The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is urging people in Gedling borough to report traders in the area who pump up prices during the coronavirus crisis.
Those found profiteering during the outbreak will be liable for prosecution.
The CMA said it will consider any evidence that companies may have broken competition or consumer protection law, for example by charging excessive prices or making misleading claims about the efficacy of protective equipment. And it will take direct enforcement action in appropriate cases.
Empty shelves have been reported at supermarkets across the borough
The authority also said it could soon advise the Government to consider taking direct action to regulate prices.
CMA Chairman Lord Tyrie said: “We will do whatever we can to act against rip-offs and misleading claims, using any or all of our tools; and where we can’t act, we’ll advise government on further steps they could take, if necessary.”
CMA Chief Executive Andrea Coscelli said: “We urge retailers to behave responsibly throughout the coronavirus outbreak and not to make misleading claims or charge vastly inflated prices. We also remind members of the public that these obligations may apply to them too if they resell goods, for example on online marketplaces.”
Nottingham City Transport has announced it will be postponing its planned fare rise and changing frequency of services in Gedling borough due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Fare rises were to have taken effect from March 29. The bus firm now say all on-bus, Easyrider, Robin Hood and NCTX Buses app prices will remain unchanged until further notice.
Bus Service levels in the borough will now also be reduced from later this month.
A spokesman said: “As employee availability reduces due to COVID-19, NCT is no longer able to continue running a full timetable. The number of people travelling has also reduced as people follow government advice and avoid non-essential use of public transport.
“We recognise however that some people still need to travel and customers and employers need certainty from NCT on what services can realistically be provided.”
Coronavirus
From Sunday, March 29, 2020 the following changes will be introduced…
A normal Sunday timetable will operate on Sundays.
NCT will operate a Saturday timetable on all routes on Mondays to Saturdays, with the exception of Navy 49 which will operate a normal weekday timetable.
There will be no NightBus services on any night of the week, which reflects the significant drop in evening usage as people are advised by the government not to attend social gatherings and pubs.
From Sunday 5th April 2020 Onwards…
NCT will review staff availability on a regular basis and will publicly announce each Friday lunchtime the level of service it can operate for the next working week, i.e. from a week on Monday after the announcement.
Announcing the changes, David Astill, NCT Commercial and Operations Director said, “In these difficult times, we’d like to publicly thank our employees for their dedication in enabling services to continue running and providing transport for the many people who still need to travel. By confirming the level of service we can deliver on a weekly basis, we are able to respond to our own employee availability and give confidence to customers of the service they can expect”.
A road in Gedling that was due to close for eight months will now remain open due to uncertainty over coronavirus.
A section of Burton Road was due to close from March 23, for approximately eight months as part of the Gedling Access Road, will now remain open to all traffic until further notice.
Nottinghamshire County Council has today announced work at the junction with Burton Road and the A612 Nottingham Road / Trent Valley Road will be paused.
IMAGE: Notts County Council
Councillor John Cottee, Chairman of the Communities and Place Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “We need to make sure that we have taken all sensible steps to minimise risk and disruption to our workforce and local people.
“The road closure was due to run 24 hours per day, seven days per week, with no access for emergency vehicles.
“We do not want to be in a position where we close Burton Road, start work on the junction and then stop again. We would not be able to reopen the road at this point and it would increase the overall time the road has to be closed.
“We made a promise to try and keep disruption to a minimum, so we have decided to pause works at this junction and keep Burton Road open for the time being.
“The good news is that we are pressing on with the rest of the GAR works, however due to the coronavirus the situation will be kept under review.”
Pictures from supermarkets across Gedling borough show shelves remain empty as the coronavirus crisis causes many people to panic buy.
Queues were reported outside Tesco in Carlton at 5.30am this morning, with customers waiting for the 6am opening.
A lot of stock was gone in moments.
Shelves were empty in Tesco in CarltonPeople began queuing for checkouts at 6.30amShelves were left empty in Netherfield’s Co-Op yesterday
A store worker, who didn’t wish to be named, at one supermarket in the borough emailed to say she’d received abuse off staff when challenging the amount of food they were trying to buy.
“We had a limit of what people could buy but when we stopped them taking more, we received lots of abuse.”
In a bid to stop the unnecessary panic, stores including Tesco, Asda, Lidl and Aldi have put restrictions in place, including limiting products and reducing opening hours.
The main Co-op in Netherfield is now putting down the shutters at 8pm, despite having original opening hours of 6am- 10pm.
Asda CEO, Roger Burnley,has also asked shoppers to be thoughtful of other customers, He said: “I’d also ask that you try to shop responsibly and not buy more than you need so that everyone, including the vulnerable, have access to the essentials.
A pub in Carlton has announced it is temporarily closing it’s doors ‘for the safety of others’ after a staff member went into self-isolation.
The Nags Head pub on Carlton Hill posted a message on their Facebook page announcing the sad news.
It read: “It is with sadness we have to inform customers that due to having to self isolate because of symptoms, we sadly have to close temporarily. This is for the safety of others,
“We have regular customers who are in self isolation and I myself started showing symptoms last night. My immediate family are also showing symptoms, so I hope you all understand.
It added: “I was hoping to trade for as long as we could but in the interests of safe guarding others we feel it’s time to close our doors even if just for a little while.”
Tyler Blake scored his second hattrick of the season as
Carlton Town moved back into the play-off positions with a 4-0 win against
Glossop North End.
Blake, who had hit a hattrick in the August win against
Frickley, took his tally to 20 for the season with this treble, which was also
the fourth consecutive game in which he had found the target. With Aaron Opoku scoring the other goal to
add to his own hattrick against Market Drayton last time out, the strike pair
have notched eight goals between them in just two matches.
With the shadow of the Corona virus hanging over the
continuation of league, it may well be the last game the Millers play for some
time. If it is, it was some way to bow
out – for now at least.
Managers Tommy Brookbanks and Mark Harvey unsurprisingly
named an unchanged side from the Market Drayton success. Heavy overnight rain had made the pitch a
little sticky in places, but it was still looking reasonably good considering
the weather this winter.
Carlton began well and were ahead on 14 minutes. A Niall Davie free kick was cleared for a
corner. Davie himself sent over the flag
kick which was headed on by the excellent Oliver Clark for Blake to head home
from a couple of yards.
Jevin Seaton, enjoying his best match in his brief Carlton
career, then ran through the Glossop midfield before releasing a lovely ball to
Tyler Johal. He in turn whipped over a
dangerous cross which goalkeeper Dale Latham did well to clear.
Seaton then sent over a corner which fell to Davie on the
right. He ran at the Glossop defence,
cut into the area and unleashed a shot which was well defended by Jeremy
Seosolo to prevent a goal.
The Hillmen’s first real attack came on 24 minutes when the
Millers lost the ball in midfield.
Glossop sped forward with Rhys Clooney firing inches wide of the post.
As the half wore on the game became increasingly fractious
with a number of niggly fouls and stoppages.
Glossop claimed a penalty on 39 minutes when Daniel Fletcher won what
seemed to be an excellent double tackle to prevent Dylan Fitzgerald shooting at
goal but the referee wasn’t interested.
Both sides could have scored in the final minute before the
break, with Dan Brown delaying a pass to Opoku which could have sent him free,
and then Seaton making a superb tackle to thwart a Glossop counter attack.
The Millers opened the second half as they had the first, on
the front foot, with Davie hitting an early effort over the bar.
Carlton went two ahead on 50 minutes. Brown did well to win a tackle just inside
the Carlton half and play a lovely ball down the right wing to Clark. Clark drew Lee Wilshaw and then sped past him
into the penalty are before firing a cross to the near post where Blake got the
final touch ahead of Devon Matthews to slot home.
Four minutes later Blake had his hattrick and once again it
was Clark assisting. Opoku, simply too
strong for the Glossop defence all afternoon, was brought down by Keenan
Quansah. Davie sent the free kick to the
back post with Clark heading back across goal for Blake to pounce from a couple
of yards.
The Hillmen responded by making a triple substitution and
one of those brought on, Moussa Samassa, went down under a challenge from Toby
Moore which led to a penalty being awarded.
It looked harsh but it didn’t matter in any event as Steggles dived to
his right to make an excellent save from Joe Mills’s spot kick.
Moore alongside Martin Ball at the heart of the Carlton
defence was excellent all afternoon, dealing with everything Glossop threw
forward. Indeed, the penalty was one of
their few shots all afternoon and possibly the only one on target.
Carlton for their part wrapped up the win with a fourth goal
on 70 minutes. Johal’s quick throw saw
Opoku shrug off the attentions of Will Hartshorne before firing hard at goal
with sufficient power that although Latham got behind it, he couldn’t prevent
it looping over him and into the net.
Matthews made a superb block to stop Opoku grabbing a second
after some excellent play from substitutes Danny Elliott and Kamani Wilson and
Glossop’s afternoon got even worse five minutes from time when Hartshorne was
sent off for a second yellow card after another foul on Opoku.
The win sees Carlton into fifth place in the table with
games in hand on most of those around them. The club awaits further information
as to when those games will be played.
Carlton Town: Steggles, Brown, Fletcher, Ball, Moore, Seaton (K Wilson 72), Davie (Bako 69), Clark (Elliott 57), Opoku, Blake, Johal. Unused substitutes: Sturgess, Thomas
Gedling MP Tom Randall has today tried to reassure people in Gedling borough worried by the coronavirus crisis, saying: “The government is doing everything it can to keep everyone healthy and financially secure”.
Mr Randall’s statement comes as the government sets out a £330 billion package of loans and guarantees to support businesses and a further £20 billion for business rates relief and grants.
Mr Randall said: “We need to get behind businesses at this difficult time, so I am pleased that these measures have been put in place to support them.”
As well as business support, the Gedling MP said that it’s vital that people are made aware of the government’s health message, which is designed to save lives and minimise suffering.
PICTURED: Tom Randall is the Conservative candidate for Gedling
He said: “Healthwise, it’s so important that people stop non-essential contact with others and all unnecessary travel. This advice is particularly important for people over 70, for pregnant women and for those with some health conditions.
“As the Prime Minister said, combating this virus will require a huge national effort. We must do all we can to save lives, protect our NHS and keep the most vulnerable people in our society safe.”
He added: “I know these are difficult times and everyone is worried, but I would like to reassure people here in Gedling that the Government is doing everything it can to keep everyone healthy and financially secure.”
Gedling Borough Council has today (March 18) made the decision to close their leisure facilities, community centres and also postpone public events as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
The decision follows Government advice which asks the public to take appropriate measures to avoid gatherings, unnecessary travel and public places.
Due to recent changes in guidance around gatherings and social distancing, Gedling Borough Council has today made the decision to close all of its leisure centres, community centres and the Bonington Theatre to the public, as well as immediately postponing planned public events.
The closures of leisure facilities & community centres will come into effect at the close of business on Friday, March 20, this decision will be kept under constant review. The council say that as soon as it is safe to do so, they will be reopened.
Refunds for existing bookings, leisure membership suspensions and cancelations in relation to the period of closure will begin in the near future and customers will be contacted either by phone or email with further details.
A number of events were planned by the Council for the near future including the popular Arnold Carnival at Arnot Hill Park, Pride of Gedling Awards which recognise local community heroes, and a series of free children’s play days – with deep regret these have now all been postponed until further notice.
Staff who would usually be based at leisure sites and working on council events will be redeployed to other service areas across the Council to help ensure that essential day to day services are maintained with as little disruption as possible.
Despite the closure of these facilities, all council managed parks and open spaces, including Gedling Country Park, will remain open for use, with residents encouraged to enjoy our beautiful open spaces, whilst observing social distancing measures advised by Public Health England and the Government.
Even with the difficult and regrettable decision to make temporary closures of leisure facilities and postponements of key events, the Council is putting in place additional measures to help and support residents wherever possible.
Yesterday, the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council, wrote to all twelve major supermarkets offering for the Council to purchase stock of essential non-perishable food and items that would be distributed to vulnerable and elderly residents as and when necessary.
Funds which were planned to be spent on upcoming events will instead be used to establish a Gedling Borough Hardship Fund to help support the most vulnerable and those residents and families worst affected by Coronavirus – more information on this will be provided by the council in the coming days.
The council will also be donating £2,000 to each of the established foodbanks around the borough to help manage the increase in demand they will now be facing.
A dedicated Coronavirus phone line has also been set up by the council (0115 901 3667). This phone line will be used to signpost residents who are unable to access online information to necessary advice and support in line with the guidance from Government and Public Health England.
Leader of Gedling Borough Council, Councillor John Clarke said;
“The decision to temporarily close our leisure centres, community centres and Bonington Theatre was not taken lightly, but the health and wellbeing of our residents and staff comes first and as a responsible council it is the right thing to do in these difficult circumstances. We want to make sure our facilities are available to residents wherever possible, so we will be keeping this decision under constant review as the situation with Coronavirus evolves.
Our key priority now is to ensure that vital council services continue to run and that we are helping those in our community who are most in need of our support. We’ve already written to all major supermarkets to offer the council’s services in stocking up on supplies for our most vulnerable residents and this week we’re making some major donations to all foodbanks in the borough to help manage increases in demand that they will likely be seeing.
I appreciate these closures are likely to cause disruption to some residents but I want to reassure everyone that we are doing everything we can to prioritise the support we can offer. Dealing with this virus outbreak is going to be a marathon, not a sprint, so it is vital we put in place appropriate and proportionate measures now to ensure we can work together to face this challenge.”
A care home in Arnold is offering flexible paid work to those financially affected by the Coronavirus outbreak.
Ideal Carehomes, who runs Coppice Lodge, said it is aiming to bring people together by recruiting local people to lend a helping hand and assist their care staff to continue to deliver the highest standards of care to residents.
Offering £9.00 per hour, flexible workers will help to perform key tasks throughout the care home environment including; kitchen work, cleaning, laundry, serving meals, even down to the simplest, but still very important, tasks such as making the perfect cup of tea.
The firm say workers will not be required to perform any personal care or assist residents without the supervision of the trained care staff and it will be mandatory for new workers to complete essential DBS and health checks prior to their first shift.
New flexible workers employed by Ideal Carehomes will be given access to key E-learning portals via the newly launched Ideal Academy, providing important training including; dementia awareness, person-centred care, safeguarding and first aid.
Sarah Colling, Head of Development and Engagement at Ideal Carehomes, who is the driving force behind the ‘Ideal Academy’ and flexible workers initiative, said, ‘As communities throughout the UK continue to suffer the effects of the Coronavirus, it is important that we are continuing the daily running of our care homes as normal and maintaining residents current lives with as little disruption to them as possible.
“In the event that some of our current staff teams are unwell and unable to work, these key members of the community can utilise their cooking, cleaning and domestic skills to enable our dedicated care staff to continue what they do best – caring for our residents’.
For more information about flexible working opportunities at Ideal Carehomes, contact Ideal Carehomes recruitment team on 0113 385 3887 or via email recruitment@idealcarehomes.co.uk.
