnold High Street which could include building a new leisure centre or refurbishing existing ones.
Currently, Arnold Leisure Centre has a swimming pool but no gym while there are gym facilities but no swimming pool at Redhill Leisure Centre.
There are also plans to refurbish a ‘scruffy’ and ‘rundown’ Carlton Square, which Cllr Clarke says has become “a rat run for people who want to cause mischief”.
Funding would be used to install better lighting and provide improvements to the car park.
The local authority has applied for £20 million through the Government’s latest round of ‘Levelling Up’ funds.
The council has also committed to boosting the bid with an investment of £2.2m from its own budget.
The bid is being supported by Conservative MP for Gedling, Tom Randall, who has asked the Chancellor and Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government to approve the application.
The council has previously bid for funding from two other Government pots of cash but has been unsuccessful on both occasions.
Cllr Clarke said: “We have been through the mill over the last year or so and our town centres need this boost. We have got bog all from the Government.
“We have got to get out there otherwise we will be left behind. We want to create a Sneinton Market vibe around Netherfield. There is a really good community there.
“We don’t want people to say ‘I don’t want to go to Netherfield.’ People will drive through it in their droves to get to Victoria Retail Park but why not stop off and look at the shops and independent businesses that are there.
“I think this is a vision that could happen in the next few years if we got the funding.”
He said, without the funding, the ambitious plans will take longer to come to fruition as there is not enough money in the pot to deliver them immediately.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was unable to say if Gedling had been successful with the bid yet.
A spokesman for the department said: “We’re levelling up all areas of the country, with billions of pounds of investment to support and regenerate communities.
“We will publish a Levelling Up White Paper later this year, setting out how bold new policy interventions will improve livelihoods across the country.”
“Gedling received over £3.3 million of Covid-related funding in 2020/21, and a further £790,000 for 2021/22, while its core spending power increased by up to £135,000 for 2021-22.”
An abandoned boat which had been stuck on a riverbank near Burton Joyce for months has finally been removed.
The boat had been occupied last summer and moored near the Ferry Boat pub in Stoke Bardolph. It was then abandoned and came loose from its moorings during flooding earlier in the year and was seen floating down the Trent.
The vessel eventually crashed into a bank near Burton Joyce and has remained there ever since. It was also targeted by graf
PICTURE: Nathan DyePICTURE: Nathan Dye
A spokesman for the Canals and Rivers TRust told Gedling Eye: “In the case of this boat, Section 8 of the British Waterways Act 1983 permits us, after giving at least 28 days notice, to remove a craft which is sunk, stranded, abandoned or unlawfully moored on our waterways.
“As part of this process we have been in touch with the owner of the boat on several occasions but their current whereabouts are unknown.”
A heartbroken family paid tribute to their much-missed husband and father at the opening of a new memorial woodland dedicated to those who lost their lives to Covid across Gedling borough.
The Gedling Borough Memorial Woodland at Carlton Hill Recreation Ground was officially opened yesterday (Friday, 9) and has been created to remember the 330 people across the borough who tragically died as a result of the virus.
The family of Andy Needham, who sadly passed away in January this year after contracting the virus, were invited to unveil a memorial plaque at the entrance to the new woodland.
Andy was well known and liked in the community and remembered by loyal customers who visited his Just Delicious bakery on Carlton Square.
The plaque unveiled by Andy’s wife Lorna and daughters Alix and Sophie remembers all those in the community who lost their lives during the pandemic.
Daughter Alix paid an emotional tribute to her father during the unveiling.
UNVEILING: l to r, Sophie and Lorna Needham with Alix Oram (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)PICTURED: The memorial plaque unveiled yesterday (PHOTO: Gedling Eye)PICTURED: Val Green from Carlton Hill Action Group talks to local councillors during the opening event (PICTURE: Gedling Eye)
“We hope this memorial will help to bring peace to people in the community.
“We hope it maybe takes on what people said about Andy, that he always had time to stop and talk to people no matter how busy he was and so many people have said that about him. I think we can all take something from that and use this woodland as a place to connect to each other and talk to each other.”
The memorial woodland is the brainchild of Val Green, who is a member of the Carlton Hill Action Group who work tirelessly to improve the local area.
She explained the initial thought was to use the land to create a community woodland but its purpose changed when the pandemic hit.
Val told Gedling Eye: “I moved here about four years ago and spotted this strip of land at the Recreational Ground was a bit wild and had potential to be even more back to nature. The initial thought was to just put some trees in – and then Covid hit.
“Because of Covid, I thought we could really make something really special here to remember people in the Carlton community. It was when I was talking to Carlton Hill councillor Alex Scroggie about getting Gedling Borough Council involved that he suggested it should actually become a memorial wood for the whole of the borough and I thought that was a lovely idea.
“We now plan to add to the woodland each year and make it somewhere really special.”
Next steps include to plant more native trees, install CCTV to keep the woodland protected and also add new signage.
Val added: “We are having some conversations with Balfour Beatty about how they can help. They are looking at designs for interpretation panels that will show all the native tress that are planted here.”
“We still need fencing and wooden sculptures would be nice so if any other companies want to donate these to us, that would be wonderful.”
Got a local story for Gedling Eye? Let our news team know by emailing us at news@gedlingeye.co.uk
A council is warning another life could be lost at Colwick Country Park as sun-seekers continue to swim in a lake where two people have died in the last three years.
The councillor in charge of open spaces for Nottingham fears a July heatwave will see more people go to the park to enjoy the sunshine and put their lives at risk by swimming in the open water.
Red flags are being put up around the lake, resembling those normally placed at beaches, to warn people of the dangerous currents.
There will also be new signs after the previous boards warning people of the dangers of open swimming were torn down.
The council said it has become a top location for young people, including students, to meet and that the June heatwave made it look like “an Ibiza festival”.
Councillor Rosemary Healy, Nottingham City Council lead member for parks and open spaces, said young people had been seen relaxing on the dangerous lake in large inflatables.
She said the park was seeing its busiest-ever summer, with people arriving at lunchtime and not leaving until 10pm.
There have been accidental three deaths in the last three years from people swimming in open water in Nottingham, including two at Colwick Park and one on the River Trent.
PICTURED: The lake at Colwick Country Park
There was also ‘a near-miss’ at Colwick Park when a young boy found himself in trouble but was saved by a lifeguard.
Cllr Healy said: “I am hearing that a lot of people are drawn to open water swimming particularly young people and we are very concerned about the risks of this.
“Open water is different from normal swimming in a pool or the sea particularly if people have been drinking alcohol. I was surprised myself at how dangerous it is with the currents under the water.
“Four hundred people on average drown across the UK every year and some of these will have been strong swimmers who have been faced with an unusual situation.
“In June, during the heatwave, at Colwick Country Park, there was a mass of young people coming down in Ubers with lots of alcohol.
“I am really afraid of there being another death.
“We want people to have these conversations with friends and family over the dangers of open water swimming.”
The exact dates for the forecast UK heatwave – with temperatures expected to rise to 27C – have been identified as July 16 to July 23.
She said due to Colwick Country Park being open countryside it would be impossible to fence the area off to stop people swimming.
But there could be an increase in community protection officers if the beauty spot becomes overcrowded in July and people start swimming in the lake.
Cllr Healy added: “Our water is a lot cooler than other places in the world and renders you motionless because your body goes into shock. It is just not worth it.
“Open water swimming is not illegal so you can’t physically drag them out. It is also open country so you can’t fence off the lake and if people are determined then they will get over fencing.”
Speaking about why so many people are swimming in the lake, she said: “We have to realise that people can’t go on holiday this year, so people are creating a holiday atmosphere in our own city.
“This is a wonderful thing to do but it creates some issues for us in terms of rubbish and the staffing needed to ensure safety.”
Police are urging motorists to be vigilant after overnight catalytic converter thefts in Arnold and Mapperley.
The warning comes after two thefts in the early hours of this morning (Thursday, July 8).
At about 12.45am a car was targeted in Greendale Road in Arnold.
The victim was woken up by the sound of a cutting tool. He then saw men in dark clothing leave the scene.
Also just after 1am it was reported a group of men in Westmoore Close in Mapperley had attacked vehicles with power tools before stealing catalytic converters. The caller had heard the sound of sawing and a car being jacked up.
Inspector Amy English, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Officers are working hard to investigate these offences and I’d ask anyone who was in these areas who saw anything, or anyone who may have captured CCTV or dash-cam footage, to please get in touch with us.
PICTURED: Catalytic converter
“While we have upped our patrols in affected areas we are urging people to be vigilant and if they spot any suspicious vehicles or people in their area to report it to us on 101. If a crime is in progress call 999 immediately.
“If you see any suspicious activity try to obtain as much information as possible, including any vehicle registrations.
“Criminals involved in this type of offending will target cars at any time during the day or night so if you see someone acting suspiciously under a vehicle, please report it.
“We’re also urging residents to be vigilant and make it as difficult as possible for criminals to target their vehicles. Where possible ensure your vehicle is parked on your driveway or in your garage if you have one. Alternatively, ensure you are parked in a well-lit area.
“Having an alarm and immobiliser fitted to your vehicle is also an effective way of deterring criminals.”
Anyone with any information about the overnight incidents is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 924 of 7 July 2021.
If you see any suspicious activity in your area please report it immediately by calling Nottinghamshire Police on 101. If an incident is in progress call 999.
A Mapperley man has been jailed for a “vicious” hammer attack that left his parents in hospital with serious injuries, leaving one with lasting brain damage.
Joseph Chattaway, 25, repeatedly struck his mum and dad with a hammer in an attack that sent shockwaves through the local community in August last year.
Chattaway fled the scene and sparked a seven-day manhunt that saw the force helicopter, drones and foot patrols searching for him.
The large-scale investigation led to his arrest in Staffordshire on August 14, 2020.
Nearly a year later, Chattaway’s father is still being treated for a brain injury. His mother was discharged from hospital in August last year.
Having initially been charged with attempted murder, Chattaway pleaded guilty to two counts wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm at a hearing on 16 March 2021.
He was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison at Nottingham Crown Court today (Thursday, July 8, 2021).
PICTURED: Nottingham Crown Court
Detective Inspector Pamela Dowson, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a shocking and vicious incident that a massive impact on the victims both physically and mentally.
“It has been an incredibly difficult time for the family involved and we have worked closely with them to ensure that they have been supported by specially trained officers throughout the investigation.
“A large-scale policing operation was launched to find Chattaway as we were concerned for his safety. Thankfully he was found and we are satisfied that justice has been served as a result.
“We know how difficult this has been for the victims, who have asked for privacy during this difficult time – we expect this to be respected.
“Communities can be reassured that we work tirelessly to investigate violent crime when it happens and will always look to take appropriate action.
“If you are a victim of or witness violent crime in your local area, please contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or in an emergency, dial 999.”
Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Chris Pearson, who covers Mapperley, has praised officers and detectives for their work to find Chattaway.
He said: “This case was an incredibly shocking for the local community who were understandably concerned about the attack.
“That being said, officers in the local area worked hard to reassure residents and ensure that patrols were upped in the area while we searched for Chattaway.
“Throughout the investigation, the community were patient and understanding and I would like to thank residents for their cooperation throughout that period.
“This really was a good example of how policing departments work together to achieve a goal and I welcome today’s result.”
Police in Arnold have issued a warning to residents following reports of suspected rogue roofers operating in the area.
Arnold’s Neighbourhood Policing Team were called out following a suspicious incident where two males in a van have attended a female’s home, ‘completed’ unknown work on the roof and then demanded £800.
Police say the males identified themselves as working for ‘Vintage Roofing’ and were seen driving a dark-coloured van.
They have then told the female to attend the bank for the cash and they would return to collect it.
A police spokesman said: “Although the female was shown ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots of her roof, we can’t confirm this was even her roof.
“The first thing they told the victim was that they were ‘on Google’. When officers have searched the company on Google, they are listed as a business but have no contact details listed – this instantly raises suspicion.
“Please keep an eye out for these guys! Even if a company is listed on Google, look closely to make sure it’s legitimate as anybody can list a company on the internet. If you require work doing on your property then you should contact the companies yourself.
Never buy products or services from door-to-door sellers, take a leaflet and do some research before agreeing to any work being done.”
Officers ae now appealing for information following the incident.
The spokesman added: “If you have any information regarding the above males and vehicle or think you may have cctv, please contact us on 101 quoting incident number 0439_080702021”
