NEW SPORT IN THE PARK

Table tennis fans have been served an all-year-round sporting treat thanks to the installation of a new outdoor table tennis table at West Park in Long Eaton. Erewash Borough Council has installed the table near the play areas and it is free to use by all visitors to the popular 127-acre park.
Table tennis equipment is also available from the park’s West Perk café which is adjacent to the table and is open daily from 10am to 5pm during the summer - or visitors can take along their own. Table tennis is becoming increasingly popular and has great health benefits, especially as a sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and fitness levels. When played regularly it improves reflexes, hand-eye coordination and balance, while toning and strengthening core muscles and helping to keep the heart strong and healthy.
It has also been recommended as a method of warding off Alzheimer's and for assisting in the treatment of dementia. Councillor Mike Wallis, Erewash Borough Council’s Lead Member for Culture and Leisure, says: 

“We’re delighted that we have this in place in time for the summer and we know that it will be used and enjoyed by visitors both young and old. It is another great addition to West Park, which has something for everyone – from enjoyable exercise or relaxing walks through to a whole range of sports facilities. It is packed full of things to do for all the family.”
West Park is a ‘Green Flag’ park and is the largest park in the borough offering sports and recreational facilities that include an outdoor gym, play areas and a Splashpad water park.

TIME TO BLOOM

Erewash gardeners can put their hoes and rakes on standby and dust down their mowers . . . it’s time to launch the ever-popular Erewash in Bloom gardening competition! The annual competition for green-fingered gurus is the flagship project of Erewash Borough Council’s Pride in Erewash campaign and sees residents, schoolchildren and businesses put some real flower power into the borough.

The 2018 contest will be launched with special ‘Bloom’ stalls in Ilkeston and Long Eaton town centres where residents can find out more and pick up an entry form:
· Wednesday 25th April – Long Eaton High Street, 10am-1pm
· Thursday 26th April – Ilkeston, Bath Street, 10am-1pm
This year’s competition has also seen Trent Barton get on board, with the bus company sponsoring the Front Garden Category. Councillor Mike Wallis, Erewash Borough Council’s Lead Member for Culture and Leisure, says:
“Put the dates in your diaries and come along and visit our Bloom stalls - it’s time to sharpen your shears, spruce up your flower bed and bring out the baskets! We expect another record-breaking year for our Erewash in Bloom, which remains a summer-long favourite with residents of all ages in all corners of our borough.”
Residents will be able to enter on-line from Wednesday 25th April by visiting www.erewash.gov.uk/erewashinbloom or forms can be downloaded at www.erewash.gov.uk/pride The competition features a wide range of categories as gardening fans all compete to put on the best summertime displays and be crowned an Erewash in Bloom champion.    

 

DRUNK DRIVER CRASHES THROUGH WALL

A motorist who ploughed through a brick wall in his girlfriend's Saab was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Police say the man took the dark-coloured car without his girlfriend's consent at 11.10pm on April 8th before crashing through the wall in Risley near the Risley Hall Country House Hotel.

Officers attended the scene in Derby Road and the 31-year-old man from Stapleford was subsequently arrested after providing a breath test. He was later arrested on suspicion of driving without a licence or insurance and taking a vehicle without consent. The driver who hurt his leg in the collision was taken to Royal Derby Hospital for treatment. He was later released pending further investigation.

NEW BUTCHERS

A new butchers is to open on the High Street in Long Eaton. Willowtree Family Butchers are set to hold an opening ceremony on Saturday April 7th. Mary Hopkinson, the Mayor of Erewash will conduct the ceremony at 9am. Owner Reece Thornton said, “Come and give us a go, we are going to be a great asset to the community.”

Following the opening the first 75 customers will receive a free gift.

 

MAN ROBS LONG EATON HAIRDRESSER

An armed man has robbed a hairdresser in Long Eaton. At around 5.45pm on Monday, March 26th, a man walked into The Green Hairdressing Salon, Nottingham Road, and produced a knife. He demanded cash from the till and stole money before walking off along Conway Street. No one was injured. The robber is white, slim, about 5ft 5ins tall and in his mid-20s. He wore a royal blue hooded top with the hood up.

Witnesses or anyone with information should call DS Dan Burns on 101, quoting reference 18000137775. Alternatively, send him a message online by visiting the Contact Us section of our website. You can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

FREE SCHOOL MEALS ARE CUT

On Tuesday March 13th Tory and DUP MPs voted for cuts to free school meals. In England Families on universal credit will see the income threshold for free school meals cut to £7,400 per year. Catherine Atkinson, Labour’s candidate for Erewash in the next general election had written to Maggie Throup urging her to put Derbyshire’s poorest children before Party loyalty, by voting against the Government plans. The appeal fell on deaf ears as Maggie Throup toed the party line and the sweeping cuts were waved through by 312 votes to 254. Speaking about the Government plans before the vote, Catherine said:

 

“The Tories are trying to leave over a million children without access to free school meals, that’s potentially 14,000 in our area alone. If Maggie Throup votes to literally take hot dinners away from the children of her constituents, I don’t know how she will be able to hold her head high in our towns.”

PARKING CHARGES FROZEN

Car parking charges in Erewash have been frozen for this year and the popular free one hour parking in town centre car parks will continue.

Erewash Borough Council has confirmed that there will be no increase in parking rates in its car parks following its budget setting meeting this month. The move comes despite many local authorities across the country announcing a hike in parking rates as councils continue to find ways to deal with budget shortfalls in these financially challenging times. Councillor Michael Powell, Erewash Borough Council’s Lead Member for Regeneration and Planning, says:

“Our message is clear – there is no increase in parking charges in Erewash and our free one hour parking scheme continues. We firmly believe this is important in the continued drive to bring people into our town centres which is why we worked hard within our budget to ensure we could freeze the parking rates and still offer the free parking.”

WHERES LULU

COD’S SCALLOPS

In case you have completely missed it, the cod’s Scallops have cast its net to opening a new store in Long Eaton’s town centre. Formally the Fulton’s freezer store, the fish and chip shop is the third branch to open, following the success at Wollaton and Carrington. Following years of great recommendations and boasting the support of National fish and chip awards it was time for me to see what all the fuss was about.

The restaurant opens at 9.30am and as we headed in around 10.30 we were told that frying doesn’t commence till 11.30, the option of sitting in and having a cuppa while we waited would have been an hour’s long look at the menu while staring at the clock willing it to move, we opted for a walk around town. Getting back just after opening the tables had already been taken up, there was still space though and we sat admiring the seaside themed pictures and decorations.

While my mum opted for the Lunchtime meal deal of mini cod, chips and a cuppa for £6 (Monday to sat 1130-2) I went for lemon and pepper squid rings a side of chips and a mug of coffee. The staff seemed friendly and very eager to make the plaice (see what i did there?) the best experience possible. As soon as 12 hit there seemed to be an explosion of people hurriedly coming in for take away lunches, again the staff worked hard and barely stopped to ensure that the queue went down as quick as possible. The food itself was amazing; the fluffy chips (cooked in beef dripping) were to die for, smothered in the restaurants branded ketchup, the squid rings were lovely and served in a shell. The whole experience was fantastic, while a little more expensive than local chippy's, owner John Molnar has put all his energies into creating a fantastic eatery from his 30 years experience as a chef and has created a perfect chippy to go to for a treat with a wide choice available even a fishmonger friend of mine was impressed!

LIFE FOR WEST PARK COURT MURDERER

Alcoholic Jeffery Beers has been jailed for life after stabbing his friend with a bread knife. He will serve a minimum of 15 years. A jury had unanimously found the 46-year-old guilty. He was sentenced on Tuesday, February 27th at Derby Crown Court.

Police were called to West Park Court, Broad Street, Long Eaton, on August 29th, 2017, after reports that a man had been injured. When officers arrived, a man was found with fatal injuries and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The post-mortem examination indicated that the victim had been stabbed. Jeffery Beers of West Park Court was arrested and later charged with the murder of Nigel McGurk.

Detective Inspector Steve Shaw who led the investigation said: “Both Beers and Mr McGurk were friends and had what people described as a futile relationship. I would like to praise the police officers and medical staff who attended the scene who tried to save Nigel. This was a sad and tragic end to a life and hopefully this sentence will bring some comfort to Mr McGurk’s family, knowing that justice has been served.”  

LITTER CULPRITS BE WARNED

Litterbugs and pet owners who fail to pick up after their dogs are being warned they will be prosecuted if they are caught offending and then fail to pay the Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) fine. The hard-hitting message comes from Erewash Borough Council as it continues its crackdown on environmental crime and follows three successful prosecutions last month – while a further three court cases are due to take place over the next couple of weeks. 

Two local residents have been taken to court by the council after they failed to pay their fines when they were spotted throwing their cigarette ends onto the pavement – while a third was also prosecuted for non-payment of his fine for failing to pick up after his two dogs. All three were issued with Fixed Penalty Notices when they were seen by Neighbourhood Wardens and must now pay court fines and costs totalling hundreds of pounds. All three cases were heard at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court: 

· Kirsty Taylor, of Balmoral Road, Borrowash, dropped a cigarette end and left it on the pavement on Derby Road, Long Eaton. No FPN payment was received and the court fined her　£220, with a victim surcharge of £30 and ordered her to pay the council’s full costs of £127 – a total bill of £377.

· James Whitworth (32), of Critchley Street, Ilkeston, dropped and left his cigarette end on Bath Street, Ilkeston.　He failed to pay his FPN and was fined £220 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and the council’s full costs of £127.50 – a total bill of £377.50.

· Isaac Stack (20), of Blackwell Close, Ilkeston, was issued with two FPNs when he failed to pick up after his two dogs fouled land at Cotmanhay Pavilion Open Space. No payment was received and he must now pay a total court bill of £597.50 – a fine of £220 for each offence, a victim surcharge of £30 and the council’s full costs of £127.50.　 Councillor Garry Hickton, Erewash Borough Council’s Lead Member for Environment, says:

 
“These cases show that we won’t hesitate to take action against offenders. They may have hoped to avoid punishment, but the fines and costs awarded demonstrate the court’s support for our work. If people don’t want to be out of pocket, the solution is simple – dispose of waste responsibly. Littering of any kind is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. It brings down the appeal of our towns and local communities and is dangerous and unhealthy. Much of the waste carelessly thrown out, particularly cigarette ends, does not rot down for a very long time. Clean-up costs, of course, are met through Council Tax so dropping litter, fly-tipping or leaving dog mess makes no sense at all and is a mindless thing to do. We need the public to take a responsible approach to disposing of their waste.” 

Over the last quarter, the council issued an increased number of 44 FPNs for litter offences compared to 31 in the same period last year. In the year to date there have been 170 issued compared to 109 at the same point in 2016. Fly-tipping cases have dropped in the year to date, with 116 instances compared to 208 in the same period last year. The council appeals to the public to help the crackdown on environmental crime by reporting offenders and supplying information through the council’s confidential PRIDE-line number 0115 850 8383 or email prideline@erewash.gov.uk